Teaching English and Computer classes (Chevening leadership essay)

Dear contributors ....

1. Chevening is looking for individuals that will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer.

I previously taught English and Computer classes in Junior High School 49 Jakarta. In 2012, I was assigned to lead a team of three teachers to coach students to participate in the 2012 International Thinkquest Competition. It was an online project learning competition. The school won an international competition in 2009, so winning another international competition after three years of no international championship obtained would be very great. Prior to our first meeting, I had identified all things necessary, such as the number of groups made, the real world problems/ themes, the suitable couch/ teacher for each theme, and the couching mechanism. So, the meeting was about breaking down the tasks, assigning the person in charge for each task and setting up timetable and milestones. Few things happened, such as unmotivated students that slowed down the group progress and busy teacher, but those things made us talk deeper, closer, and more meaningful. Gratefully, we won the Outstanding Entry that Finished in the Top 10% category, in which 5,624 teams from 2500 schools of 50 countries joined the competition.

I started working in Buahati Islamic High School, a new-born school that combines memorizing Quran with national curriculum and full day with boarding school system, in 2015. This is my second year, and I was promoted as the Vice Principal. Leading a team of 13 wide-ranged teachers, 79 wide-disparity students, and the demands of national testing, I learn that combined curriculum takes great teachers, simpler but holistic modules, and compact programs. I identified the teacher into high, middle, and low performers based on the performance indicators. I appreciate high performing teachers by giving them stretch assignments, rewarding them professional development opportunities, gaining input from them about process to be improved and allowing them to work on school project teams or task forces. As for the middle performers, couching is the way. Whereas the low performing teachers, I address them through conversations about things that have been observed, their feelings, what is expected and what needs to be done. Yet, The 79 students are varied widely in intellectual quotient (IQ), emotional intelligence (EQ) and spiritual intelligence (SQ). Sometimes, the teachers were annoyed. There came I persuaded them that if the teachers were not strong enough to relentlessly make difference- then who did. I recognize that teachers are what make great school. Few actions, I have taken resulted in a more positive and productive learning environment that demonstrates respect and sensitivity and ensures student achievement.

Rani, in the first paragraph, as the leader of the group, I am sure that you were informed regarding the lack of motivation on the student's part. Perhaps you can expand upon your motivational role in that paragraph by explaining either how you helped develop the motivation plan for the other teachers to use on the students or, how you personally helped to motivate the students towards their successful competition participation. Don't limit yourself to just inspiring the educators. As a vice - principal, your duty is to inspire all of the people concerned in the learning process in a school. That includes the students. So your influence skill should include the method by which you inspire those younger than you for their own benefit. Try to extend the same changes to the second paragraph as well. by showing that you are capable of leading both the young and the old shows that you have varied leadership skills and that you are capable of adjusting your influencing style across the ages concerned. That should help finalize the content of your essay.