Final Core: Discussion Panel Rough Draft
November 1, 2007
Mr. Perez: Let me start off by thanking you all for bring here today. My name is Jorge Perez and I am a student at the University of Central Florida The point of this panel is to discuss leadership. I have been assigned by my Composition teacher to do this report. I would like to introduce the board at this time as well. To my right I have Mr. Boaz Yakin. Mr. Yakin is the director of the movie Remember the Titans. Next to him, we have Mr. Michael Wallace, a writer for the Miami Herald. And last but not least, we have the novelist known as Mr. Keith Donohue. We shall start this debate with the question: What one characteristic so you think is the most important in a leader?
Mr. Yakin: I think leaders need to be able to accept criticism, but also have the ability to recognize effective criticism. Leaders should always change their opinion. They should take in the criticism that they think is beneficial.
Mr. Donohue: The one characteristic I think is the most important is the ability to put oneself second and your followers first. A leader should be self-sacrificing and unselfish.
Mr. Perez: Those are all very good answers. I would have to say that I would choose a leader who holds his composure at all times. A leader should stand strong during the rough times just like they do when things are good. People are given hope when they see a composed leader.
Mr. Donohue: But a leader should also be real with the people, and inform them when things aren’t going so well.
Mr. Perez: That is an excellent point. Do you think a leader should be 100% honest or hide some information?
Mr. Donohue: I think some information should be held form the public’s grasp. They should have an idea, but not know the whole situation.
Mr. Yakin: I must agree. In my movie, the coach is informed that if he loses one game he is fired. He does not let the team know. Another way he motivated his team is by motivating them with the possibility of a state title and the threat of benching or even cutting them if they don’t perform.
Mr. Perez: So you think fear is a useful tool?
Mr. Yakin: to an extent, yes.
Mr. Donohue: I don’t think fear should be used. As in my book, when Beka begins to use fear, the group began to lose patience with him. Fear just gets people angry.
Mr. Wallace: I think fear can be an advantage in some situations. Fear of being thought of as average or worse can be a motivational tool. In sports or in academics, fear of failing can be motivational, but also it can hurt someone. If one is too worried of failure, one might be inclined to it because of the constant worry.
Mr. Perez: Fear is powerful thing. But those of true leadership fear nothing. Or at least seem that they don’t.
Mr. Wallace: Very true. Seems that composure is big thing to you Mr. Perez.
Mr. Perez: it is. I want to follow someone who knows where they’re going. Not someone who is worried and confused. It looks like we have ran out of time. Thank you gentlemen once again.
Members of the Panel
Movie: Remember the Titans, Director Boaz Yakin
Image: Dwayne Wade “Redemption,” Photographer not found. Writer of article: Michael Wallace
Book: The Stolen Child, Keith Donohue
Jorge A. Perez
The discussion above is about leadership and what characteristics are more important than others. Maybe some people might suggest that all characteristics of a leader are important. But the point was to make this discussion focused on the one characteristic these gentlemen chose.
Text Leadership Analysis
Enc 1101
November 6, 2007
Book: Bible In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the central concentration. Not only does Jesus Christ teach us how to be followers of the word of God but also leaders in our communities. Jesus also shows us how He leads with what He says and what He does. He talks the talk, and walks the walk. With His parables and sayings to His actions of forgiving and resurrecting the dead, Jesus comes through. Now I’m not saying that a leader is capable of raising the dead or forgiving sin, but a leader should make things happens for his followers. If a leader says something will happen that leader should put all his efforts into making that something happen. In the story of the woman getting stoned for committing adultery, Jesus stands up to the crowd of hypocrites and challenges by saying “ Whom has never sinned, may cast the first stone,” Jesus again shows all how a leader should act. Again not to take the story 100% literally, but conceptualize the story. Jesus went against the mass. Jesus is such a great leader because He is a brave person. He got in front of a crowd of angry men and challenged them. A true leader should be able to step up in situations, with bravery and heart, and convince others. I don’t believe in leaders who are indecisive because they are pressured by the popular ideas and beliefs. I want a leader who follows their gut with reasoning behind it. With the religious side of this text, controversy and diversity can be brought to the table. Not only do you have people debating on the religious aspect, but also the style of leadership.Movie: Remember the TitansThis movie is based on an integrated high school football team and their first season. With racism and discrimination on the course to success, the team must overcome these obstacles. With this in front of the team many leaders arise; from the head coach to the team captains. From these positions alone, leadership is expected. But the movie also shows how a leader can be disrupted from completing a task. In the beginning of the movie, the white head coach is replaced with a black man. Here we see a leader(coach of the team) being replaced with another. What we can learn from this is that if you are put in a position of such power, you have to perform or you will be replaced. As a leader people expect great things from you and nothing less. For the other coach that I replacing the overthrown one, much responsibility is placed on him. He has come to someone else’s house and took over the head roll. You are now the new leader and people want to see change. (This is all coming from a movie based on high school football.) When placed as the head of a team or organization you need to stand strong and lead with conviction. As for the team captains, there is a white captain and a black captain. At first they clash and don’t get along. A leader cannot let small things get in the way of his goals. A leader has to have the ability to see through the small things, and see the bigger picture, the goal. When both captains finally realized that if they put their differences aside so will the rest of the team. They realized they are the captains and as they lead the others will follow. There are many points to this example that helps define what a leadership is. Not only did they realize that with each other at peace and agreement the team cooperate as well, but the team grew stronger as a unit. No man is an island. The only reason why we call some leaders great and others weak is because of their supporting cast. We hear it everywhere; from the gridiron to the white house. A leader must be able to lead others into believing in an idea and executing it.With the course being a college course, many students can relate to this because of the time this movie takes place, high school. Now many students may not have played high school football, but the theme of racism, discrimination and leadership is a heavy mixture. Some students may have experienced a diverse high school and others not so much. The different points of view of the class are another way to bring diversity to the conversation. I am a firm believer that outside curriculum such as conversation and debate is a powerful source of education. I am also considering using the Socratic Method.Image: Let us begin by ripping apart the image. There is Dwayne Wade, wearing his Heat jersey with his eyes very focused, a clean trim, a dark background, and the text “One Team. One Theme. Redemption.” From this picture I see the theme of leadership because of the person in it. You have Dwayne Wade captain of the Miami Heat by himself. Having won a NBA Championship by his third year in the league, he has a clue at what he is doing. Not only is he captain because of his spectacular talents on the court, but also the because of the way he holds his composure on and off the court. I believe a leader should follow in what they believe not only in outside in the world, but also at home. Dwayne Wade has had no problems with the law. Having a captain that respects the law is another plus to why Dwayne Wade is considered one of the youngest and strongest leaders in the NBA. We can also put in last season when the Heat got swept in the first round by the Chicago Bulls. Not only was Dwayne Wade denied another run at the NBA title but he has also endured shoulder and knee surgery this off season. With a dark past behind him, we can relate it to the dark background of the image. With his back given to the dark side of the image, Dwayne looks ahead of him. With eyes very focused to what is to come, this image displays many factors of what a leader needs to have. A leader has to have the ability to put the past behind him and think of the future. You got to forget about the last play and concentrate on the next one. There is nothing one can do with a bad play but build off of it and proceed to the next. Now we can’t completely forget about the past and our mistakes. We must also learn from them so we can avoid it the next time. Another factor this image portrays is focus. A leader must be focused on his goals. A leader must be able to handle several things at a given time but maintain focus. Most students can relate to a dark past or bumps on the road to success; some might still be going through them. With my interpretation, and the students’, lessons can and will be learned.Song:
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE LYRICS“Welcome To The Black Parade”When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.He said, “Son when you grow up,
would you be the savior of the broken,
the beaten and the damned?”
He said “Will you defeat them,
your demons, and all the non-believers,
the plans that they have made?”
“Because one day I’ll leave you,
A phantom to lead you in the summer,
To join The Black Parade.”When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said, “Son when you grow up,
would you be the savior of the broken,
the beaten and the damned?”
Sometimes I get the feeling she’s watching over me.
And other times I feel like I should go.
And through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the streets.
And when you’re gone we want you all to know.
We’ll carry on,
We’ll carry on
And though you’re dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We’ll carry on
And in my heart I can’t contain it
The anthem won’t explain it.
A world that sends you reeling from decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all.
So paint it black and take it back
Let’s shout it loud and clear
Defiant to the end we hear the call
To carry on
We’ll carry on
And though you’re dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We’ll carry on
And though you’re broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches
On and on we carry through the fears
Ooh oh ohhhh
Disappointed faces of your peers
Ooh oh ohhhh
Take a look at me cause I could not care at all
Do or die, you’ll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you’ll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part
I won’t explain or say I’m sorry
I’m unashamed, I’m gonna show my scar
Give a cheer for all the broken
Listen here, because it’s who we are
I’m just a man, I’m not a hero
Just a boy, who had to sing this song
I’m just a man, I’m not a hero
I! don’t! care!
We’ll carry on
We’ll carry on
And though you’re dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We’ll carry on
And though you’re broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches on
Do or die, you’ll never make me
Because the world will never take my heart
Go and try, you’ll never break me
We want it all, we wanna play this part (We’ll carry on)
Do or die, you’ll never make me (We’ll carry on)
Because the world will never take my heart (We’ll carry on)
Go and try, you’ll never break me (We’ll carry)
We want it all, we wanna play this part (We’ll carry on)
From these lines from the song we can identify the leadership theme because leaders have to be strong. A leader should not let anyone take away his heart and passion. Influential leaders are those who stand strong with what they believe. You stick to what you believe is right and let no one take you to the wrong side. Also, at the bottom of the excerpt we can see “I’m just a man, I’m not a hero.” A leader doesn’t have to be a hero, but a man(or woman). A leader needs to be mature and know right from wrong and be willing to defend the truth. From the line “I’m unashamed, I’m gonna show my scar
Give a cheer for all the broken,” I have several things to say about it.”I think leaders should not be afraid to take risks. They might end up wrong, but you never be afraid to take a risk because if you don’t try you’ll never know if it would work and you’ll never learn anything new. Leaders can’t stick to safe and sure things, they need to try new ways of succeeding. People get bored of the same thing. So it is up to leaders to stir things up. This song can bring several interpretations. The focus again is diversity. Some students may like it, others may not. The focus is to get students aware of different perspectives and strengthen their comfortability with criticism. Myth: Athena Nike is the Greek translation of the word victory. Athena is the goddess of victory and wisdom. She is a brilliant goddess and with her wisdom in war she helps many people such as Odysseus and Hercules. To lead one must be smart. However, a smart leader is not always the most intelligent. Smart leaders can also surround themselves with intelligent people to strengthen him. Another reason why I chose Athena is because she is a female. Some believe women are not as strong as men as leaders. That is false. At times women have the upper hand as being leaders. Having Athena as a source for my class will bring diversity with the gender change.
Stolen Child Leadership Rough Draft
November 1, 2007 As a strong leader knows, your group or team is as strong as its weakest member. As we see in Henry Day’s early stages in his life as Aniday, Igel teaches him the ways of the harsh lifestyle of a changeling. What I notice about the way the changelings and their style of government and leadership is that it resembles a true communist society. With one superior leader, and a chain of superiority according to who was abducted first, each is treated as an equal. They all sleep together, eat together, and hunt together. They also depend on each other to survive. I also think that the Stolen Child tries to tell us that without a supporting cast you are nothing. We see the difference between Igel and Beka. Under Igel’s control the clan is held together. The only reason the clan is held together is because the members of the clan support the leader. But for Beka, it is the opposite. Since the clan does not approve of his ways, his leadership is denied and he is overthrown. We also need to consider the time that they were both in power as well. Under Igel rule, the times were good and the clan prospered. However, due to Igel’s fault, the clan’s den was discovered. After this, and Igel’s death, Beka was put in a tight spot having the heavy pressure of being the leader of a clan that went to exile due to the irresponsibility of their former leader. Not only did Beka have to lead in exile, but also had to lead with fear. This equation of exile plus fear equaled a failed leadership. Another theme the Stolen Child brings to the table is that leaders aren’t really the ones who are in control. Leaders are just the public’s puppet. It might not be a puppet that is controlled at a flick of a risk, but leaders get their position by the approval of their people. An example of this is when Beka is overthrown and Smaolach is put into power. They went through their own revolution of government similar to America and France. Since Beka did not perform to the clan’s expectations, he was removed and a new leader was put in power. With a better approach towards the situation, Smaolach improved things for the clan such as by moving to better living conditions than what Beka provided which was an old mine which that eventually collapsed and killed a couple of the members of the clan. I think this is useful text because it incorporates several styles of government that our world is used to. With this I can incorporate the relevance of the book with history and compare the results of each government. With students having recognition of the past, history might not tend to repeat itself.
REGISTRATION
Author: Jorge A. Perez
College Major: BA
Proposed Course Title: “Finding the Leader in You: Making a Difference Teaching Philosophy Statement: Education is a two way process between a teacher and their students. It depends on the amount of effort both sides put in to the process of learning. Like everything else in life, practice makes perfect. Without practice, repetition, and the wanting to accomplish something, greatness can never be achieved.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORM
Title: Making a Difference Course Objectives:1. – To Find the leadership potential in students2. – Strengthen leadership skills3. – To get those who aren’t leaders involved This course is to get students involved in today’s world. Some students are not as confident as they should be. Some students have great potential to lead others and yet do not know that. This course is to get those students in realization of their potential. However, not every student who takes this course will be able to lead, but with this course they will learn how to become more productive and active in leadership groups and put their input into decisions. Course Materials:1. – Remember the Titans2. – Redemption3. – The Stolen Child With the movie Remember the Titans, I can incorporate history into the topic of leadership. With the movie taking place during the 70’S the topics of racism and leadership are put into conflict. The image Redemption will be used to show how one can move a mountain. A person like Dwayne Wade shows his leadership on and off the basketball court. We have not heard of any wrong doing off the court from this tremendous athlete. However, we see his leadership skills in action on the basketball court. I chose to use this image because the man in it is a great leader and a current idol. The Stolen Child not only brings a piece of literature to the course, but also many discussions. With the ability to relate this work to many events, critical thinking and new ideas are on the horizon. Assignments:1. – After reading The Stolen Child, a paper will be assigned. The topic will be to discuss one event that the student can compare the book to.2. – After watching the movie Remember the Titans, the students will need to find a job or a position in a club that they will need to run for a leadership position and make a difference in that job or group. The students are required to show proof of this assignment with visual or written proof. 3. – The final will be a speech presented to the class. The purpose of the speech is to convince others to follow the student. This speech should convince the professor that you are an effective speaker and to prove that student has the ability to lead.
This course will boost student’s confidence in what they do. Those students that put in effort and follow the instructions of the course will only help themselves to the road of success. The world is in great need of great leaders, but not all can be leaders. The students that do put in effort but don’t have what it takes to be a leader can only benefit from their effort in this class. Leaders are perfect and leaders need advisors. That’s where these students come in and use their experience from the course come in. They will provide their input in topics and make a difference in many decisions.
