If you are reading this in Arizona or Louisiana, you have been back in school for 2 weeks, but if you are in New York or Michigan, you still have two more weeks before you return to school. Either way, I want to welcome you to this class. Below you can tell me your thoughts on the class so far.
Purpose of Blog: Every week I will sit at my computer and write about a current event related to character and leadership. In the blog, I usually provide my perspective, a video link and discussion questions. The purpose of this blog is to make a simple point – character and leadership matter today! These attributes weren’t just important in 1864 or in 1964 – they matter just as much now as they ever did. Some of these stories will be inspirational and some will teach tough lessons. Sometimes it will be about someone who ruined his/her life with one bad decision and sometimes it will be about a selfless act that positively changed someone’s life. The joy of writing this blog is that I never know what will transpire that will become a blog post.
My Hope #1 – Read It: I hope that your teacher will share the blog with you every week. It is a great way to keep the class current and relevant. To be honest, I spend 2-5 hours every week researching and writing these blogs and I would hate it if no one ever read these posts.
My Hope #2 – Comment: For each post, I will provide discussion questions. Respond to them and let me know what you think about the story. Be articulate. Don’t just say you disagree – say what you disagree with and back it up with a solid rationale. Keep it clean. Don’t swear or put down other students’ views. It is a character and leadership site, so I will filter comments that are non-productive.
My Hope #3 – Be Inspired: I hope that these blogs will inspire you and that one or many of them will change the way you approach life. I believe that students can be inspired and want to be inspired. People and stories can be the source of that inspiration.
My Hope #4 – Social Media: Using your own Twitter or Facebook pages, follow us on Twitter @CDandLeadership (use #CDandL) and/or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/characterandleadership. This will allow you to receive the posts as soon as they go live, not having to wait for class to read the posts. This will also allow you to receive these posts long after the students leave this classroom.
Your Turn:
- Tell me what state you are from and the name of your school?
- How do you think learning leadership will help you in life?
We are from Iowa and the school we attend is Fort Dodge Community School.
It helps you to be a kind person.
Leadership will help you in the future with your job.
It helps you to have empathy for other people and their situations.
When you have leadership skills it helps you to be a better person.