Delroy Grant

Instructor: Anthony DiCarlo

Assignment #2 Quote Paper

06.11.16

A leaders role is to raise peoples aspiration for what they can become and to release
their energies so they will try to get there.

_________David Gergen

Who is a leader? What is leadership? Where and how do people learn this trait?
The truth is we were all created to lead. I can relate to this quote in many ways and feel it
speaks directly to my past experiences of working with a group of students (boys) who
were uninspired, unmotivated, and were on the verge of not graduating middle school on
time. My principal entrust me to created a Young Men Mentorship program. The
purpose of the program was to target 15 of our most at-risk students and mentor them
through academics and athletics, preferable basketball.
First we reached out to their parents, inform them of our vision, our plan, and
purpose of the program and needed their support. We believe once they learned about our
purpose, they would pledge their support towards making sure our mission is a success.
And I must say with their involvements and commitment to the program did flourished
and was well received. Most of the boys were functioning below grade level; some were
lacking fundamental math skills and some were inadequately prepared academically and
socially. Many had social issues and were deemed to having anger management issues.
The program met everyday after school for two hours, except Fridays our goal
was to play a high intensity one hour game of basketball and then proceeded to the
classroom for an hour of rigorous math tutoring. Through these regular meetings, many
of the students were able to improve in many areas. Their character and outlook on life
changed considerably some improved tremendously and was placed in the honors

classes the following year. The few who continued to struggle showed growth, however
behaviors in the classrooms were completely adjusted.
I have devoted my attention to them, eager to motivate them and somewhat made
a challenge to myself to see if I would be successful in turning all their lives around. The
reward of accomplishing this task is two-fold, one; the boys became better students
socially and academically and, two; they no longer would be considered failures. Their
confidence improved, they believed in accomplishing the task of graduating middle
school; move on to high school and then college. In fact, becoming a model product of
society.
Their future depends on my disposition, commitment, and dedication. ISLLC
standards 4: supports this disposition. As an aspiring school leader, I have demonstrated
that I can involve my school to operate as a integral part of the larger community, by
collaborating, communicating, and involving families in the decision making process for
the success of all parties involved. Im a firm believer that the family must become a
partner in the education and intervention of these boys.
This involvement, benefits all sides the parents are involve in the decision
making and plays a supporting role at home, in school, the boys are supported by all
teachers and staff to ensure continuous character and confidence building. They
themselves have played their role and have become less disruptive and more focused and
goal oriented. This means a lot to me personally, mainly because I aspire to implement
this model in any school community Im placed at in the future. The program has proven
to be a success; the implementation of the program minimizes behavioral issues and
increases social and academic growth.

I felt I have demonstrated the leadership quality suggested in the ISLLC

Standards 4, school leaders promote the success of all students by collaborating with
families and community members, respond to diverse community interest and needs, and
mobilize community resources for the benefit of the schools community. I have
definitely motivated and inspirited these students to have a vision, set goals; strive for
goals, and accomplishing them.
Quote on Learning;
If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to
learn no one can stop you.
__________ Anonymous
I value this quote very much because of the demographics of students I
encountered on a daily basis. Far too many of these students express no desire to learn
and strive. Most of my days are spent motivating the unmotivated, inspiring the
uninspired, insisting to them to change their attitude towards learning, and expressing
concerns about their future and the importance of getting an education. Unfortunately,
Ive encountered far too many of them who fit these criteria. Many of who have been
marginalized and resented, due to their ineptness and disdain for education and authority,
however, I have demonstrated values, belief, and an attitude that inspire others to higher
level of performance on a daily basis.
There are many root causes for such behavior, peer pressure, gang related issues,
broken family structure, and poverty; the list goes on and on. No one can determine the
real root for these problems; however, as an aspiring administrator, my first approach
would be to incorporate programs that will intervene and tackle these issues. I would hire

mental health professionals to uncover the root of these problems and fix them serve as
a role model.
The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you
to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called 'truth'.
_____________Dan Rather
I value this quote because over the years I have played many roles in contributing
to the success of my students and school. My philosophical approach to teaching has
always been the same work hard and tirelessly so my students can have a better future.
Ive always strived to motivate, inspire, and educate and believed in a higher standard
of learning. As an aspiring administrator I will effectively model and implement my
philosophy for the benefit of all my students. I will create a learning community focused
on improving student learning, by creating a mentoring program for first year teachers
who are struggling with classroom management. Veteran teacher will be available to be
observed by other teachers to see how they engage students in science, technology,
engineering and math.
Communication; Developing an excellent communication skill is absolutely
essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to
transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader cant get a message
across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesnt even
matter.
_________________ Gilberto Amelio

Vision; The most successful teachers in low-income communities operate like

successful leaders. They establish a vision of where their students will be performing at
the end of the year that many believe to be unrealistic. They invest their students in
working harder than they ever have to reach that vision, maximize their classroom time in
a goal-oriented manner through purposeful planning and effective execution, reflect
constantly on their progress to improve their performance over time, and do whatever it
takes to overcome the many challenges they face.
____________ Wendy Kopp
In Search of a Vision reading from out text EDA 505 Educational leader, The
Vision for South Shore High School - Bill the principal proclaimed that he does not make
plans for his day on the job and that once he enters the building there will be a lot plans to
readily available to keep him busy every minute of the day. Is this really true, can you
ever not plan for your day as a school building leader? As a teacher, I dont think I
would take that chance and if I did, Ill be prepared for any firestorm comes my way. A
principal once said, make sure you have a plan for them [students], or they will have a
plan for you. I cannot remember where I hear this quote before; he, who lacks vision,
has no plans and situation can easily get out of control. He who has vision plan for the
unexpected plans for the worst, and hopes for the best.
As an aspiring administrator, I implement a shared vision with my teachers and
staff; the vision would include a picture of the future that will inspire people to work to
make the vision come true. Im hoping to motivate my staff to join in with me to realize
the desired vision.