Shaping School Captains With Leadership Qualities

By Author: Richard Sharp
Total Articles: 12
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Confident, creative, compassionate, excellent communicator, good listener, organised—these are just some of the school captain leadership qualities that the school community is looking for in a representative. However, they are skills that are rarely found in one person.

The school captain has huge responsibilities. As someone who acts as the bridge between the students and the teaching staff as well as the school admin, his or her role is indeed critical. School captains should be role models because they will be the one who will always actively promote school values.

Schools should recognise that leaders—particularly young ones—are not born but made. It is wrong to assume that students will already know how to be an effective leader on their own without proper education and formal training. For them to appoint or elect the right school captain with leadership qualities, they to promote student leadership in the school community and support it through implementing various programs.

Your organisation should be more intentional in producing students who are not only academically excellent but also ...
... possess the right skills to lead. Here are the ways your school can shape future school captains with leadership qualities.

Implementing leadership programs

It's not enough that your school is empowering students to take leadership roles. You have to equip them so that they will develop essential school captain leadership qualities. You have to implement leadership programs in the classroom or school-wide where leadership skills are applied and challenged. Structured learning programs are necessary so that you'll measure outcomes, track progress, and identify which practices are effective and which are not.

Using research-based leadership courses

To make sure that your leadership courses are effective and will achieve your organisation's specific goals, find research-based leadership courses. Consider the framework and the competencies targeted by the courses and check if they are aligned to your school's goals as well as values.

Mentoring leaders

Mentoring can accelerate leadership development and readiness. Mentoring is more than just giving instructions. It is providing proper guidance and imparting wisdom to help students realise their purpose and achieve objectives. Instead of relying solely on your faculty members, you may also consider inviting field experts who can provide a termly check-in and support your students.

About the Author:

Author: Richard Sharp

‘Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced’ John Keats
This quote continues to inspire my pursuit of delivering authentic, long-term online learning opportunities for K-12 students and educators. As a former classroom teacher, senior faculty member and current district school board member, I take great pride in sharing my education insights towards technology enhanced learning in the student leadership and future skills of the workforce curricular areas.