Students as School Leaders #leadershipday13

      Happy Leadership Day! Leadership is so important. Often we look to the teachers and administrators, but there are other leaders in the school that make a huge difference. These other leaders can come in big or small sizes….they are OUR STUDENTS.  So many times WE as educators talk about how wonderful our schools are, but what if our students could take our “talk” away and represent our “talk” daily?  I work in a 1:1 environment at a technology magnet school as an instructional coach. Often times, my work is way bigger than me. Let me share an experience that was way bigger than me.

       Last February, I hosted some of our fifth grade students at a technology conference for students and by students. The teacher and I practiced with them but they made their own handouts, samples, and instructions for their attendees. I had no idea what to expect and neither did the students. We were all extremely nervous. We hopped on a bus on a Saturday and headed to the S.I.T. (Student in Technology) Conference in Bloomington-Normal, IL. The kids got all set up and in walked educators, students, and parents ready to see what our students had to say about creating with iPADS. I so wanted to walk around and give these people background information on our school and these students, but then the unthinkable happened! The students “spoke” for the school. They answered all questions and taught people who had never touched an iPad before how to create a quality iMovie. The teacher, principal, and I didn’t have to say a word. We all looked at each other, smiled, and started snapping as many pictures as possible.

      The moment that I will never forget is when a technology coordinator from another district said, “These kids are wonderful. You need to take them out more. To the school board, to your community, everywhere! They are such good representatives of your school. I can’t believe they are 5^th graders!” That moment gave me chills. I couldn’t be more proud. This wasn’t about taking kids to present at some technology conference; it was much bigger than that. It was about letting students shine as leaders of the school.  Allowing them to show their greatness.

      Those 5^th grade students have presented to their classmates and other classrooms and to our district coordinators and instructional coaches. Every time the message is very clear, students CAN BE and ARE leaders in our schools. We have to let them be. We are growing as our district’s premier technology school. As we grow, we can never forget to grow our students with us. It’s all about them. Let them be the voice of our schools. Let them lead.

Are your students leaders?