Leadership and Community

We love our habit of dependency and accept the culture of retribution because it reinforces the case for strong leaders—“strong” being the code word for autocratic, a message our culture is increasingly willing to accede to. We are fascinated with our leaders.” (Block page 40)

I find this statement to be extremely true. Frankly, I do not have a problem with it because I tend to be more of a leader than a follower. In building stronger communities, leadership can be a huge issue, even if the people of the community do not realize it. Block states that with strong leadership a community lacks relatedness between “ordinary” people. I believe that some sort of leadership is needed in a community, however, one must be aware of their own opinions and morals.

Tying this idea of leadership in a community to leadership in the classroom is somewhat similar. Sometimes teachers do not realize the impact and influence they have on their students; especially if they are extremely young and curious. I know that I share a lot of the same beliefs as the people who are important to me in my life—my parents, favorite teachers and mentors, and close friends. However, one thing I have learned in school is to always follow through with my OWN ideas and thoughts; not anyone else’s.

John Dewey states in his book John Dewey and the Art of Teaching, “Leading is a process of guidance. It grows through inspiration, stimulation, communication of ideas, discovery, and report of facts.” Even though the teacher is in charge of classroom management, the teacher should be seen by the students as a member of the community. It is important to lead the class by selecting influences that should affect the child while helping them to respond to these influences.

There is a parallel to be found between a teacher as a community member and a captain of a sports team and how they both relate to leadership. A winning team puts their trust in their captain. The captain is in charge of running practices, making decisions, and setting a good example. The key point is that the captain of the team does not merely dictate what is to be done in the practices, but actually participates in the actions that take place. The captain is running along-side the team members, which shows that they all are striving for the same goal. At the end of the day, the captain is still considered to be a member of the team.

Likewise, a teacher is responsible for leading the practices, making decisions, and setting a good example inside the classroom. The teacher should realize that they are no more important than the student. Together, both the teacher and the students can support each other in accomplishing their goals as a strong community.