Classroom Leadership Sessions

The novel Ender’s Game by Orsen Scott Card is a classic science fiction tale. An easy read, the novel has strong leadership themes throughout. Summer Honors participants will read the book, discuss it as a group, and compete in a Leadership Essay contest about its message. “Mr. Card has already agreed to teleconference with Summer Honors 2007,” Sinn says. “I think the discussions will be more meaningful if the kids can ask the author to comment on their views about the book. I’m excited!” Mr. Card's website is HatrackRiver.com.

Adventure learning class: Tying safe knots.

The fulcrum of the leadership curriculum at Summer Honors is the adventure learning on the ropes courses and team competitions. But leadership can be studied, too. At first, the classroom leadership sessions use seminar-style discussion groups to analyze leadership themes in movies, books and TV shows. For 2007, the initial discussions will focus on characters and events in movies and books like Harry Potter. The hit TV series “24” repeatedly highlights leadership crises, showing a myriad of examples of excellent, mediocre and horrid leadership.

Once students understand the basics, they can veer off in directions of their choosing. In the second week, the discussions focus on Ender’s Game, and students are preparing their essays. Several different approaches to the essay have been successful, but most students try to elucidate their own views of an effective leadership style. This activity helps them reflect upon the adventure learning, team building and academic discussions.

“We don’t get very deep into theory because I think leadership is pretty practical,” Sinn laughs. “We talk about the leadership compass. Just because someone’s a great leader doesn’t mean they should be followed. What are their values? What’s more important, job or family? How do they treat people? We tell the kids that their leadership compass is built on a foundation of faith, family and friends, and they get it.”

In developing the leadership curriculum, Sinn identified nearly a dozen leadership traits and styles. “There’s a lot of scholarship on the subject,” Sinn recalls. “But I try to keep things simple.” He summarized the leadership curriculum on one page complete with examples from the hit TV show “24” and characters in The Lord of the Rings. “Most kids know about Jack Bauer. They’ve seen Frodo and Sam and Gandalf. We keep the discussion pretty concrete,” Sinn reports, “And we ask them to think about the style of leadership that suits them best.”

Sinn points out that, in the high school setting, leadership positions are often conferred upon the athletic, the beautiful, or the popular. “Those probably aren’t the best criteria for selecting for leaders. How about competence, knowledge, expertise or experience? That’s how the more effective leaders are selected once we’re adults.”

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"Pine Valley helped get me out of my comfort zone and feel a sense of accomplishment upon achieving a team goal. The academic curriculum helped to illustrate how a college level class is carried out and gave me a better feel for the school. I made lifelong friends who share the same academic interests as I do and who helped me to become a better leader."

Holly
Summer Honors 2006