One of the primary goals of Lawton Academy is to train smart young people to become leaders in their communities.  The type of leader one becomes is of utmost importance.  We make it our effort to model servant leadership, but that type does not come naturally to gifted kids. 

    The type of leader a person is definitely counts.  We see bossiness in our youngest future leaders.  Soon they learn that more people will follow if they gain something from following.  If kids can learn this, why do so many adults forget this lesson? 

    I am a teacher, first and foremost.  I love teaching; I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.  I serve as a principal, as well, not because I love disciplining children, but instead because my mother cannot do it all by herself.  I drive a bus for two hours each morning before school, and I clean on the weekends.  Over the years, I have also been the cook, done secretarial work, and taught all of the fine arts for the secondary.  It’s been nice to grow big enough to not have to do so much!  The point I’m trying to make is that I am willing to do whatever is needed.  A good leader cannot be “above” any job.  He must do whatever is required.

   A good leader leads from the front.  How cliché, huh?  It’s true, though.  If a leader is not willing to do something himself, why should he expect anyone else to step up?

    So, how do you get your gifted kid to be a servant leader?  Well, I would say that the first step is to model servant leadership.  No, that doesn’t mean you should be your child’s servant.  It means he should see you serving others.  Second, your child should never be allowed to think that any job is beneath him.  Worse is the child who thinks he doesn’t have to do a job; he just has to wait out his parents until they do it.  After all, it’s easier to just do it than to fight about it, right?  Wrong!

   Parents have so many built in opportunities to teach leadership:  planning and executing a dinner, hosting a party, redecorating a room.  The more you can expose your child to leadership, the better a leader he will become. 

   The spoiled gifted kid might become a despot.  The disinterested gifted kid might become a leader who’s never around when you need him.  The selfish gifted kid becomes a toxic boss.  Unless your gifted child decides to become a recluse, there’s a really good chance he will become a leader, mostly because gifted people have great ideas.  Teaching him how to be a good one is well-worth the effort!

-        Michelle