FIRST ARTICLE TITLE: EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN THE 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION

EMMA DIAMSE FUERTEZ

You might have encountered various kinds of leaders in their different fields and was able to recognize a variety of school administrators and their leadership styles, if you go back to the years as a student and as a teacher. There were undoubtedly some of these leadership styles worked better than others, and you probably have certain persons who became or probably your certain role models for leadership style that you aspire you wanted to be in the future. There is always something to learn from the past, were in the 21st century leaders must prepare the learners for the fastpacing changes in the future. Whether you are a current or aspiring leader in a school, team leader, department head, emerging leader still exploring school leadership in your surroundings and of course as a classroom teacher, this article is perfect for you to enhance and awaken that leadership inside your heart. As an effective leader in the 21st Century education you have a responsibility and reputation to understand the art of school leadership. 21st Century Learners and Teachers are a new breed of this generation; the generation were in everything came in an instant click; technology equipped persons and social media has a great impact about their life perspectives and opinions on their environment and surroundings. Effective leadership in the 21st Century Education is a new frontier, many of our learners going through school since year 2010’s and beyond have grown up in a different and diverse environment from older generations and never lived or experienced a world without smartphones, drones, tablets, apps, gaming consoles. 3D television and super high technology appliances. Furthermore, the Generation Z (zoomers), they are extremely comfortable and equipped with technology, having grown up using it: at a very young age many of them were given smartphones or tablets to play before they could even walk. This undeniably fast-pacing of technology gives students to have access in different internet resources and applications to let them gather informations in a blink of an eye. They have the freedom to search even those articles that have been published even a couple of decades ago. Students and teachers can have self learning and teach themselves almost anything they want to know using the resources available and convenient to them. As a 21st century leaders and educators, we are tasked and have the responsibility to help these capable, intelligent, creative and talented learners to prepare them for life challenges we can’t fully foresee. This means they need the effective leaders fitted for the 21st century generation, a whole new kind of leadership the schools haven’t required in the past. 21st century leaders enthusiastically and optimistically face the challenging task of preparing young minds for the future. To be an effective leader fitted for everyone there is always a popular words of wisdom that “You cannot give what you don’t have’’. The key skills for a leader include teamwork, compassionate heart, resiliency, time management, respectful, humble, honest, dedicated and have the burning passion to lead young minds for a blissful environment and stress-free life in their workplace. An effective leadership in the 21st century education work with those around them (inspirational people), accepting the constructive feedback and reflecting on how things can be improved from time to time in the changing environment. The secret to success of an effective and good leader is about inspiring their team members to work happier and touch their lives to inspire other young minds as well.

-oOoThe author is Head Teacher III at Mesulo Elementary School