Back to School: Importance of Education in Individual Success by Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa

America’s expectation that all students will graduate from high school has increased throughout the 20^th century and continues to be a focus for educational policies in the United States.  High school graduation rates have gained increasing prominence as a key issue in educational policy since the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed into law in January 2002. The NCLB has generated a great deal of research regarding high school dropouts. According to the Children’s Defense Fund, researchers agree that every nine seconds a student decides to permanently leave high school prior to graduation.  This early exit from high school has forced policymakers to investigate and research the educational, economic, and civic impact of dropouts on society. 

Photo Credits: Google Images

A high school diploma has long been regarded as a requirement for economic and social well-being. Generally, the higher levels of education an individual has, the higher the income, the more stable the employment, and the less the individual is dependent on public assistance.

The decision to drop out of high school is rarely caused by one event. Many students show warning signs years before they leave high school. Whatever the causes, a decision to drop out of high school can have future negative effects on the individual as well as society.  Every year, more than one million United States students decide to drop out of high school.  These dropouts are unprepared for meaningful work or postsecondary education. 

Our communities can no longer afford to allow this trend to continue.  We all need to work together to keep children in school and improve the well being our communities.   

Here are some things you and I can do to help:

• If you are a parent and you want your child to graduate on time and prepared for college, talk to your child’s teachers and counselors to ensure that he/she is on track to meet the school’s graduation requirements.

• If you are a concerned citizen, attend local school meetings to gather more information of what your local high school reform efforts are.

• If you are an educator, pursue professional development opportunities that present new ideas about high school curriculum and instruction.  Have an open mind.

Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa is a mother, educator, and wife living in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.  She is a PhD student with Our Lady of the Lake University in Leadership Studies.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the President of the Leadership Empowerment Group, LLC and is currently researching the relationship between the leadership of the high school principal and the high school drop out rate.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the author of Are You A Ten?  The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader.   For ordering information, please contact Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa at Barb313679@aol.com.

Any Given Saturday by Sharon Watkins-Jones

www.SPORTSPAGEMAGAZINE.COM

On any given Saturday in Texas, in the fall, families gather to cheer on little boys in full protective gear, as they battle it out on local football fields. Here, we start them early and make them tough. Most Texas cities, large and small, have youth football leagues with team members as young as 5 or 6 years old. 

Photo Credit: Google Images

Mothers wince as their babies hit or get hit. Fathers beam with pride and live out dreams deferred through the youthful arms and legs of their little men. Every parent in the stands expects that their son has the potential to be as great as their favorite Monday Night Football sensation. 

Despite the fact that my young son is fortunate enough to play for a Houston youth league which emphasizes the importance of good grades in addition to athletic ability and good sportsmanship, I can’t help but notice the degree of intensity on the faces of many parents, including my husband's, on Saturday mornings.  

To read the rest of this story, click here. Thanks for reading and sharing!

Meet Sharon Watkins-Jones, Author

 Sharon is a community college administrator, former special education teacher, wife of 17 years and mother of two school-age children in northwest Houston. Her primary interests are family-inclusive culture and arts, travel, politics, historical literature, Texas Longhorns and all things Disney.

Persuasion: A Key Leadership Skill by Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa

Photo Credit: Laurie Madden Mire/
Laurie Mire Photography

I have good news for you.  You don’t have to be a slick salesperson in order to be persuasive.  The skill of persuasion is simply the ability to convince others rather than coercing compliance. During a recent seminar I conducted at Texas State Technical Institute, the skill of persuasion was one that prompted the most discussion.  The Servant Leader primarily relies on making decisions within an organization based on persuasion rather than positional authority. 

In other words, you will never hear the Servant Leader say, “do it because I am the boss and I say to.”  This particular element offers one of the clearest distinctions between the traditional authoritarian model of leadership and the concept of servant leadership.  The technique of convincing rather than coercing is one of the most effective ways a Servant Leader can build consensus within groups.

Photo Credit for remaining pictures:
Google Images

Instead of making a big deal about something and telling your colleagues that they have to change, “or else,” the Servant Leader has learned to use a method of gentle but clear and persistent persuasion.  Leadership by persuasion has the ability to encourage change by convincement rather than coercion.  Its advantages are enormous.  Just think about it, aren’t you more apt to make a change if someone has convinced you of it as opposed to telling you that you MUST change because the boss said so?  In order to be highly persuasive, a leader must have developed relationships with others. Effective leaders are able to form bonds with others that result in relationships.  These relationships allow for open communication that lay the way for trust.  People who trust you will be more easily persuaded by you.

A final point to keep in mind is this…effective Servant Leaders who are great persuaders don’t ask themselves, “who can help me?” but instead ask, “whom can I help?”  There are some basic techniques that can help you develop your persuasive skills.  I hope you will try some of them this week and join me on this great journey to become the most effective Servant Leader we can be. 

As discussed in more detail in my book, Are You a 10? The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader (2010), the following tips can help you as you develop your persuasion skills:

• Create Transparency
• Practice Fairness
• Develop Consistency
• Build Consensus

Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa is a mother, educator, and wife living in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.  She is a PhD student with Our Lady of the Lake University in Leadership Studies.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is currently researching the relationship between the leadership of the high school principal and the high school drop out rate.  This article is an excerpt from the  book, Are You A Ten?  The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader.   For ordering information, please contact Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa at Barbara@leadershipempoewrmentgroup.com or like us on Facebook at Leadership Empowerment Group, LLC.  Ordering information can also be found at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.