Andrea Campbell

Leadership & the World

Nickle

12 December 2017

Leadership Philosophy

My personal leadership philosophy centers around the building of a strong team and the

changing of a system for the greater good. Empathy is one of my five strengths which works in

tandem with my leadership philosophy, allowing of deeper relations to be built with followers in

order to form a united group with shared passions for change. This creates a diverse group with

strengths in various areas who can work as a single change agent unit.

The area in which I am passionate about advocating for change is education. My ability

to create that strong force which accentuates the strengths of all involved allows for greater

change to be made in education. Each person must share that common goal: to provide a more

holistic education to all individuals everywhere in the world. Like many areas in need of change,

numerous barriers exist such as the ability to fund educational services, to put in place trained

teachers, and obtaining learning materials to provide to students. One must be able to understand

the limitations which those individuals face and be empathetic to the situations which they live in

and amongst in order to ensure the most effective and beneficial change occurs.

Quality education is defined as inclusive and equitable education for all which promotes

lifelong learning. Many believe that the standard for quality education is met through focus on

literacy and numeracy, however, the United Nations focus this sustainable goal beyond that

outdated definition. We can no longer view education as simply in-put and out-put machine, but

rather as a system for helping children discover their interests, reach their full potential and enter
society as well-rounded and productive citizens. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon began this

process for implementing education of such quality in 2012, when he declared that every student

must be in quality school in order to prepare students to be productive citizens, ready to lead the

future. Ban has continued to be an advocator for education with his Global Education First

Initiative in 2015 to aid in the establishment of a commission on financing global education.

Another advocator in the field of educations is the campaign Unite for Quality Education

by the organization Education International (EI). Over 30 million teachers and education

employees are united around the world via blog and online discussion board to demand that

quality education remains an issue of importance. The group declares that quality education will

pave the way for a sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future, detailing three key components

which are necessary in achieving such. The first and the most important educational resource is

quality teachers whom need to be recruited and treated as respected professionals. Secondly,

quality tools for teaching and learning must be establish such as appropriate and inclusive

curricula and learning resources. Finally, quality environments for teaching and learning must be

put in place in order for any success to be made. From this, we are able to see with much clarity

the smaller goals which must be achieved in order for the larger goal of quality education to

follow suit.

This issue is not only important to me, but the center of my future career. I am an

elementary education major with a deep desire to not only be in the classroom, but to play a role

in the alteration of our current approach to education. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the

International Baccalaureate program in high school, an experience which played a significant

role in shaping my approaches to learning and views on education. It has rooted in me a deep

belief that education should promote international mindedness as well as focus on elements of
service, creativity, and action. Education should not be centered around the passing of an exam

or receiving an arbitrary letter but rather on the development of the whole person.

My long-term action plan for being a change agent for education on a local level is to

become an effective and open-minded teacher with a philosophy for teaching rooted in

international mindedness, reflection, and learning for the sake of learning. I would also like to

write a book on my personal beliefs someday in order to share my practices with others in hopes

of building a group of educators who share in these beliefs. Transformational leadership is about

changing the system through leading by example. I hope my personal effectiveness in the

classroom will act as a standard for which other teachers desire to achieve, putting into place a

motion for this style of teaching and learning. I want to collaborate with individuals in the

community to begin shaping education in the school district, in hopes of creating a ripple effect

that could become the new norm for educational practices.

Right now, I want to work with students in hopes of building relations which will allow

for a continued love of learning. I believe this starts with finding your interest. By creating a

program which provides elementary students with books of various sorts, one can encourage

students to pursue knowledge through reading and hopefully develop a continued desire to seek

new knowledge in the future. Donations from those more privileged in the community could help

to build a supply of books which would be accessible to those students who do not have

appropriate reading materials readily available at home. We as humans desire knowledge and the

learning of new things, and, more often than not, that desired is obstructed by the inability obtain

learning materials due to various life factors. Quality education begins by igniting the flame for

learning in all individuals.

other current and potential educators who share similar points of view. Through the raising of

awareness via social media and networking, all of these individuals can connect to share their

ideas and passions. It is also essential to take the time to build those relations which will allow

for the recognition of each individuals strengths and the creation of new, original ideas,

furthering the success of the movement.

The Social Change Model comes into play with commitment and collaboration. Being a

teacher makes the commitment to education rather easy, however, steps must be taken to ensure

the commitment of others to the implementation of quality education. Making others aware of

the current practices and the ways in which it can be improved, as well as the direct benefits

which can be derived from such will gather the support of others to buy into the same vision.

Progress cannot be made by one, but rather, will require the work of many who desire to be high

caliber teachers, working to improve education and ensure it is a right of all.

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/10-barriers-to-education-around-the-world-2/

Education 'essential to vision of a life of dignity for all,' says Ban at Norway summit. (2015, July

07). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51350#.Wi2MoxNSw6g

Goal 4: Quality Education. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from

http://www.globalgoals.org/global-goals/quality-education/

Slade, S. (2016, February 22). What Do We Mean by a Quality Education? Retrieved December 10,

2017, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-slade/what-do-we-mean-by-a-

qual_b_9284130.html

U.S. and International Feedback Loops on the Privatization of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved

December 10, 2017, from https://www.unite4education.org/