Thoughts on starting the new year well

This statement by my educator friend has been ringing in my head ever since she spoke it. It was her heart on wanting to nurture, cultivate and raise young leaders, not just impart knowledge.

Over this year, it has been a privilege meeting many passionate educators out there who continuously wade through all the administration, rise above the marking deadlines and press on with this same dream of wanting to make a difference.

I have been very encouraged by many I’ve met through The Leadership Challenge^® courses, the Educating for Health conference in November and most recently, at Educamp. I see in you educators, the tireless passion to connect better with the youths to impart values and knowledge. Thank you for spurring me on.

As 2012 draws near, I have been thinking about what I want to be and where I want to head. Two things come to my mind:

1. Leading myself well

To lead my team here in Halogen and to lead the youths and educators I speak to, I need to lead myself well. i can only give if I have something to give. I can only pour out when I am continually refilled. This 2012, I want to be even more deliberate in investing in myself, in my learning and in what i sow.

Some of the practical goals I am setting for myself include:

• Consciously practice the Five leadership practices from The Leadership Challenge®: Modelling the way, inspiring a shared vision, Challenging the process, Enabling others to Act and Encourage the Heart.
• Improve the mastery of the content I teach and continue to sharpen my communication skills.
• Improve my delivery: Voice control, storytelling and facilitation skills.

2. Leading the youths well

To lead the youths well, I want to continue to understand their world better. If what I am communicating is not relevant to them, they “switch off”. I want to pique their interest and impart values and knowledge to them.

To do so, I aim to:

• Read books that distill the trends into nuggets of wisdom to connect with young people. (I highly recommend this book I am reading this year: “Chasing Youth Culture and Getting it Right: How Your Business Can Profit by Tapping Today’s Most Powerful Trendsetters and Tastemakers – Tina Wells” you can get it on www.bookdepository.co.uk for about S$33)
• Link where they are at to what they are doing or can be doing. For example, incorporating game play mechanics in the classroom (inspired by Dr Ashley Tan, Head of Centre for e-Learning), share more examples of local change- makers and researching on what is current to draw out principles and teach values.

Recently I heard an example of a physics teacher using an Angry Birds game graphic to set an exam question. I also met Murray Bourne, a mathematics e-learning consultant, who encourages students to learn maths by teaching that google Searches and Web Analytics are powered by algorithms, all with the foundation of mathematics. Both are great examples of looking beyond the classroom and helping students see the value of what they are learning.

“Recently I heard an example of a physics teacher using an Angry Birds game graphic to set an exam question. I also met Murray Bourne, a mathematics e-learning consultant, who encourages students to learn maths by teaching that google Searches and Web Analytics are powered by algorithms, all with the foundation of mathematics.”

As Horace Mann says, “A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron”.

Thank you for inspiring me on my journey of building young leaders. I would love to hear your goals and stories in the coming year. Feel free to connect with me at [email protected] or at www. twitter.com/jaelchng. Tune into #edsg for discussions on education topics in Singapore. Connect soon!