“Schools should teach two things…Problem Solving and Leadership. Leading is a skill, not a gift. You’re not born with it, you learn how. And schools can teach leadership as easily as they figured out how to teach compliance.” Seth Godin, Linchpin

Schools do many things well…teaching students to be independent leaders is NOT one of them.

I have been an educator for almost four decades now, and I have never met a teacher that did not have good intentions for their students!  Very few men and women become teachers that don’t have their heart in the right place…being child-centered.

With that said, if parents often parent how they were parented, then teachers usually teach the way they were taught…unfortunately.

What we know now about how students BEST learn is a far cry from how most schools function in today’s world.

There has been much written about growing adult leadership, but not nearly enough on how to develop leadership in children…and our schools are the perfect setting to do this in.

There is evidence…from my firsthand knowledge as father, teacher, coach and principal…that with the proper approach, teachers / schools can grow leaders as young as Kindergarten age.

The Foundations of Growing Children as Leaders

Never has it been more clear to me that things need to begin changing in our schools.  And it starts with the adult leader…but ironically, it’s about everyone but the biggest person in the room…it’s about the children!

There is CHANGE in the winds of learning and teaching, with the word learning placed purposefully ahead of teaching.  In most updated teaching evaluation processes, there is an emphasis on the students taking ownership of their own learning.  In order to do that, children need to see themselves as LEADERS!!

At the CORE of this revolution is that the CHILD…and his/ her learning…takes priority over ALL ELSE!

The three keys to this change in teaching and learning are embedded in the “LLL” approach:

LEARN: Those in a position of INFLUENCE (teachers and principals) first need to be LIFELONG LEARNERS…not in the rhetorical sense, but REAL people of learning so as to model this attitude for our young. (They’re watching!)  Furthermore, schools need to be focused on children learning…NOT the adults teaching.

LEAD: Leaders need to LEAD…not passively or from behind a desk, but TRULY LEAD…get their hands dirty.  Impactful leadership is an ACTION sport!  Children can – and should – be taught to be leaders at a very young age!

LOVE: Impactful leaders LOVE those that they lead.  They approach their role from a service-mindset.

Those in a position of influence, (principals / deans / building leaders) need to focus on how to serve the teachers so that they can SERVE our children.

For more on leadership, Bob Siegel will lead the session Learn/Lead/Love at the West Michigan Education Leadership Conference (WMELC) on Monday, December 11, 2017.  Don’t miss his and other great presentation.

Click HERE to reserve your seat for WMELC today!

You can also visit the website: www.learntoleadwithlove.com

This blog post was written by Bob Siegel. Bob Siegel has been a dynamic educator for over 30 years as a teacher, coach, principal, and adjunct professor. He has positively impacted thousands of lives in his career through his loving leadership style. His words and actions have motivated many children and adults to success. Bob has a true sense of how to lead others and is a wonderful example to those around him. He has a true desire to lead others in a positive way, inspiring them to do “good things” while keeping lots of humor in his daily interactions with those that he comes in contact with. Bob has a BA from Aquinas College and a Masters in Leadership from Michigan State University. He is currently the principal at Valley View Elementary School in Rockford, Michigan and an adjunct professor at Grand Valley State University.