by JCSprenger

Created on: August 13, 2009

The Need To Develop Leadership In Our Schools

We are not doing enough to develop leadership skills in our public schools. It is true that some young children show these qualities early on, as other classmates flock around the spontaneous leader to follow his/her "suggestions." But leadership, the positive kind, can also be taught and learned at a very early age. A good teacher at every level will detect those students who show leadership potential, whether their actions have constructive goals or not. It is up to the instructor to guide such tendencies by giving the students opportunities to demonstrate such skills. It is also the teacher's role to help develop the underlying foundations of leadership in those children who, for some reason, are afraid or too shy to assume responsibility.

Give Them a Chance

Some aspects of the personality can help or hinder the development of leadership skills: Self-esteem, shyness, fear, optimism, courage, intelligence, brazenness, good humor, confidence, inner strength, and a host of additional factors can contribute negatively or positively to the emergence of leadership qualities. The good elementary teacher will make sure that every child has a chance to participate; too often, we see teachers asking questions from the same students, knowing that they will likely respond quickly and correctly. What about the quiet ones? What if some children require more time to answer after they process the information?

Addressing Inappropriate Behavior

Some students show their leadership skills by interrupting the class, making classmates laugh or by sustaining private conversations while the teacher is explaining the task. The most brazen ones will insult the instructor and challenge his or her authority. It is indeed a difficult situation which many teachers solve by sending the offenders to the principal's office. There is another way, however, which requires a little more time: Find out all you can about the child; you, as the teacher, have access to all the confidential information in the student's files. Then ask him or her to talk to you one-on-one after or between classes. It is your unique opportunity to guide the student's leadership potential into a positive direction.

Avoiding the Hurt

The easiest way to hurt a child is to be judgmental. The teacher or the parent will often lower or destroy the student's self-esteem by ascribing certain labels to their behavior: You are jealous, envious, too impatient, you

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