My corny title has a purpose, but it must continue for a little bit. There is a leader in all of us, even that shy kid that sits alone in the library that you know their first name and that is all you know. I promise you, there is leader in all of us it may be hiding but it’s there.
Growing up I wasn’t the best student speaking both academically and behavior wise, but I also wasn’t that student that had to be called into the principal’s office, or had my clip put down, lost a letter in my name when I misbehaved, or whatever a school may use as a consequence due to not turning in work or causing an issue. I worked hard, and did the best I could; but my best wasn’t the best in the class. When the different behavior programs started to evolve and make their way into the schools that I was in, I noticed a shift in my effort. It seemed no matter how hard I worked or how I behaved my efforts went unnoticed, but those who were labeled “gifted” or “problem” reaped the most out of the programs. Those that fell between gifted and problem student were on the outside looking in. I spent most of my life in that mindset and continue to live in that mindset as an adult, because of my experiences in life and the various challenges or proverbial mountains that I had to climb to get where I am today, some of which I am still climbing but at least I’m climbing.
I am huge fan of the program Leader in Me, which is loosely based or influenced by Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of a Highly Effective Person. I personally have not seen this program in Action, but there is something that I take away from it because every student needs someone in their life that believes in not only them, but their individual abilities. The Leader in Me program gives everyone an equal chance, as whole no one student is better than the other, because each of them is capable. Everyone has the potential to be great, but you have to give them that opportunity.
Second Semester freshman year High School, I had a teacher go through the Roll Call list read my last name and ask my if I was related to a former student of hers. I responded Yes, to which then she responded “Are you going to do your work?”, the teacher didn’t give me the opportunity to succeed in her class, she saw my name then assumed that because my older sibling didn’t put forth effort in her class that I was going to do the same. In all honesty, I didn’t try in her class because why put effort into someone who didn’t even try to put effort into me.
The Leader in Me website, talks about changing the Mindset by using their paradigm system. Which instead of saying a small group is gifted and labeling them as such “Everyone has Genius”, each student has what they are best in. Even the confines of the word Genius can be broken up by simply saying “You are great in this one area, the others just need work”, that way negative language is not apart of that statement. You can always improve even if you are MENSA Genius, something can always be improved. Another aspect of the paradigm was changing the mindset that “Leadership is just for a few” to “Everyone can be a leader”. However, I would like to take that further and say Everyone is a leader. No matter who the person is, they have the potential to be a leader, they are CAPABLE of being a leader if an only if they are in an environment that gives that oppertunitity.
