Leadership and Teaching

I am so proud of my niece Sara (and my nephew Ben - see "A mother's and aunt's pride" post). She is an very talented young woman, and I am so thrilled she has chosen teaching as her future profession. Please see her essay below that recently won her a leadership scholarship at James Madison University.


As I stand in front of four hundred band members with thousands of screaming fans behind me, I blow my whistle four times to begin the Marching Royal Duke’s half time show. The familiar sounds of “Mr. Roboto” resonate through the football stadium to the ears of the many fans who stay in their seats for the sole purpose to hear this band, fondly called “Virginia’s Finest”. As the show comes to an end and I step off the podium, I pause a second to take it all in and realize how much I’ve learned since becoming a student at JMU.

To many people, being a leader means being able to stand in front of a large group of people or tell others what to do in certain situations. While I believe that communication and delegation are two essential pieces to effective leadership, I also realize that there are many other qualities that make an effective leader. As a drum major for the Marching Royal Dukes, I have found that being a positive role model is one of the most important parts of being a leader. In this position, I am viewed not only by each of the members of the band, but also by members of the JMU community and Harrisonburg community as a leader of one of the largest and most visible organizations at JMU. As a role model, I strive to do my best musically, maintain a positive attitude under pressure, and keep lines of communication open with band members, leaders and instructors.

As Vice President Membership for Sigma Alpha Iota, an International Women’s Music Fraternity, I have refined many leadership qualities that will apply directly to my leadership style in the classroom. As Vice President Membership, I guide the new members of our fraternity in learning the information they will need to know about our organization. Through serving in this position, I have learned the importance in organization, dedication, and self-confidence. From a teacher’s perspective, I’ve also learned that my style of teaching can change depending on the individuals I am instructing. When I evaluated my teaching methods, I reformatted the way I taught the information to help fit the way college students learn. This was a valuable lesson for me as a leader, as well as an educator.

While there are many different leadership styles, there are also many different qualities that make a good leader. My leadership qualities of communication, delegation, organization, dedication, self-confidence, and being a role model, are just a few of the qualities that make me a proactive leader. I strive to work hard at each leadership position I serve. I also take each experience as an opportunity to grow, and I realize that no matter what I think I already know there is always more to learn. Each leadership opportunity is a chance for me to grow as a person, as well as a future educator.