C4T Post#2 Comment #1

Comment For Teacher #1
My First Comment was on Tom Schimmer's Blog.
Click Here to view Tom's Blog

This blog post was titled, "Don't be afraid to lead." It was posted on September 11, 2012. He starts by stating that leadership matter. I believe that is true. Even if you are not a "follower" there will always be someone who looks up to you and mimics your beliefs and behaviors. Especially for us as educators, and myself in particular as a mother. Tom says that the most common and worst type of leadership is "ineffective leadership," this is the kind of leader that sets a bad example for people to follow. Even worse than that, being an ineffective leader yourself. If you try to tell a group of elementary children not to say words that they hear you say, they will think that is behavior is acceptable, and mimic it. ACTIONS speak volumes more than words ever will. I see this effect at home with my own daughter. She says things everyday that sound like me, more and more. Usually it is O.K. things such as big words that she does not know the meaning of. For instance today she said,"Mommy, Marley(our dog) is not cooperating." This made me laugh because she is four and hardly believe she knows what that word means. Earlier in the day I said, " Riley, please cooperate with me!" This situation of leadership was O.K. Had I said a curse word and she followed my lead, that would have been a result of ineffective leadership. I think that our president(s) sometimes are prime examples of ineffective leadership. They represent our country, yet term after term we watch out nations leaders devalue their position of power with mistakes they make or scandals they get wrapped up in. This is ineffective leadership at it's finest!
A quote that Tom had on his blog was by Steven Covey, who once said,

"It doesn’t matter how hard you climb the ladder of success if your ladder is up against the wrong wall."

Tom himself later in the post said this,

"The real question is when; when can a leader be the leader and lead? It really comes down to two things: trust and credibility."

This is such a valuable post that everyone could learn or revisit from time to time. To be a follower you have to Trust your Leader. And to be a valuable leader you have to be a credible human being. Credibility is a huge part of our character, as people and as teachers. As a teacher especially your students' parents are putting their trust to educate their children in your very hands. At that moment you have to decide are you trustworthy, and credible? Are you worthy of teaching, or are you an ineffective leader?


Comment For Teacher #2

My Second Comment on Tom Schimmer's Blog.

Click Here to view Tom's Blog

Tom Schimmer's Second to most recent blog post was title, "Real Strength." He simply listed a few points of what strength is or is not to him. Then he asked, "What is strength to you?"

This is how Tom described Strength:

"...means being able to admit you were wrong.

…means being as happy for others’ successes as you are for your own.

…is allowing yourself to be vulnerable.

…means giving more credit than you take.

…means saying more with your actions than you do with your words.

…is liking yourself despite all of your imperfections.

…is never allowing others to determine what’s possible for your life.

…is choosing happiness instead of waiting for it.

…is believing you can when others say you can’t.

…means using every experience as an opportunity to learn & grow.

…is not needing to be the loudest voice in the room.

…means respecting the disrespectful.

…is recognizing when your ego is taking over.

…means trusting people’s intentions.

…means believing in your greatness without needing to prove it to others.

…is about being grateful for what you are instead of desperate for what you are not."

This was my response.

"Strength to me is somewhat unmeasurable. All people can be strong for a number of different reasons. You could be strong from something specific that you have been through in your individual lifetime. You could be strong for a medical reason, a survivor of cancer, or a medical disorder. You could be physically strong, or spiritually strong. Strength to me is the one thing that makes you special, makes you stand up and stand out. Strength is something that makes you a better person, teacher, friend, or neighbor."