Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is about the leader interacting with followers in order to bring out their best self. It is about drawing upon their morals and motivations in order to get them to achieve more than they usually would (White, 2017). Teachers that really care about their students and their progress are transformational leaders. They refuse to micromanage and prefer to encourage and motivate others. It might be the best part about being a teacher, and why people choose to teach young people as their life-long career. At the same time, there are also good teachers who are not, or do not have the opportunity to be, transformational leaders. I could say that they could be transactional leaders. Most teachers teach the class and that is all. They do their job and the students follow instructions and complete the class. After the class finishes, the students and teachers likely won’t communicate anymore (White, 2017).

A transformational leader fosters an environment with clear values, priorities, and standards (Baker, J. and Baker, C., 2017). They also value authenticity and open communication. Erin Gruwell, the protagonist, had certain characteristics that enabled her to be a successful transformational leader. She is quite charismatic and is passionate about helping young people (2007). She realizes this and this gives her additional motivation. As the movie progresses, it is clear that Gruwell is making sacrifices in order to carry out her transformational leadership and help her students. Gruwell takes on another job to fund for the resources used in her class. Her husband divorces her and she encounters resistance when she asks to teach the same group of students for the next year. Her head of department, displaying transactional leadership, only makes matters worse for Gruwell. However, with all her efforts she was able to pass on her transformational leadership qualities to her students who followed her and trusted her with the journey. 

Baker, J., & Baker, C. (2017). Transformational leadership : Steve Jobs . SAGE Publications Ltd.

White, S. K. (2017, February 21). What is transformational leadership? A model for sparking innovation. Retrieved from https://www.cio.com/article/3257184/what-is-transformational-leadership-a-model-for-motivating-innovation.html

(2007). Freedom writers. Hollywood, Calif: Paramount Home Entertainment.