SlideShare a Scribd company logo
1 of 5
How to Promote Effective Leadership
Alona B. Baraquio
Effective leadership allows organizations to achieve their goals. Promoting effective
leadership strategies typically involves providing training programs at all levels of the
organization so employees can develop their ability to coach and mentor others. To create a
culture that helps emerging leaders flourish, establish an environment where people can
brainstorm solutions to problems and get feedback. With a spirit of compassion and trust, you
can ensure that people have the opportunities they need to grow. By promoting effective
leadership, you can make decisions that reinforce your strategy, processes and values to
generate operational results.
o
Gather diverse people to help you form your leadership development strategy. Include people of
different gender, race and ethnicity to get a broad perspective on how to respond to problems.
Include people with varying levels of experience and expertise. Use their collective wisdom to
identify activities for the whole organization.
o
Analyze your environment to determine what leadership skills require promotion. For example,
ask people in your organization to assess their leadership motivation. Take a critical look at the
way leaders function today and determine which skills may need improvement, such as
influencing, motivating, listening and presentation skills.
Conduct training sessions that include role-playing exercises. To transform employees into
leaders, provide opportunities to recognize patterns and inter-relationships. For example, divide
a group of participants into pairs. Assign one person the role of interviewer and one person the
role of job applicant. Allow 15 minutes to act out an interview. Instruct participants to switch
roles and allow another 15 minutes to repeat the exercise. Discuss as a group the way that
perceived power affects our ability to communicate confidently.For example, participants may
report feeling nervous when playing the role of the job applicant. Developing emotional
intelligence typically helps an employee become an effective leader.
o
Promote ethical leadership. Establish a document that describes standards for business conduct
that describes your organization's core values. Set up meetings to explain the rules to employees.
Encourage participants to ask questions and make a commitment to enforcing the policies and
procedures.
o
Foster a culture of sharing good ideas. Employees should become adept at making autocratic
decisions, without consulting subordinates, whenquick action needs to be taken. They should
also know when to function as democratic leaders, allowing subordinates to provide input.
Additionally, leaders should recognize situations when teams canfunction without management
interference or supervision and monitoring.
The ability to command a team with strong leadership skills can foster loyalty, inspire
action and increase productivity in the workplace. People look to leaders for encouragement and
support, and it is critical to develop the skills needed to lead with purpose while in a position of
authority. Leadership goes beyond mere management capabilities and offers tools that can be
used in other areas of life.
How to Become a Role Model and Leader
Alona B. Baraquio
For some following along is just fine, while for others taking the lead is the ultimate
goal. By acting as a leader and a role model you have the distinctive opportunity to influence
the decisions of others and guide their actions. However, becoming a role model and leader
doesn't just mean obtaining a leadership position. To find success in this role you must also
embody the characteristics of high-quality leaders, making yourself someone that people
will want to follow as well as someone who others revere.
o
Embody healthy practices. If you want to be a role model you must lead by example. If you
fail to practice what you preach you will come off as hypocritical and your attempts at
leading others to make good choices will prove fruitless. This means that you must dedicate
some time to yourself and make sure that the things you do daily are healthy, physically and
emotionally. For example, if you are a smoker, quitting is a great first step to not only
improving your personal health but also becoming the role model you long to be.
o
Educate yourself. Being an educated individual makes you a logical and sound role model. It
also prepares you to lead. As a leader, you should possess more knowledge than those
following you, or at least a comparable amount. If you appear uneducated about the
industry in which you are trying to act as a leader, those following you will likely lose
confidence in your abilities and, by connection, you as a leader.
o
Maintain a confident persona. Everyone feels unsure from time to time, but if you want to
be a successful leader you must also appear to be a confident person. When you do feel
unsure about decisions, don't allow others to see this hesitancy but instead make your
decision in private, weighing the pros and cons of each choice. You can move forward with
your choice confidently, resting assured that you consider all of the options.
o
Form relationships with people. While some leaders try to stay separate from those they are
leading, doing so is often not the best choice. By forming relationships with people you can
make them more naturally inclined to follow you. You can also show them that you are
someone on whom they can depend, making you someone they are eager to follow.
o
Take a stand when need be. One of the worst things you can do when you are a leader is to
relinquish control entirely. Though you don't want to appear a dictator who is simply
making demands and expecting that those demands are complied with, there will be times
in which you must take a firm and unwavering stand. If you have made a decision and
others are not complying with it, it's important to exert your power as a leader.
A role model is someone that a person admires, respects and wishes to emulate. Many
people think that in order to become a role model, you must be famous or exceptional at
multiple things, such as an astronaut or an Olympic medalist. While these people may indeed be
role models, being famous or exceptional is not a requirement.
How to Develop LeadershipSkills for Teachers
Alona B. Baraquio
As the lone adults in classrooms teeming with students, teachers must be leaders.
Students follow the leadership of the teacher, completing homework and assignments,
talking and not talking when appropriate, and listening to the teacher's instructions and
descriptions. But there are ways to enhance the leadership skills of teachers, improving
their ability as educators.
o
Demand that teachers conduct practical research on school practices. This will force
them to look into the effectiveness and background of school policies, and to form their
own opinions on the policies.
o
Train teachers in how to complete curriculum development. This will make teachers
more aware and more critical of the curriculum. It will ignite in teachers’ ideas about
how to improve the curriculum.
o
Give teachers an active role in decision-making in their schools. This will empower them
and make them care more about their school and its policies.
o
Ask teachers to survey their students toget feedback on teaching practices and activities
that students enjoy best. This will give teachers a more well-rounded perspective on
what's most effective.
o
Encourage learning and improvement. The best leaders are constantly striving to
become better.
A teacher is naturally the leader of a classroom, and the better a teacher leads, the
better the class will follow. Developing different leadership skills will improve your
performance as a teacher, and will help the students to develop more as individuals.
Creating a more team-based environment will empower students, and help to foster an
environment of creative development.
Positive Facts for How Teachers Improve the Lives of Their
Students
Alona B. Baraquio
Many people go into the field of education because of their desire to help others.
Teaching provides the opportunity to do that and much more. The impact of a teacher's
influence on a student is far-reaching and essential to the development of the child. That
influence can be sensed, felt or heard by students on a daily basis. This is particularly
beneficial if the student does not have a positive and nurturing environment at home.
o Teachers have a tremendous opportunity to improve the self-esteem of their students by
conveying respect, focusing on the good qualities and talents of individual students and
serving as a constant source of encouragement. Some students may not have other people in
their lives who show them respect and encourage them in their day-to-day activities or in
their hopes and dreams. Teachers also have the opportunity to identify and focus on the
strengths of each student to help build self-confidence and self-esteem.
o Many teachers serve as sounding boards to their students on a daily basis. Take for instance
a fourth-grade student whose mom is suffering with terminal cancer or whose parents are
going through a difficult divorce. It is not uncommon for students to develop a close
relationship with teachers, and since they are close confide in the teacher or seek advice
about how to deal with a particularly difficult situation. A teacher is an adult who can offer
words of encouragement or initiate a referral for more in-depth counseling if necessary.
o It is a tremendously rewarding experience to open the eyes of a child to something new in
their world. Teachers have that opportunity, or honor, to be able to expose students to new
experiences, ideas and ways of thinking. A far greater and further reaching opportunity is
the opportunity to awaken within the child a desire to continue intellectual and personal
growth so that success in school and in life can become a reality.
o Sadly, many students do not have adequate positive adult role models in their lives.
Teachers spend a great deal of time with students on a daily basis and have the opportunity
to model good character traits in a variety of situations. In many school systems, teachers
provide character education instruction. However, modeling those traits via teacher actions,
interactions and reactions to day-to-day life can be an even greater instructional tool.
In addition to making class time more pleasant, positive student-teacher relationships
can lead to improved academic success. Students and teachers alike bring different
personalities, backgrounds and learning styles to the classroom, so it becomes even more vital
that you develop a special relationship with them..
Alona article

More Related Content

What's hot

Personal strengths of colleen berry edl500
Personal strengths of colleen berry edl500Personal strengths of colleen berry edl500
Personal strengths of colleen berry edl500
berrycmf
 
Human Relations for School Administrators
Human Relations for School AdministratorsHuman Relations for School Administrators
Human Relations for School Administrators
Meriam Gudes - Cempron
 
Career Assessment Report
Career Assessment ReportCareer Assessment Report
Career Assessment Report
Randy Bergen
 

What's hot (20)

Bagali, HR, HRM, HRD, Mentoring
Bagali, HR, HRM, HRD, MentoringBagali, HR, HRM, HRD, Mentoring
Bagali, HR, HRM, HRD, Mentoring
 
Personality development - Dr.R.Dakshinamurthy, Bharathidasan University, Tiru...
Personality development - Dr.R.Dakshinamurthy, Bharathidasan University, Tiru...Personality development - Dr.R.Dakshinamurthy, Bharathidasan University, Tiru...
Personality development - Dr.R.Dakshinamurthy, Bharathidasan University, Tiru...
 
Leadership paper
Leadership paper Leadership paper
Leadership paper
 
Personal strengths of colleen berry edl500
Personal strengths of colleen berry edl500Personal strengths of colleen berry edl500
Personal strengths of colleen berry edl500
 
Ppt professional & personal excellence (1)
Ppt professional & personal excellence (1)Ppt professional & personal excellence (1)
Ppt professional & personal excellence (1)
 
Mentorship, Coaching and Workplace Sponsorship
Mentorship, Coaching and Workplace SponsorshipMentorship, Coaching and Workplace Sponsorship
Mentorship, Coaching and Workplace Sponsorship
 
Mindful Matters Personal & Professional Coaching
Mindful Matters Personal & Professional CoachingMindful Matters Personal & Professional Coaching
Mindful Matters Personal & Professional Coaching
 
Mentoring skills
Mentoring skillsMentoring skills
Mentoring skills
 
Student mentoring
Student  mentoringStudent  mentoring
Student mentoring
 
Human Relations for School Administrators
Human Relations for School AdministratorsHuman Relations for School Administrators
Human Relations for School Administrators
 
Mentorship program
Mentorship program Mentorship program
Mentorship program
 
Mentorship%20 slides1
Mentorship%20 slides1Mentorship%20 slides1
Mentorship%20 slides1
 
Developing mentoring program
Developing mentoring programDeveloping mentoring program
Developing mentoring program
 
Leadership Mentoring 052411
Leadership   Mentoring   052411Leadership   Mentoring   052411
Leadership Mentoring 052411
 
COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR CAREER COUNSELORS - 3
COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR CAREER COUNSELORS - 3COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR CAREER COUNSELORS - 3
COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR CAREER COUNSELORS - 3
 
Coaching with the GROW Model
Coaching with the GROW ModelCoaching with the GROW Model
Coaching with the GROW Model
 
Personal Development - What Why How?
Personal Development - What Why How?Personal Development - What Why How?
Personal Development - What Why How?
 
Career Assessment Report
Career Assessment ReportCareer Assessment Report
Career Assessment Report
 
Building coaching through a mentorship program
Building coaching through a mentorship programBuilding coaching through a mentorship program
Building coaching through a mentorship program
 
Mentorship UiPath handbook
Mentorship UiPath handbookMentorship UiPath handbook
Mentorship UiPath handbook
 

Viewers also liked

MEOH_2015_Presentation_June10
MEOH_2015_Presentation_June10MEOH_2015_Presentation_June10
MEOH_2015_Presentation_June10
Knut A. Scharning
 
Trabajos diseño grafico
Trabajos diseño graficoTrabajos diseño grafico
Trabajos diseño grafico
ManuelMauri
 
Fact profile – vegetarian’s work added
Fact profile – vegetarian’s work addedFact profile – vegetarian’s work added
Fact profile – vegetarian’s work added
hannahandmads
 
Hongyewigs slides
Hongyewigs  slidesHongyewigs  slides
Hongyewigs slides
samchadwikz
 
Setmana cultural
Setmana culturalSetmana cultural
Setmana cultural
danitanya
 
Med unergrad research
Med unergrad researchMed unergrad research
Med unergrad research
bazlikhaled
 
Open mind profile 2013
Open mind profile 2013Open mind profile 2013
Open mind profile 2013
Naveen Gulati
 
Luis Lopez Resume
Luis Lopez ResumeLuis Lopez Resume
Luis Lopez Resume
Luis Lopez
 

Viewers also liked (18)

MEOH_2015_Presentation_June10
MEOH_2015_Presentation_June10MEOH_2015_Presentation_June10
MEOH_2015_Presentation_June10
 
Research
ResearchResearch
Research
 
Trabajos diseño grafico
Trabajos diseño graficoTrabajos diseño grafico
Trabajos diseño grafico
 
Tabuadolas
TabuadolasTabuadolas
Tabuadolas
 
Fact profile – vegetarian’s work added
Fact profile – vegetarian’s work addedFact profile – vegetarian’s work added
Fact profile – vegetarian’s work added
 
OPAL heathland conference 2013 - soils
OPAL heathland conference 2013 - soilsOPAL heathland conference 2013 - soils
OPAL heathland conference 2013 - soils
 
Каталог Office point 2013
Каталог Office point 2013Каталог Office point 2013
Каталог Office point 2013
 
Ideoita Ideapakan kuva- & adjektiivikorttien soveltamiseen
Ideoita Ideapakan kuva- & adjektiivikorttien soveltamiseenIdeoita Ideapakan kuva- & adjektiivikorttien soveltamiseen
Ideoita Ideapakan kuva- & adjektiivikorttien soveltamiseen
 
Hongyewigs slides
Hongyewigs  slidesHongyewigs  slides
Hongyewigs slides
 
Setmana cultural
Setmana culturalSetmana cultural
Setmana cultural
 
Informator Dolnośląkiego Rynku Pracy i Edukacji nr 13
Informator Dolnośląkiego Rynku Pracy i Edukacji nr 13Informator Dolnośląkiego Rynku Pracy i Edukacji nr 13
Informator Dolnośląkiego Rynku Pracy i Edukacji nr 13
 
Med unergrad research
Med unergrad researchMed unergrad research
Med unergrad research
 
E ticaret
E ticaretE ticaret
E ticaret
 
Evaluation
EvaluationEvaluation
Evaluation
 
Canadian policy for combination (drug / device) products
Canadian policy for combination (drug / device) productsCanadian policy for combination (drug / device) products
Canadian policy for combination (drug / device) products
 
Open mind profile 2013
Open mind profile 2013Open mind profile 2013
Open mind profile 2013
 
Cultivo mediante nft
Cultivo mediante nftCultivo mediante nft
Cultivo mediante nft
 
Luis Lopez Resume
Luis Lopez ResumeLuis Lopez Resume
Luis Lopez Resume
 

Similar to Alona article

Concept of leadership
Concept of leadershipConcept of leadership
Concept of leadership
Tarun Gehlot
 
Leadership Tools for Women_LDS_Dr Washington_2015
Leadership Tools for Women_LDS_Dr Washington_2015Leadership Tools for Women_LDS_Dr Washington_2015
Leadership Tools for Women_LDS_Dr Washington_2015
C. Ellen Washington, Ph.D.
 
Developing Leadership Skills 259
Developing Leadership Skills 259Developing Leadership Skills 259
Developing Leadership Skills 259
swati18
 
Leadership Seminar Presentation
Leadership Seminar PresentationLeadership Seminar Presentation
Leadership Seminar Presentation
njwastedisposal
 
Critical reflection and community recreation leadership
Critical reflection and community recreation leadershipCritical reflection and community recreation leadership
Critical reflection and community recreation leadership
tmacscuba
 

Similar to Alona article (20)

Principal as a Leader in Professional Learning Communites
Principal as a Leader in Professional Learning CommunitesPrincipal as a Leader in Professional Learning Communites
Principal as a Leader in Professional Learning Communites
 
Ten Traits of An Exceptional Education Leader.pdf
Ten Traits of An Exceptional Education Leader.pdfTen Traits of An Exceptional Education Leader.pdf
Ten Traits of An Exceptional Education Leader.pdf
 
Concept of leadership
Concept of leadershipConcept of leadership
Concept of leadership
 
Servant leadership
Servant leadershipServant leadership
Servant leadership
 
End up being A Leader With These Easy Steps
End up being A Leader With These Easy StepsEnd up being A Leader With These Easy Steps
End up being A Leader With These Easy Steps
 
Leadership Tools for Women_LDS_Dr Washington_2015
Leadership Tools for Women_LDS_Dr Washington_2015Leadership Tools for Women_LDS_Dr Washington_2015
Leadership Tools for Women_LDS_Dr Washington_2015
 
Building leadership skills
Building leadership skillsBuilding leadership skills
Building leadership skills
 
RAGMA, Feljone G. Coaching and mentoring
RAGMA, Feljone G. Coaching and mentoringRAGMA, Feljone G. Coaching and mentoring
RAGMA, Feljone G. Coaching and mentoring
 
PER-DEV-M2-THIRD-LESSON-2-REPORTING.pptx
PER-DEV-M2-THIRD-LESSON-2-REPORTING.pptxPER-DEV-M2-THIRD-LESSON-2-REPORTING.pptx
PER-DEV-M2-THIRD-LESSON-2-REPORTING.pptx
 
Cflm 2
Cflm 2 Cflm 2
Cflm 2
 
Mentoring -jothi.ppt
Mentoring -jothi.pptMentoring -jothi.ppt
Mentoring -jothi.ppt
 
Principals Of Leadership Asbo 110912
Principals Of Leadership   Asbo   110912Principals Of Leadership   Asbo   110912
Principals Of Leadership Asbo 110912
 
Developing Leadership Skills
Developing Leadership SkillsDeveloping Leadership Skills
Developing Leadership Skills
 
Developing Leadership Skills 259
Developing Leadership Skills 259Developing Leadership Skills 259
Developing Leadership Skills 259
 
16 Building Leadership Skills
16 Building Leadership Skills16 Building Leadership Skills
16 Building Leadership Skills
 
16 Building Leadership Skills
16 Building Leadership Skills16 Building Leadership Skills
16 Building Leadership Skills
 
Educ239-Leadership.pptx
Educ239-Leadership.pptxEduc239-Leadership.pptx
Educ239-Leadership.pptx
 
Leadership Seminar Presentation
Leadership Seminar PresentationLeadership Seminar Presentation
Leadership Seminar Presentation
 
Critical reflection and community recreation leadership
Critical reflection and community recreation leadershipCritical reflection and community recreation leadership
Critical reflection and community recreation leadership
 
Leading from the Middle
Leading from the MiddleLeading from the Middle
Leading from the Middle
 

Alona article

  • 1. How to Promote Effective Leadership Alona B. Baraquio Effective leadership allows organizations to achieve their goals. Promoting effective leadership strategies typically involves providing training programs at all levels of the organization so employees can develop their ability to coach and mentor others. To create a culture that helps emerging leaders flourish, establish an environment where people can brainstorm solutions to problems and get feedback. With a spirit of compassion and trust, you can ensure that people have the opportunities they need to grow. By promoting effective leadership, you can make decisions that reinforce your strategy, processes and values to generate operational results. o Gather diverse people to help you form your leadership development strategy. Include people of different gender, race and ethnicity to get a broad perspective on how to respond to problems. Include people with varying levels of experience and expertise. Use their collective wisdom to identify activities for the whole organization. o Analyze your environment to determine what leadership skills require promotion. For example, ask people in your organization to assess their leadership motivation. Take a critical look at the way leaders function today and determine which skills may need improvement, such as influencing, motivating, listening and presentation skills. Conduct training sessions that include role-playing exercises. To transform employees into leaders, provide opportunities to recognize patterns and inter-relationships. For example, divide a group of participants into pairs. Assign one person the role of interviewer and one person the role of job applicant. Allow 15 minutes to act out an interview. Instruct participants to switch roles and allow another 15 minutes to repeat the exercise. Discuss as a group the way that perceived power affects our ability to communicate confidently.For example, participants may report feeling nervous when playing the role of the job applicant. Developing emotional intelligence typically helps an employee become an effective leader. o Promote ethical leadership. Establish a document that describes standards for business conduct that describes your organization's core values. Set up meetings to explain the rules to employees. Encourage participants to ask questions and make a commitment to enforcing the policies and procedures. o Foster a culture of sharing good ideas. Employees should become adept at making autocratic decisions, without consulting subordinates, whenquick action needs to be taken. They should also know when to function as democratic leaders, allowing subordinates to provide input. Additionally, leaders should recognize situations when teams canfunction without management interference or supervision and monitoring. The ability to command a team with strong leadership skills can foster loyalty, inspire action and increase productivity in the workplace. People look to leaders for encouragement and support, and it is critical to develop the skills needed to lead with purpose while in a position of authority. Leadership goes beyond mere management capabilities and offers tools that can be used in other areas of life.
  • 2. How to Become a Role Model and Leader Alona B. Baraquio For some following along is just fine, while for others taking the lead is the ultimate goal. By acting as a leader and a role model you have the distinctive opportunity to influence the decisions of others and guide their actions. However, becoming a role model and leader doesn't just mean obtaining a leadership position. To find success in this role you must also embody the characteristics of high-quality leaders, making yourself someone that people will want to follow as well as someone who others revere. o Embody healthy practices. If you want to be a role model you must lead by example. If you fail to practice what you preach you will come off as hypocritical and your attempts at leading others to make good choices will prove fruitless. This means that you must dedicate some time to yourself and make sure that the things you do daily are healthy, physically and emotionally. For example, if you are a smoker, quitting is a great first step to not only improving your personal health but also becoming the role model you long to be. o Educate yourself. Being an educated individual makes you a logical and sound role model. It also prepares you to lead. As a leader, you should possess more knowledge than those following you, or at least a comparable amount. If you appear uneducated about the industry in which you are trying to act as a leader, those following you will likely lose confidence in your abilities and, by connection, you as a leader. o Maintain a confident persona. Everyone feels unsure from time to time, but if you want to be a successful leader you must also appear to be a confident person. When you do feel unsure about decisions, don't allow others to see this hesitancy but instead make your decision in private, weighing the pros and cons of each choice. You can move forward with your choice confidently, resting assured that you consider all of the options. o Form relationships with people. While some leaders try to stay separate from those they are leading, doing so is often not the best choice. By forming relationships with people you can make them more naturally inclined to follow you. You can also show them that you are someone on whom they can depend, making you someone they are eager to follow. o Take a stand when need be. One of the worst things you can do when you are a leader is to relinquish control entirely. Though you don't want to appear a dictator who is simply making demands and expecting that those demands are complied with, there will be times in which you must take a firm and unwavering stand. If you have made a decision and others are not complying with it, it's important to exert your power as a leader. A role model is someone that a person admires, respects and wishes to emulate. Many people think that in order to become a role model, you must be famous or exceptional at multiple things, such as an astronaut or an Olympic medalist. While these people may indeed be role models, being famous or exceptional is not a requirement.
  • 3. How to Develop LeadershipSkills for Teachers Alona B. Baraquio As the lone adults in classrooms teeming with students, teachers must be leaders. Students follow the leadership of the teacher, completing homework and assignments, talking and not talking when appropriate, and listening to the teacher's instructions and descriptions. But there are ways to enhance the leadership skills of teachers, improving their ability as educators. o Demand that teachers conduct practical research on school practices. This will force them to look into the effectiveness and background of school policies, and to form their own opinions on the policies. o Train teachers in how to complete curriculum development. This will make teachers more aware and more critical of the curriculum. It will ignite in teachers’ ideas about how to improve the curriculum. o Give teachers an active role in decision-making in their schools. This will empower them and make them care more about their school and its policies. o Ask teachers to survey their students toget feedback on teaching practices and activities that students enjoy best. This will give teachers a more well-rounded perspective on what's most effective. o Encourage learning and improvement. The best leaders are constantly striving to become better. A teacher is naturally the leader of a classroom, and the better a teacher leads, the better the class will follow. Developing different leadership skills will improve your performance as a teacher, and will help the students to develop more as individuals. Creating a more team-based environment will empower students, and help to foster an environment of creative development.
  • 4. Positive Facts for How Teachers Improve the Lives of Their Students Alona B. Baraquio Many people go into the field of education because of their desire to help others. Teaching provides the opportunity to do that and much more. The impact of a teacher's influence on a student is far-reaching and essential to the development of the child. That influence can be sensed, felt or heard by students on a daily basis. This is particularly beneficial if the student does not have a positive and nurturing environment at home. o Teachers have a tremendous opportunity to improve the self-esteem of their students by conveying respect, focusing on the good qualities and talents of individual students and serving as a constant source of encouragement. Some students may not have other people in their lives who show them respect and encourage them in their day-to-day activities or in their hopes and dreams. Teachers also have the opportunity to identify and focus on the strengths of each student to help build self-confidence and self-esteem. o Many teachers serve as sounding boards to their students on a daily basis. Take for instance a fourth-grade student whose mom is suffering with terminal cancer or whose parents are going through a difficult divorce. It is not uncommon for students to develop a close relationship with teachers, and since they are close confide in the teacher or seek advice about how to deal with a particularly difficult situation. A teacher is an adult who can offer words of encouragement or initiate a referral for more in-depth counseling if necessary. o It is a tremendously rewarding experience to open the eyes of a child to something new in their world. Teachers have that opportunity, or honor, to be able to expose students to new experiences, ideas and ways of thinking. A far greater and further reaching opportunity is the opportunity to awaken within the child a desire to continue intellectual and personal growth so that success in school and in life can become a reality. o Sadly, many students do not have adequate positive adult role models in their lives. Teachers spend a great deal of time with students on a daily basis and have the opportunity to model good character traits in a variety of situations. In many school systems, teachers provide character education instruction. However, modeling those traits via teacher actions, interactions and reactions to day-to-day life can be an even greater instructional tool. In addition to making class time more pleasant, positive student-teacher relationships can lead to improved academic success. Students and teachers alike bring different personalities, backgrounds and learning styles to the classroom, so it becomes even more vital that you develop a special relationship with them..