Shaping Leaders is the Goal of Education

Education should be used to shape leaders, and our roles as educators should be to provide the services necessary to help students reach that capacity. Ultimately, everything we do should be centered toward the success of the students we serve and helping them maximize their potential personally, professionally, and communally. We can help achieve this goal several ways.

1. We must help students understand the importance of their learning. As educators, we must help students discover what their motivation is for learning, what is relevant to them as a learner, and how their learning can be a resource for others. By doing so, it can help shape the direction of what they find important in the classroom as well as how they ultimately address life. It is also important that we help students understand that learning is a life-long, never ending cycle, and if one becomes content with their learning, they lose their opportunity to be an educational resource to others. We must also help learners become critically active in the learning process, as well as encourage them to collaborate with others to make sense of learning or create new constructs in their learning.

2. We must develop students’ sense of sustainability. When thinking of sustainability and leadership, one should look to Peter Senge. Senge’s ideas on sustainability introduce a sense of global leadership, as he teaches his initiatives as social and environmental sustainability. His theory of environmental sustainability teaches that it is our job as leaders to work with industrial society to evaluate how we can more efficiently and effectively train a generation of leaders. This ties directly with social sustainability because social sustainability is based on creating jobs and strong communities with lasting partnerships. In essence, as educators the leaders that we train go on to become socially conscience of the efforts necessary to build and maintain a strong, sustainable community. Knowing that should serve as a guiding principle whenever we create any program, policy, facility, or any aspect of the educational experience for the students we serve. We must ensure students understand their role in shaping society and their communities.

3. We must serve as an example of what we want our students to be. It is vital that as educators we do our part to help inspire our students to reach their full potential. Just as we expect learners to contribute in a proactive way, as educators we must do the same. We must carry ourselves with character and show the same willingness to contribute to a greater cause and lead with principle. The relationship between students and the faculty and/or staff they interact with is a key component to students’ success. We must not take that relationship lightly, and understand we can serve as a model and inspiration to our students simply by living the values we hope to instill in them.