Being a good leader involves listening. While finishing this assignment, I had to interview an employee of a school district about an issue that they face within their district. After listening to the answers given, I then had to write about how I would go about trying to fix the issue. I believe this is shows my growth as a leader by listening to someone else, and working with them to come up with a possible solution.
In order to be a good leader, one must define leadership. I believe a leader is someone who can clearly comunicate an idea and inspire others to react to it. When you mention leadership, the word implies that there will be multiple people involved. Getting these people to work effectively together is what leadership is all about.
Another important part of leadership is getting people to trust you. For this assignment I had to work with a student who hated to read. Those are his words. I was able to assess the student on his current level of performance, and also develop lessons to begin helping him become a more confident reader. I continue to learn how to develop trust, this is a simple example of how this can be done.
Working with others is important in any career, but I feel it is especially importnat in education. As a special education teacher there must be a working relationship with fellow teachers, parents, the student, administration, and other staff members who may work with the student. This assignment details what was done to ensure that a struggling student would see success. I had to work with others to help this student.
Professional Showcase
Leadership in the classroom and on the field
Leadership and working with others, has always been important to me. The following work is evidence of my continued work to become a better leader. The work in this showcase is separated into two seperate categories; leadership in the classroom, and also in athletics or coaching. I feel that throughout this process, I have learned how to be not only a better leader, but teacher/coach as well. Clicking on the images below will bring you to an actual assignment that was handed in while completing my MAED program.
I believe that part of being a good leader, is knowing when you need help and not being afraid to ask for help. For this assignment I had to put together a group of fitness and athletic professionals that I can call on if a question or problem comes up. These are people I can count on for answers and advice when needed. Believe me, there are a few names on this list that I ask questions of frequently.
For this assignment, I was asked to put myself in the shoes of an athletic administrator for a small college. I was then asked how I would lead our college when facing several challenges. These challenges ranged from hazing allegations to possible negligence lawsuits. There were many things to consider as I lead our college through these challenges. This was an assignment that I really enjoyed. My eyes were opened to the complexity that comes with leading an athletic program.
When you talk about being a leader in athletics, often times you will be asked to design programs for youth, high school, collegiate, or other programs. In this assignment I outlined a football program ranging from early elementary years all the way through varsity in high school. There are a lot of factors to consider when putting this together, and many people you would have to work along side. It would take a strong leader to keep a program like this functioning.
Leadership in Athletics
Every athlete that I coach is expcted to behave in a certain way and meet certain expectations. I feel this is important to teach each student athlete that there is more to athletics than simply playing the games. I am hoping to teach certain lessons that will lead them to becoming great people as well.