Leadership - it's a funny thing. I often spend time musing the meaning of leadership and have found this to be an endless trail. Mostly because each person is looking for something slightly different in a leader. An elected leader may seek to engage each constituent, however that doesn't mean each person actually wants to be led (or maybe they just voted for the other candidate).
Last week we held our first high school student council meeting and then went off for the day on a leadership retreat at nearby Triangle Training Center. This got me thinking about student leadership in general. Why do we have a student council and what are we expecting from our student leadership group? What other opportunities are there for students to develop leadership? Did you know that leadership is something we seek to develop in each and every student? It's right there in the Vision Statement:
We envision a world where every young person wholeheartedly engages in an extraordinary educational journey that leads to a life of leadership and service.
Last week we held our first high school student council meeting and then went off for the day on a leadership retreat at nearby Triangle Training Center. This got me thinking about student leadership in general. Why do we have a student council and what are we expecting from our student leadership group? What other opportunities are there for students to develop leadership? Did you know that leadership is something we seek to develop in each and every student? It's right there in the Vision Statement:
We envision a world where every young person wholeheartedly engages in an extraordinary educational journey that leads to a life of leadership and service.
We began the day at Triangle Training with some metaphorical exercises which got the group thinking about how to initiate new ideas and how to sustain them. Much of the following discussion was around big ideas for the forthcoming school year, how to receive input from the student body, and how to build community school-wide.
A major theme from each student council representative was the desire to be successful: meaning pulling off some great events and engaging every student along the way. If there's one thing that stood out to me, it was the seriousness of these students and their chosen roles. They were truly sincere in their desire to develop themselves as leaders, to operate successfully as a group, and to function as real representatives of their peers at school.
Next week, we return to Triangle Training with our 9th grade class; this time, for a day of team-building. I'm guessing that we'll see more leadership in action, not just from our elected leaders, but in many more places. What kind of self-leadership does it take to push through a physical challenge that initially seems intimidating? How do friends support each other and provide the right amount of encouragement? How do we present ourselves to others so they feel empowered not belittled?
There are leadership opportunities all around us. I see our high school TAs rise to the challenge when working with our middle and elementary school friends. There are those who volunteer in the community - not just for the required 50 hours, but for hundreds of hours over their high school career. I see students demonstrating leadership through engagement in drama, music, debate, athletics, Men of Strength club, GSA, and many more venues.
But what if leadership is more than a person or a designated role? What if leadership is a function of the group? In taking the time to "retreat" with our student council leaders, the opportunity arose for the individual student leaders to find some collective direction and alignment in order to be more effective in their work together. They also talked about their expectations of each other in order to help sustain their momentum. Perhaps, in addition to organizing amazing community events, they can also model for us qualities of leadership. Those student leaders we elect may have natural talents for leadership, or maybe they are just further along the path of leadership development - something we can all work towards.
A major theme from each student council representative was the desire to be successful: meaning pulling off some great events and engaging every student along the way. If there's one thing that stood out to me, it was the seriousness of these students and their chosen roles. They were truly sincere in their desire to develop themselves as leaders, to operate successfully as a group, and to function as real representatives of their peers at school.
Next week, we return to Triangle Training with our 9th grade class; this time, for a day of team-building. I'm guessing that we'll see more leadership in action, not just from our elected leaders, but in many more places. What kind of self-leadership does it take to push through a physical challenge that initially seems intimidating? How do friends support each other and provide the right amount of encouragement? How do we present ourselves to others so they feel empowered not belittled?
There are leadership opportunities all around us. I see our high school TAs rise to the challenge when working with our middle and elementary school friends. There are those who volunteer in the community - not just for the required 50 hours, but for hundreds of hours over their high school career. I see students demonstrating leadership through engagement in drama, music, debate, athletics, Men of Strength club, GSA, and many more venues.
But what if leadership is more than a person or a designated role? What if leadership is a function of the group? In taking the time to "retreat" with our student council leaders, the opportunity arose for the individual student leaders to find some collective direction and alignment in order to be more effective in their work together. They also talked about their expectations of each other in order to help sustain their momentum. Perhaps, in addition to organizing amazing community events, they can also model for us qualities of leadership. Those student leaders we elect may have natural talents for leadership, or maybe they are just further along the path of leadership development - something we can all work towards.