Children learn by watching the people around them and by observing how others respond to criticism or confront failure, children begin to develop their own habits and thought processes. Through social and emotional learning, schools and parents can encourage students to begin analysing their habits and behaviours to create long-term leadership goals.
Want to offer equal opportunity to all students to become confident individuals and be able to communicate their ideas fearlessly? In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Niru Agarwal, Trustee at Greenwood High International School, suggested:
1. Creating a positive environment in school boost the confidence of students. This will also encourage them to come forward and express their creative thoughts. Interactive and activity based student-learning in the classrooms enables learning power and is more efficient than the regular monologue classes.
2. Giving responsibilities while they are young is exciting for students. Making house captaincy on rotational basis gives all the students to step up and take charge in a leadership role.
3. Organise regular motivational and mentorship programs wherein eminent and successful leaders come and discuss about their stories will guide the students and help them to be optimistic.
4.We should also promote debates, panel discussion and exhibitions among the students. This will instill and boost self-confidence, voice their opinion various topics and a platform to showcase their talents.
5. In short, we need to develop a culture in school wherein students can thrive by motivating them to take up challenges and being open to change, embracing an innovative outlook.
According to Vibha Gupta, Principal of Orchids – The International School, involvement is the key to lead any event or exhibition. She opined, “Once we teach our students to have a grip on the baseline idea of any event, it is ensured that the students will come up with unique ideas and visions. Secondly, we teach our students to create a buzz about the event. They are taught to promote their events by conceptualising and designing their own banners, pamphlets, brochures, guide plans, tickets etc. They are also taught to pay attention on the content of the event, behaviour of the audience, great hospitality and overall experience.”
She highlighted, “At the elementary and middle school level, adult-like responsibility is exciting and empowering for students. Allow them to do the morning announcements, serve as campus tour guides, volunteer to have lunch with new students, or complete tasks in the school office. At the high school level, students can take larger responsibilities such as planning basketball tournaments for younger students or helping at career fairs. Community-oriented projects allow students to come together and work towards collective goals. Through elementary food drives, middle and high school students learn that the world is bigger than themselves — and begin to take action on how they can make their mark on the community. Last but not the least, we encourage our students to design events with a proper moral lesson to it which could directly or indirectly influence society in a positive way.”
With the appropriate mind-set and opportunities, we can bring out the hidden skills and talents and of students from an early age, moulding them to be the best leaders of the future.