"They're screaming my name!"
These are the first words out of Brandon's mouth when he enters the room. A very personable young man, many of our elementary school students shout Brandon's name when he enters the room. He makes them all feel that he's excited to see them, and they feed his ego - mutualism at its best.
Brandon is the only tutor we have that is assigned to work with two elementary school students, Larry and Darius. Brandon is a natural leader, and he thrives on the additional responsibility he's been given. He really enjoys sharing the moments when his students truly demonstrate their knowledge.
Brandon's students force him to look at himself differently. Like him, his students are born leaders. Whether they're behaving appropriately or inappropriately, other students follow. Brandon grows frustrated, at times, but realizes quickly an important reality: they're just like him.
Recently, I provided the tutors with first quarter progress reports. In Brandon's, I mentioned that he could use his leadership abilities to become a fantastic business executive. Today, Brandon was having a bad day. He came in with too much energy, and he was really struggling to focus on the day's task. When I pulled him aside, he stopped me. Quoting the progress report, he said, "I have the ability to be a great leader, but sometimes I lead in the wrong direction." He stopped, apologized, then sat down and got back to work...at least for a few moments.
Baby steps.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Mark
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