Personal Narrative: The Leadership Of Mrs. Lori Pierce

Austin being a leader instead of a manager is how she leads and inspires not only her students, but other faculty members as well (Wren, 1995, p. 8-10). There was a time when I attended the Virginia High School League States Debate Competition with my debate coach, another Midlothian High School English teacher (Cheatham, personal communication, April 20, 2014). During one of the round breaks, my coach and I happened to get on the topic of English teacher (Cheatham, personal communication, April 20, 2014). It was then that my coach raved about Mrs. Austin and the personal impact she has had on his own teaching methods and ways to motivate students that are dragged down by SOL tests and public school standards (Cheatham, personal communication, April 20, 2014). In this experience, Mrs. Austin solidified her leadership capabilities of motivating and inspiring anyone around her to work harder and be better at anything one does. Overall, Mrs. Austin knows how to properly handle coping with change. She knows how to be a leader, not a manager (Wren, 1995, p.

This semester, we learned specific ways to build our leadership capabilities by reading “How Remarkable Women Lead” by Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston, researching Boston women leaders, interviewing a present day woman leader, and reading a group book. Throughout all of these resources and research, common themes of how to be a successful leader emerged. Not only did I learn more about leadership in general, but I also found ways to improve my own leadership without going too much out of my comfort zone. The important lessons of leading with perseverance, framing, and an activist's mindset thoroughly influenced my identity as a leader and gave me new tactics to grow as a person.

Over the years, I have worn many educator hats such as a Director of Resource, classroom teacher, Head Start teacher, special’s teacher, and as a teacher’s aide. My leadership experiences have not been ones in an administrative role, but I have had leadership experiences both informal and formal in nature. My years as a professional educator with a Virginia Collegiate Professional license has allowed me to teach in public settings as well as Catholic schools, at many different grade levels and for me, all of those experiences have influenced my leadership skills.

There are leaders in every situation and facet of life, leaders are everywhere around us, both in the business world and out in the community. Leaders can be Supervisors, Managers, Pastors, Teachers, or any person in any situation where they are trying to get a group of people to accomplish a specific goal. As stated by Don Clark “Good leaders are made not born” (Clark 2010), leaders are developed by experience, training, education, and by watching and learning from other leaders. Our children are learning how to be leaders everyday. They learn at school from their teachers and after school, they learn from their friends and parents. One of the most impactful leaders of children in every community is a youth sports coach. In 2006 it was

She worked to advance what she called "group-centered" leadership long before a belief in the importance of internal and participatory democracy within our progressive organizations was widely shared. She was a coalition-builder. Principles were essential, but she was rarely if ever tactically rigid. She understood that the way individuals lived their personal lives could not be divorced from their political activities.

A leader takes diligent time in considering the ability to adhere to other people’s interests and presents their followers with a positive mindset. This summer, I accepted an invitation to participate in the Dale Carnegie Young Adult Leadership Program. Attendees of this program learned several skills that can be applied to future experiences, especially on how to become an effective leader. Everyday, the attendees acted as leaders by accomplishing various tasks that forced them to reach out of their comfort zones. We acted as leaders by leading group

As people get older, leadership and involvement become a huge part of who they are and how they carry themselves. Are they able to take on responsibilities, express opinions and make decisions among their peers? Are they respectable and reliable and therefore able to inspire and support others? Are they outgoing, and positive? All are essential for a leader. Throughout the past 5 years, I have taken on several leadership roles. I have taken on more responsibilities in 4-H and Kane County Ambassadors. I have participated in high school cheerleading, competitive All-Star cheerleading, and Varsity cheerleading here at St. Ambrose. Additionally, I have gotten involved in SAU’s Student Government Association as the Freshmen Class President. Participation

Inger has met leaders that have had a great impact on her teaching style and the type of teacher she wanted to be. She remembers her first experience in teaching, a time when she was assigned to a seasoned

For example, a pediatric neurosurgeon named Alexa Canady demonstrates the qualities that a leader must embrace. She became the first African American female neurosurgeon, but when she was young, she often faced rejection and discouragement from those around her (Canady 1). In fact, when she was in second grade, Alexa scored extremely high on one of her standardized tests; her teacher thought it was wrong because of her “race and gender” and exchanged her score with another student’s (Women 1). Despite these difficulties, Alexa never gave up. After her rough years as a child, Alexa graduated high school with honors, but was unsure which career path she would like to pursue. She studied mathematics along with zoo-ology in college before settling on neurosurgery (RosalindFranklinU). After winning many awards during her career, Alexa earned a spot in the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame (Canady 3). But this alone doesn’t define her as a leader. Selflessly, despite her heavy workload, Alexa also found free time “to take a high school student around for the day.” Alexa says, “I do it because it’s important… if you want to be something, you have to perceive something is possible” (Canady 4). By mentoring these kids, Alexa set a great example to follow your dreams no matter what other people say.

Teacher leaders and administrators play a vital role in the overall organizational structure of a school. As discussed in Educational Leadership, there are ten roles that teacher leaders tend to gravitate towards. The roles of teacher leaders vary according to duties and responsibilities placed on the teacher leader, they include the following: resource provider, instructional specialist, curriculum specialist, classroom supporter, learning facilitator, mentor, school leader, data coach, catalyst for change, and learner (Harrison & Killion, 2007, pg. 74-77). As a teacher leadership at Lake Oconee Academy, I personally see my duties and responsibilities covering several of these roles. Since the beginning of my employment at Lake Oconee

I got the chance to interview a wonderful person, Ms. Breyonia Sterling. Breyonia resides here in Savannah, Ga and she is 18 years old. Her birthday is April 8th, which qualifies her to be an Aries. Breyonia Sterling is a wonderful person because she has an admirable personality, she is very success- driven, and has some unique favorites. I also learned while interviewing her that we have a lot in common.

My interview of Mark offered great insight into the continued practice of this leadership habit both professionally and personally. Mark is currently in his second year of teaching and has a great deal of insight into being prudent in my future career field. In addition to professional practice, Mark exemplifies a true servant leader in his everyday life. Toward the beginning of the interview, Mark and I quickly began to talk about success, goals, and achievement. In his own classroom, Mark

With the abundance of new freshman attending Alfred State, It can be quite overwhelming establishing relationships with new people that have very distinct characteristics. Domonique is a perfect example of someone with those distinct characteristics. She defines herself as a “natural born leader”, yet is one really “born” with the perspective, dedication, and motivation to be a leader, or rather anything for that matter? I believe one can, however just like Domonique, it’s the assistance from our mothers, fathers, and other loved ones that help push those traits forward. Domonique’s mother is the type of person that has been through a lot, but didn’t let those issues stop her from getting to where she is now, she doesn’t quit. That is one of

Those who learn to be instructional leaders acquire many characteristics that are beneficial to their schools and communities. The writer concurs that Instructional leaders exhibit a clear sense of direction for their schools and prioritize and focus attention on the things that really