Lesa Fowler Head of Boarding
PREPARING
Year 10 Boarding Students for their LEADERSHIP JOURNEY Adolescence is a time of great opportunity, learning and discovery. Every child has the capacity for resilience, the ability to thrive in the face of adversity (Damon 2004) and the ability to lead; it is up to us as adults to provide more opportunities for them to experience personal growth. As the girls learn about leadership, it is most important for adults to role model and partner with them, facilitating the opportunity to learn both what they want and do not want to be (Ricketts & Rudd 2002). Therefore, by providing the girls with examples of different leadership styles, and opportunities to develop their skills and grow, they will be better prepared to become leaders in the future. Developing skills in leadership is a process. Therefore, the St Margaret's boarding house has developed a leadership program for Year 10 boarders that will commence in Semester 2, Year 10, and run through to the end of Semester 1, Year 11. The leadership program has a highly intentional focus on student learning and is outcome based. In encouraging the Year 10 girls to be involved, discussions need to be held
regarding the misconceptions they have about leaders. A large part of these misunderstandings arises from false pretences about what kind of students become leaders. Some will be reluctant, doubt their abilities, or not want the responsibility, while others may have put minimal thought into leadership and what it means. The program therefore needs to be focused on building the girls’ leadership skills and them recognising their potential to lead. It is important to create an understanding that, just like intelligence, leadership is a characteristic which can be built and developed and not simply something some students are born with and others are not (Fertman & Long 1990). Leadership development needs to foster a culture of empowerment and development in the boarding house. Within the boarding house, the leadership framework is focused on each individual and is built on the girls owning their leadership journey. The framework starts by asking three main questions:
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