A dozen small hands are waving in the air, patiently waiting to be called on. “Kind,” a young voice says when asked which qualities a leader should have. “Smart! Understanding! Adaptable!” were just a few of the words that followed.
Led by Miami Herbert professor and Associate Dean of Business Programs, Karoline Mortensen, 82 eager Sunset Elementary School honor students discussed leadership to begin a day filled with experiential learning.
A Day of Leadership, hosted by the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School, in partnership with the School of Education and Human Development, began in 2022. The Miami Herbert Undergraduate Business Education team manages logistics and designs the activities, and the School of Education steps in to help with the delivery and approach on the day of the experience. Sunset Elementary School is a longstanding partner of the School of Education and Human Development as many of the teachers on the roster have earned their degrees and credentials at the University of Miami.
The program consists of exercises meant to help the fifth graders practice their leadership skills and understand the value of having a leader in group settings.
“The students were very bright, and they had lots of ideas about good leadership qualities—99% of which were right,” said Ellen Marie McPhillip, associate dean of undergraduate academic services and strategic innovation at the School of Education and Human Development. “The big takeaway for many was learning how important the skill of active listening is for exercising leadership and mobilizing the team.”
“Make a left! No, a right!”
Directions were heard in between laughter as the students instructed their elected leaders to move around Cesarano Plaza while blindfolded. Two more games of selecting a group t-shirt and then the game “Smirk” followed.
In the game Smirk, two groups were placed into lines facing each other. The elected group leaders were then instructed to walk in the middle of both lines without smiling. The students standing on the sides yelled and made silly faces to push the students walking through to smile. If the students in the middle smiled or even smirked, they were instructed to join the other team. The objective of the game Smirk was to understand and discuss group influences, peer pressure, and moral independence in a fun and interactive way.
With each game, came a discussion led by Miami Herbert and the School of Education and Human Development staff.
“The sharp honor students quickly grasped the difficulties associated with leadership,” said Miami Herbert Undergraduate Business Programs Executive Director, Danay Morales. “They were able to practice the skills and approaches that were introduced to them during the day through a series of experiential exercises that made learning about leadership fun and interactive.”
To continue to implement the day’s lessons, Miami Herbert gifted each Sunset Elementary student with a leadership journal.
Aside from a Day of Leadership and in alignment with Miami Herbert’s mission to develop transformative and principled leaders, Miami Herbert has also partnered with Breakthrough Miami to offer an entrepreneurship experience for middle school students.
