Building Better Leaders - First set of classes complete

Laura Pitts December 1, 2017

At the end of October we completed the first set of sessions with our 7th grade students at Scottsboro Junior High School. The final two programs we held with them were related to Soft Skills. 

Nikki and I both wanted to spend two time frames focusing on what soft skills were and helping them understand the most important ones that they could use right now going forward with their academics to understand.  

We used the following link to help us explain soft skills to the students:  https://youth.gov/feature-article/soft-skills-pay-bills: Soft Skills to Pay the Bills. We decided that we would focus on the following skills: 

1. Communication Skills

2. Attitude

3. Team Work

4. Networking

5. Problem Solving / Critical Thinking 

6. Professionalism 

All of the students were given a sheet of paper that defined soft skills and talked about each of these 6 skills more in depth. 

This was one of the most rewarding discussions with the class. When I asked them about soft skills they looked at me like I was crazy - they had never heard of the term soft skills. Many of them commented to me that they thought they only needed to go to college and get a degree to get a job. They didn't realize there was so much more to do with keeping a job rather than just landing a job.

We touched base on job interviews and how we should prepare and look for those. Since many of them aren't working jobs, I related it to applying for a club or doing community service in the community. One student asked if you should dress nice to apply for a job at a fast food restaurant. We all talked a long time about this, as I emphasised to them that first impressions are everything. While you may just be filling out an application, you are still making an impressions. If the boss sees you fill out that application dressed nice it could be the difference in you getting a job over someone who isn't dressed nice feeling that application out. Taking pride and having a good attitude are soft skills that we related to that discussion. 

We had a very good conversation for 30 min each time about the skills and put them into relative terms they could understand - that soft skills can be learned now in the 7th grade as they work together with classmates on school projects, as they are part of a sports team, as they apply to be in various clubs and so forth

I emphasized to them that they needed to understand how important it was now to have a good attitude when they didn't get in a club.

We had a student that was a little upset that she wasn't in a certain club. She said she had applied for it many times and didn't understand why she couldn't get into it. While there may be more factors than I am aware of regarding her being in that club, I told her that I too had a similar situation happen to me in high school. I told the students the story of how I wanted to be drum major so bad in the 10th grade and how the universe had didn't plans for me and how I turn it into something good. It was the first time I was able to share that store with some students - a very transparent look at something I thought was a huge failure in life that turned into so many more opportunities, I just didn't see it as a 15 year-old girl.  (I mean how was I to know that since I didn't get drum major, Friday's would open up to allow me to take photos for the school newspaper on the sideline, which would lead to being yearbook editor at The University of Alabama, which would lead to getting to take photos on the sideline of the Alabama football games) I had every one's attention and it really was a nice way to end the entire experience with the 7th grade students. 

The following is a write up Nikki, the partner from the 4-H office send me about her time helping this first session of the project:  

"For the past seven weeks we have been visiting with the youth at Scottsboro Jr. High School working with them on their leadership skills and soft skills.  I feel that this program has been a great success and that we have really brought out the best in many of these young leaders.

                In the first few weeks, we really discussed what it meant to be a leader and what leadership characteristics were desired in a strong and effective leader.  For the most part, the youth identified most important leadership traits as good listening and communication skills, respect towards comrades, even those who may have a lower rank than the leader, strong will to lead, and empathy towards others.  We also discussed in the first weeks how the youth involved in the program could be better leaders themselves.  They mentioned many things including helping their parents more at home, taking the initiative to study more and be a better student, and helping solve arguments among friends.

                  We also spent some time in later weeks doing some activities that focused on leadership skills in the form of games.  We played two games that required leaders to step forward to create a strategic plan in order to complete a task.  The kids loved both games and really got into honing in on their leadership skills.  This also gave an opportunity for the leadership skills to be used in action rather than just talking about them.

                  I am thoroughly enjoying the program and feel that it has really gotten several of the students to want to be better and more involved leaders."

Ask a question

Post a topic you would like to discuss with others.

Related by tag