Habit #2 has 2 Parts: Vision & Values

See the YouTube video snippet of our
8 Habits workshop! 

The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet. —Reverend Theodore M. Hesburgh

If you want to move people, it has to be toward a vision that’s positive for them, that taps important values, that gets them something they desire, and it has to be presented in a compelling way. That way, they feel inspired to follow. —Martin Luther King Jr.

Vision

“Without a vision the people will perish.” – King Solomon

Vision is about charting the course, steering the ship. You have to know where you want to go before steering the ship. You’ve gotta know how you want things to be before attempting to lead. By definition leaders must know where they are going if they hope to lead. Leaders who don’t know in which direction to go succeed only in leading people down an aimless and meaningless path. Developing a vivid picture of the future is an important part of creating a future that is better than today. Having a clear, motivating image of a desired future provides meaning and context to daily tasks. Focusing on a vision for the future can inspire people to reach higher and overcome challenges. Once created, a vision will help to structure decision making and policy setting in an organization.


Visioning is a common, but effective strategy proven useful in many endeavors. Olympic athletes visualize themselves performing their specific feats, and this visualization is effective in helping them to perform better. Albert Einstein imagined himself traveling through the universe as a “man in a box” on a ray of light. This vision helped him develop the theory of general relativity.


Future-focused thinking is the one attribute that a leader must possess to create and shape an “intentional organization.” An intentional organization is purposeful, created and led with a specific goal in mind. An intentional organization is grounded in specific objectives and it has a plan of action designed to accomplish these objectives. The culture of an intentional organization reflects a deliberate focus on a specific end result. In order for the organization to be purposeful, goal oriented, grounded in specific objectives, and focused on an end result, the leader must be able to see and articulate a vision—to chart a course for the future.


A good vision is ideological, but possible; challenging, but realistic. It is not a wishful fantasy, but an attainable picture of the future. A good vision should be imaginable, desirable, feasible, focused, flexible, and communicable. A good vision depicts an image of the future with some implicit or explicit commentary on why people should strive to create that future. A vision can be a mental picture of the “ideal” organization, community, or youth program. Studies have shown that people are more likely to reach a goal if they can envision it and can imagine the steps to reach it.


Clarity of purpose and direction, and the ability to envision the future are paramount to effective leadership. Whether we call this a vision, a dream, a calling, a goal, or a personal agenda, the message is clear: leaders must know where they’re going if they expect others to willingly join them on the journey. Vision is the magnetic north that provides others with the capacity to chart their course toward the future.

Habit #1 of our 8 Habits of Highly-Effective Afterschool Leaders

8 Habits of Highly-Effective Afterschool Leaders

YouTube video snippet on our 8 Habits workshop.





Habit #1 is Safety. Because… Safety First!


It is kind of like Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. At the bottom of the pyramid are the basic needs – food, water, security, and SAFETY.

These needs must be met first in order to address the more psychological needs of esteem, belonging, and love.

Highly-effective afterschool leaders keep kids and each other safe – physically safe and emotionally safe.

Leaders ensure there are NO safety or health hazards in the area. They protect kids from even potential hazards like caustic art materials, cleaning agents, medications, sharp knives, hot liquids, etc. They check equipment for active play, and make sure it is safe.

Afterschool leaders ensure the program community works together to keep the facilities clean. They make sure there are adequate hand-washing facilities and supplies and that we ALL wash our hands frequently.

Leaders create or maintain systems that are in place to protect the children from harm, when they move from one place to another or use the rest room - systems to keep unauthorized people from taking children from the program.

Afterschool leaders carefully supervise children according to their level of responsibility. They note when children arrive, when they leave, and with whom they leave. They know where the children are and what they are doing at all times. And they increase the level of supervision even more when they are engaged in higher risk activities. 

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Science of Polymers

Every week, Madison (my 10-year old daughter) and I teach a 1.5-hour afterschool science club for K-2^nd graders.  Each week she helps plan the lesson and then write the blog about what we did. 

We have provided links to the books we used to sneak in some literacy.  We learned most of the science experiments and activities from Steve Spangler (awesome speaker and science guy extraordinaire).  We have included links to his science supplies, experiments, and videos.  We have also included links to our YouTube videos. These links take you away from the blog and to external websites.

Lesson 15  & 16

Science of Polymers

See our YouTube video: Punctures, Potions, and Polymers - 

Science Standards Addressed:

• Describe the characteristics of the three states of matter (solid, liquid, gas).
• Describe what happens when substances (solid, liquid, gas) are mixed – water gel & instant snow.
• Know that materials are made of atoms and molecules – polymer science.
• Describe how heat is made and how it travels. – unburnable balloon.
• Know that living things have basic needs (food, water, air, sunlight) – radish experiment.

Plus we snuck in some speaking and listening standards like asking questions, expressing ideas, following multi-step directions, and participating in discussions.

As the children arrived we played the songs Everything Grows, by Raffi; Alligator Hedgehog, by Pete Seeger; and Cool Clear Water, by Marty Robbins.

Next we had a snack that once again was a hint of the science to follow. 

Science of GLOW!

Every week, Madison (my 10-year old daughter) and I teach a 1.5-hour afterschool science club for K-2nd graders.  Each week she helps plan the lesson and then write the blog about what we did.  Then I add my 5 cents worth and we post the blog.

We have provided links to the books we used to sneak in some literacy.  We learned most of the science experiments and activities from Steve Spangler (awesome speaker and science guy extraordinaire).  We have included links to his science supplies, experiments, and videos.  We have also included links to our YouTube video science lessons. These links take you away from the blog and to external websites.

Lesson 13

Science of Glow

See our YouTube video on the Science of GLOW!

Science Standards Addressed:

• Knows that light is a form of energy, Recognize that energy can be stored in many ways (phosphorescence).
• Know that changes to matter may be chemical or physical and when two or more substances are combined, a new substance may be formed with properties that are different from those of the original substance.
• Know that materials are made up of small particles that are too small to see with the naked eye (monomer and polymer science).
• Know that bacteria and viruses are germs that affect the human body. Describe ways to prevent the spread of germs.

Plus we snuck in some speaking and listening standards like asking questions, expressing ideas, following multi-step directions, and participating in discussions.

As the children arrived we played the songs When the Lights Go Down in the City, by Journey; and Party Lights, by Claudine Clark.

10 Minutes

Simulated Germs

As the children arrived, we pumped a little glob of Simulated Glow Germs on their hands.  We asked them to rub the “lotion” into their hands making sure to get the backs of their palms and fingernails.  Then we asked them to wash their hands the way they normally do before eating snack.  Then, we put their hands back under a black light.

You could see glowing “germs” all over their hands – especially in between their fingers and in their finger nails.  We taught them how to wash their hands: by scrubbing EVERY surface of their hands for the same amount of time it takes them to sing Happy Birthday to themselves FOUR times!

Then we put their hands under the black light again.  It was much better this time, but there were still some germs that did not get scrubbed away.  After one more round of hand washing, no more Glow Germ showed up, and we mercifully let them eat snack.

5 minutes

Snack

Our snack was an extra cool hint of the science to follow. 

In addition to the healthy stuff, we snacked on GLOWING gummy worms

 (don’t be alarmed, only the forceps glowed – and the light shined THROUGH the worm).