There were many inspiring individuals at ISTE this year. Keynote presenters, author Dr. John Medina of Brain Rules for Education and Stephen R. Convey author 7 Habits of Highly Effective People delivered thought provoking presentations.
Muriel Summers
What was most inspiring to me was listening to Muriel Summers, Principal of A. B. Combs Elementary Leadership Magnet School in North Carolina. Principal Summers shared how she used Covey’s principals on leadership to unlock the potential of her students.
Principal Summers introduced the audience to two of her graduating students. The young men (11 year olds) stood on stage presenting to thousands and captured our hearts. They were so excited to share their involvement with a mentoring program using technology to video Skype with students of the University Florida. During a question and answer session with the audience they shared how the student body plays a role in teacher hiring!
Covey says, “leadership is communicating people’s worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it themselves. Leadership is a choice not a position. He stressed that teachers are leaders and should help students see their full potential. ” The two young students were very articulate and passionate about the Covey principals. They were very confident in their beliefs and clearly are strong leaders in their school. The entire audience was inspired by their stories and the remarkable accomplishments of Principal Summers.
Here is an inspiring video of Principal Summers when she presented in February at the Global Education Summit: link here
The theme of the conference was “Unlocking Potential” As a leader in the franchise industry, I left the largest technology education conference inspired to unlock my own potential and the potential of those around me!
