Freedom Focused: I Am Sovereign

Chapter 9

I Am Sovereign

Pedagogy of Personal Leadership &

Character Development

EXAMPLE #5

Deeply inspired by the character education efforts of Lynnda Crowder-Eagle, Kehl Arnson, and Thresa Brooks, I decided to develop and implement my own Pedagogy of Personal Leadership and Character Development (PPLCD) when I became a classroom teacher myself at a large, public high school in Houston, Texas during the 2009-2010 school year.

In designing my own PPLCD, I drew heavily upon my own personal leadership mantra and motif of "Self-Sovereignty," which I had championed in the First Edition of the SAL Textbook. This work, written primarily for a high school audience back in 2005-06, was titled: I Am Sovereign: The Power of Personal Leadership. (1) It emphasized the importance of taking complete personal responsibility for everything in one's life and was the source from whence all future editions of the SAL Life Leadership textbook eventually sprang.

First Edition of the SAL Textbook
Self-Published 2006
Booksurge Publishing LLC

The idea of Self-Sovereignty is that each individual human being is the sovereign ruler of his or her own world. This makes each of us the Captain of our own ship, the President of our own country, the CEO of our own company, the General of our own army, et cetera. Self-sovereignty focuses and capitalizes on the opportunity students have to consciously and strategically design their own lives over time.

A few years before I landed my full-time high school English teaching position, Joe Asbury—a high school teacher at Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Indiana—used the First Edition of the SAL Textbook in his health classes during the 2006-07 school year. I had been invited by then-Principal Dan Scherry to teach six (6) of my I Am Sovereign personal leadership seminars to students in Asbury's health classes at Heritage Hills High in August 2006.

Following my in-person delivery of these introductory seminars to his students, Asbury then used the I Am Sovereign book as a text for the 3-week unit on mental health in each of his health classes. Scherry purchased enough books for all of Asbury's 9th and 10th grade students. These students read and completed assignments from the book on a daily basis throughout the 3-week long mental health unit.

In his own words, Asbury described the process and perceived efficacy of the experiment as follows:

"Each student received a copy of the book and we read aloud the entire book. I would add personal stories and comments throughout. We completed the written sections as well. I used those sections as a way to take grades.
"The students enjoyed reading the book, after which they drafted their self-constitutions in our computer lab. Overall. I think they enjoyed the work very much and I was impressed by some of the great projects [personal constitutions] they produced.
"I would recommend the I Am Sovereign book to anyone who is interested in advancing personal leadership in themselves or today's youth. My ninth and tenth grade students read and worked through Jordan's book and found it to be very rewarding. This book gave me a way to teach personal leadership where I did not have an effective resource before."

Encouraged by Asbury's positive feedback and glowing endorsement of the SAL Textbook (First Edition), and amply passionate about the I Am Sovereign personal leadership philosophy in that work, I was eager to creatively incorporate some of the same material into my own classroom environment as a 9th grade English Teacher.

Fortunately, for me, the two (2) traditional academic subjects that are perhaps best suited to incorporate SAL Training and instruction are English and history. This is because history and literature are full of examples of human beings—both fictional and non-fictional—who exhibit both positive and negative character traits and behavior. Thus, as a history-loving English teacher, I readily perceived a cornucopia of opportunities to weave SAL principles and practices into my lesson plans on a regular basis within a framework of the literature we were already covering—and in conjunction with the concomitant classroom discussions. It was also easy to incorporate SAL material into classroom writing assignments, including journaling.

Then, following in the footsteps of Thresa Brooks, I composed an original poem full of SAL affirmations and mantras I could use in my classroom.

I entitled this poem: I Am Sovereign.

I Am Sovereign (Classroom version)

As the Captain of my life, I understand that I am responsible for
my thoughts, my words, my decisions, my grade, and ultimately, my future.

Knowing this gives me power—personal power—to make good choices, do the right thing, (2) and be successful at Cy-Ridge High School and beyond.

No one can take this power away from me, though if I choose

I can give it away to someone or something else.

This I will never do. For there is but one me in all history,

And my one shot at life I will not waste.

Just for today, (3) I will respect myself by respecting my school, my teachers, my classmates, and by doing my best to master what I am supposed to learn.

I know that I cannot control anyone or anything but myself. Yet with that control I create my world, design my destiny, and conquer the enemy within. Today I choose to be successful in school and in life, because...

I Am Sovereign!

Picture of JJ's I Am Sovereign poem as it was displayed
in his high school English classroom.
Cypress-Ridge High School
Houston, Texas
2010

I introduced this poem to students in January 2010—at the beginning of the second semester—and printed it on a large poster board in the back of the classroom. I further attached a sign that read "You are Sovereign" above the classroom doorway for students to see each day when they left class.

Sign posted above the doorway of my classroom in 2010.

While I lacked the experience, confidence, and personality-stylistic preferences to use Brooks' more formal and advanced methodology with my own poem, I still introduced and taught it to my students and then referenced it on a regular basis from that time forward to the end of the school year. For example, I would read the poem out loud to the students a couple of times a month and then assign students to write in their journals about the poem's subject matter—and other related topics, such as goal setting. I also repeated the mantra—I Am Sovereign—whenever a SAL principle became relevant to whatever lesson plan or literary piece I was covering on any given school day. This was easy to do because literature is littered with a potpourri of characters who either exhibit—or fail to exhibit—SAL principles (or both).

As part of our curriculum, my ninth grade English teaching team designed a journaling assignment that required students to complete five (5) handwritten pages every other week. To help them accomplish this task, we gave students daily opportunities to write in their journals and prompts to get them started.

For my classroom journal prompts, I would often write a SAL-oriented quote on the board or share a SAL-oriented poem on the overhead projector. I would then ask my students to reflect on what the quote or poem meant to them and jot their thoughts down in their journal.

Some examples of these prompts include the following:

What is something you do well?
What are you thankful for? Make a list and explain why.
When you have had a problem, who do you talk to? Or, who could you talk to, and why?
Do YOU think it is important to be honest? Why or why not?
Think of the best teacher you have ever had. Why was he or she a good teacher?
Do you think there is too much fighting on television? Why or why not?
Do you think it is necessary to have alcohol at a party in order to have a good time? Why or why not?
What is the best advice you have ever received?
What do you think makes a happy family?
What do you do for exercise?
What do you like most about yourself? Why?
What do you think courage means?

Answering these prompts in their journals provided students with positive and productive opportunities to reflect on SAL-oriented principles and practices. Just as importantly, the prompts invited students to think critically about the whys as well as the whats to each question-prompt.

Awards System

Another technique I employed in my classroom involved recognizing students for excellent or improved academic performances and attendance. By honoring high achievers and those who made improvements from previous grading periods, I was able to find ways to praise and encourage all of my students—not just the top academic performers.

JJ's "Wall of Fame" sign that hung above his classroom award lists.

As part of my "Wall of Fame," I included lists of student achievers such as the "Gold," "Silver," and "Bronze" medalists for top performers, and "Top 10" or "Top 15" lists for attendance, academic performance, punctuality, and improvement. I also had a list for the "A-Team," which referred to those receiving A-grades during any given six-week grading period.

I would then spend a portion of the first day of each new grading period announcing the new lists and giving out candy and other prizes to award recipients. Because of the diversity of the awards given, every student—even those with academic struggles, behavioral issues, or special education modifications—was capable of earning an award. As a result, the vast majority of my students ended up making at least one (or more) of my award lists during one (or more) grading periods. In other words, anyone who was willing to make an authentic effort earned an award and some form of accompanying recognition for that effort.

Impact of the I Am Sovereign Mantra

Toward the end of the school year, I started to see the I Am Sovereign phrase or principle show up in the work of several of my students—completely unprompted by me. This was encouraging and provided tangible evidence that the SAL concept of self-sovereignty was sinking in for some—and perhaps many—of my students. (3)

Impact of the Awards Strategy

Aside from the benefits to the students, which I'll discuss shortly, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the awards strategy myself. Observing my students receive tangible recognition for their performances and/or improvements—and noticing their obvious excitement and satisfaction for being recognized—also brought me great joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment as a teacher.

Reflecting back on my own experiences in middle and high school, I remembered well how satisfying it was to be publicly recognized by teachers, administrators, coaches, or the local press. But, I had not anticipated that giving awards to others could equal—or even transcend—the joy of receiving them myself.

Suffice it to say, the entire process was fun for everyone who participated. Honestly, it ended up being the highlight of the school year for me—and I believe that many of my students felt similarly. More importantly, it helped improve students' academic performances, attendance, and self-esteem.

While some students would laugh at, act embarrassed by, or be genuinely surprised to make one of my achievement lists, I never sensed that anyone failed to appreciate and enjoy receiving the recognition. Indeed, there seemed to be near-universal student assent for the program. In addition, there was evidence that this recognition went a long way toward boosting the self-confidence and sense of worth of every student who was honored—and in one way or another, most students were honored at least once during the semester. This evidence came in part from improved grades by both individuals and class groups.

For some students, this sense of accomplishment and pride was short lived and their names would not reappear on subsequent award lists. For others, a combination of personal satisfaction and public recognition motivated them to consistently work hard to maintain and/or improve upon their success and continue to make one or more of the lists throughout the remainder of the school year.

During one particular grading period, I noticed a friendly rivalry spark up between two friends—both of whom wanted to win the gold medal for overall grade percentage that grading period. As this competition heated up, I observed back-and-forth comments in their respective journals. Only one of the students went on to win this particular award (of course), but the other student's efforts were not in vain. While she did not win one of the top three medals, she did make the "A-Team" that grading period, which was an improvement from some of her past grading periods. The other student—Jessie Nazario, my young Native American student and friend—won the gold and eventually went on to win the first-place plaque, which was awarded to the overall grade percentage champion for the entire semester.

While students routinely complained when given an instruction or assignment in class, I don't remember any such complaints, nor was there nearly as much cynical "teeth sucking" (4) on award's day. Based on all the feedback I received from students, it was clear that the system was mostly liked and appreciated.

More Action Research

As the school year began drawing to a close, I conducted a survey to better understand the extent to which my efforts at teaching SAL and rewarding positive behavior were, or were not working.

It is important to note here that of the five (5) English classes I taught during the 2009-10 school year, one (1) of them was an advanced class, referred to as a "K-level" class. K-level classes were considered "Above level," similar to a pre-advanced placement (pre-AP) class.

The other four (4) classes were referred to as "L-level" classes, which were considered to be "On-level," or average classes.

For a variety of reasons, there was a significant intellectual and behavioral divide between my K-level and L-level students—speaking collectively and not individually (e.g. Jesse Nazario, my overall top-scoring student, was actually an L-level student). When collecting the research data, I therefore separated the L-level questionnaires from the K-level questionnaires.

K-level Student Questionnaire ANSWERS

Note: Seventeen (17) K-level students were anonymously surveyed from my one (1) K-level class. The following answers were submitted by these 17 students. Student answers are produced verbatim as they were written down, including errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. This was done to preserve the authenticity of student responses. Rare exceptions to this practice exist where clarity necessitated a minor revision. The students were at liberty to answer (or not answer) each question. For undisclosed reasons, many students chose not to answer one or more of the questions on the survey. This is why different questions have a different number of responses, even though 17 total students responded to the survey in some way, shape, or form.

QUESTION 1: What did you like best about Mr. Jensen and/or his classroom teaching style?

It was a fun and memerable class. Always outgoing. you always gave us tips and encouragement.
I liked that you tried to incorporate life lessons into your teaching.
I like ... that we are rewarded for our hard effort.

QUESTION 2: What will you remember most about Mr. Jensen and/or his classroom teaching style?

All the great things he's done for me. All of the kind words and motivational acts. He really helped me out this year! It's so nice to have a teacher, or SOMEONE to talk to when you have a problem and he helped me.
I will remember his motivation and leadership skills speeches, helped me out alot.
The neat/unique writing assignments.
That you taught like a newbie

QUESTION 3: What is the most important thing you learned this year from Mr. Jensen?

Never give up, make the right choices, being sovereign.
Do your best, but only 'your' best
To keep going and pushing for your goal.
living life making good choices
Motivation and everything else he teaches
To have a good attitude and to not give up!!!
I'm in charge of my life
That I Am Sovereign

QUESTION 4: What does I Am Sovereign mean to you?

Having good confidence and self-esteem in yourself.
You are in charge of your life and your own decisions.
I am in control.
Being respectful to others, make better choices
Try your very best in school and out of school on trying your best in everything you do.
That you are in charge of yourself.
It means that I am in control of my destiny.
Motivate yourself
That I have the potential and standard to be able to lead my life to a happy ending and live it to the fullest.
I make my own decisions. I run my own life.
Not much : /

QUESTION 5: What are your opinion and thoughts on the whole I Am Sovereign poem/motto?

I thinks it is very motivational experience, gives us support and life needed skills to help us become successful, very good idea.
I think it's fine, but it can be shortened to a simpler motto.
It was influencing, but it was just another thing taught at school and most students wouldn't care much about it.
It's a really good poem, can help ppl in the future.
It's pretty lame, but I guess Mr. Jensen thinks it's useful. I don't memorize it by heart, but I remember some of the words to it.
It's okay.
I think that it's a nice try but it didn't give a huge impact on me.
To be frank, I didn't really pay much attention to it. I'm sorry! : (
It's a good poem
That it fills our mind with affirmations of how we can accomplish anything we can do, but it could be reused in a way where everyone can agree with it.
It is a ... nice poem, indeed. I am just sick of hearing about it. It seems to be incorporated in nearly every activity, whether he is reading it, or reffering to it.
It is inspiring.

QUESTION 5: Has the phrase "I Am Sovereign" ever entered your mind to motivate you to work hard or make good choices when you were not in Mr. Jensen's class? (at home, after school, in another class, on the weekends, etc.)

YES: 6 Votes NO: 8 votes If YES, how many times? 47 Times (total from all student responses)

QUESTION 6: Please explain when and how remembering the I Am Sovereign phrase helped you.

Gave me confidence and made me feel successful in my life right now.
It motivated me to do better things in everything I do.
It motivated me to do better.
It has helped me through my pain of how I cannot finish strongly, to [become] one of the most influential people in my team or in my group.

QUESTION 7: Have you ever told anyone else what I Am Sovereign means? If so, how many times (and why)?

YES: 1 Vote NO: 16 Votes

L-level Student Questionnaire ANSWERS

Note: Forty-five (45) L-level students were anonymously surveyed from among my four (4) L-level classes. The following answers were submitted by these 45 students. Student answers are produced verbatim as they were written down, including errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. This was done to preserve the authenticity of student responses. Rare exceptions to this practice exist where clarity necessitated a minor revision. The students were at liberty to answer (or not answer) each question. For undisclosed reasons, many students chose not to answer one or more of the questions on the survey. This is why different questions have a different number of responses, even though 45 total students responded to the survey in some way, shape, or form.

QUESTION 1: What did you like best about Mr. Jensen and/or his classroom teaching style?

Keeped room clean
I learned alot of life lessons from him.
The best thing is that you try to motivate us all the time.
I liked the way you were able to relate old style language or any piece of literature to our lives as teenagers
You give life lessons

QUESTION 2: What will you remember most about Mr. Jensen and/or his classroom teaching style?

You never gave up on me when I did.
His silly dances, and "sayings"
"I am soveriegn"
His motivation, when we will get awarded for having good/bad grades. (Made me want to try harder)
"I AM SOVEREGN"
The advice he has given me
The awards

QUESTION 3: What is the most important thing you learned this year from Mr. Jensen?

I learned to be sovereign.
How to be a better writer and to succeed in life and school and everything else.
Suicide and all the advice he gave us (pregnancy, suicide, etc.)
To be sovereign.
I Am Sovereign.
That I am Soveran.
I am sovereign.
To push it to the limit
To always try to reach a goal
Being soverign. It has helped me to never give up.
I can do whatever I want as long as I try hard,
To never give up on my education. To just keep trying.
When he told us not to give up, and never quit.
That no matter the circumstances you should never give up.
To be more serious about my life and future.
That I AM soveregin. (smiley face)
I am sovereign.
To be Sovereiegn.
To be Sovereign.
Sovereighnty
Be Sovereigne
Taking control of one's life
Be yourself.
Sovereign
Never give up on yourself even if you think things are hopeless.

QUESTION 4: What does I Am Sovereign mean to you?

Motivation
You are in control.
That I am in control of me and my decisions have the conclusions i chose.
IDK What does that mean?
You are in control of your life and not anything or anyone else.
Self goverend
Staying confident and being a gentilmen
I control the outcome of my life.
To me it means that I control my life, and no one can control me.
Willing to have faith and hope to never give up your dreams. Stay and remain strong; do what it takes to achieve your dreams things in life aren't free: work hard.
Being my own boss
To respect your self and do good things.
I'm the ruler of my world.
Never give up. Keep trying.
That I can finish no matter whats in front of me.
That I shouldn't give up on my dreams.
No matter what you never should give up.
To be succeful.
I can do anything if I put in the effort.
I am in control of what I do.
It means to me that you should never give up and keep going on.
That i can do whatever is coming at me. i can finish whatever i start! I can do anything
Basically... Im the pilot of my life.
To never give up no matter what comes
That I'm good.
Never give up.
I could do better thing than me, the one i have to defeat is myself.
To never give up.
To push your self.
That I can try.
You are you no matter what everything is possible if u just believe.
To be loyal.
To not give up.
It means alot to me. Hopefully someday there would be more sovereign pople out there.
I am smart inteligent and won't do stupid stuff in the real world.
Means I control what I'll do.
To respect every body and don't let my anger catch me and to succeed in school everyday and in life.
I control my destiny.

QUESTION 5: What are your opinion and thoughts on the whole I Am Sovereign poem/motto?

Its a good question for motivation.
Its something that can be very motivational.
It is a really motivating poem.
Took to long to do.
That you have ruff times at first but you get better at what you do.
It is great and everyone should know it.
I think it is very insiring.
I think it can give people hope and strenth when they seem they don't have control of their life. It's a motivational push in their life to get them started.
To respect your self and do good things.
Its a good a encouring poem that motivates me.
I feel it is a very good and motivative poem and I plan on getting a copy of it and put it on my wall.
I think it's a beautiful poem.
It was good but kind of repetitive
When I hear that I get more motivated.
Its a good motivator. Makes me want to never give up on anything in life.
It gives me the strength and power to keep fighting to the end.
It give me more motivation.
I think it can help me in life
I will live by it.
Good or self confidence
Its okay, never heard of it but that's fine with me.
It should be a shorter poem. It could get annoying at times.
I liked it
I think the poem/motto was well writn and had best strong vocabulary. People can bettr themselfs out following the motto.
They should show this to every 9th grader so they can get their mind straight for school and life.
I agree with it.
Yes because I know that I can do it and that I am sovereign.
I like it. Makes you feel powerful.

YES: 31 Votes NO: 7 votes N/A: 3 Votes If YES, how many times? 142 Times (total from all student responses)

QUESTION 6: Please explain when and how remembering the I Am Sovereign phrase helped you.

I don't need to rely on others who do stuff for me.
Becuse I am being soverign and it help me by becoming a better person and not letting alot of thing get to me and succed in shool and life
I was playing Modern Warfare 2 ith some people, and they didn't want me to use my assault rifles. Just sniping and quick scope. So I took my game elsewhere.
At home when I give advice to my cousin and family.
To study hard for my test in all class.
I was doing an assignment and some how (sovereign) popped up in my mind. I thought I was the smartest girl in the world.
It helped me when I was playing football with my friends.
It showed me that I can do it and never give up.
When ever I'm playing a sport or iam lazy or something i have to finish
In basketball, Im not the best but I should never give up.
Working out and Algebra
When: whenever I feel like giving up on something big (basketball, home, other classes). How: keeps me going!
It helps me to not give up, and never give up.
I haven't read
When I wanted to drop out because I thought school was hard and I thought about I am Sovereign phrase and I want to continue school.
When I was taking the Math TAKS test, because there was a point where I wanted to give up.
With all my projects I had to do at the end of the year.
When I struggle with math I always remember I a Soveregn.
I was mad at my mother then I realized I was in control and it wasnt her fault.
When I faild alot and had f's then brought it up.
I Didn't
It has helped me stay away from drugs/alcohol and other bad influences.
At the taks (TAKS) test
Make better choices.

QUESTION 7: Have you ever told anyone else what I Am Sovereign means? If so, how many times (and why)?

YES: 9 Votes NO: 27 Votes N/A: 5 Votes Total # of Times Taught to Someone Else: 35 Times

Analysis of Survey Results

I was not surprised by some of the results of this action research project.

What did not surprise me was that the results were mixed. In other words, some students obviously took to the I Am Sovereign personal leadership material more readily and enthusiastically than others, and the material clearly influenced some more than others.

I entirely expected this.

I also was not surprised by the significant amount of positive feedback I received about the material. Moreover, it felt great to know that teaching these concepts to my students really did lead to positive and productive results in the lives of students.

I was surprised by some of the results of this action research project.

What surprised me the most was my erroneous assumption that the I Am Sovereign material would be more influential and have more of an impact on my advanced, K-level students than it would on my more average, L-level students. I had believed going into the process that the K-level students would take to the material more readily because they were already smarter and more mature than my L-level students—speaking collectively and not individually.

In reality, the data strongly suggests that the exact opposite is true!

Another element of my erroneous assumption was that students who already knew more about personal leadership principles and practices—and who heard more about them at home from their parents—would naturally be more interested in the subject.

In actuality, it was the students who knew less about personal leadership principles and practices—and who heard less about them at home from their parents—who took to the topic and gravitated toward the subject with more innate interest and curiosity to discover and learn.

A close scrutinization of the data illuminates some of these fascinating—and, I admit, unexpected—divergences.

FIRST: 69 percent of L-level students answered affirmatively when queried whether the I Am Sovereign phrase had ever entered their mind outside of my classroom, compared to only 35 percent of the K-level students.

SECOND: When asked to explain when and how remembering the I Am Sovereign phrase helped them, 56 percent of the L-level students shared a personal anecdote in answer to the question, whereas only 24 percent of K-level students did the same—less than half!

THIRD: While there was one question where a higher percentage of K-level students responded (94 percent) compared to only 80 percent of the L-level students, most of the K-level students responded "NO" to this particular question, which was: "Have you ever told anyone else what I Am Sovereign means? If so, how many (and) why?"

In fact, all but one (1) of the 17 K-level students responded "NO" to this question, and the one (1) person who did answer "YES" chose not to quantify how many people he or she had shared the mantra with. As such, the per-student average for teaching someone else was zero (0) percent for K-level students. On the other hand, nine (9) out of the 45 L-level students (20 percent) answered "YES" to the same question.

Why do these and other, similar discrepancies exist between the K-level and L-level students?

While it may be impossible to provide a definitive collective answer to this question, I believe evidence exists to support two different hypotheses.

HYPOTHESIS #1: In general, K-level students came from homes with parents who were much more supportive of, and involved in, their students' education than were parents of L-level students. Moreover, parents of K-level students tended to be better educated and more gainfully employed themselves. As a result, it is almost certain that the average K-level student received a lot more SAL-oriented parenting and training at home than L-level students.

HYPOTHESIS #2: Because of these differences in home environments, it is possible that K-level students were more apt to see themselves as being "above," "too cool," or "two smart" for the I Am Sovereign personal leadership material for the simple reason that they were likely already engaging in similar personal leadership-oriented education and discussions at home. Conversely, it is possible that L-level students approached the material with more humility, authenticity, and interest because the concepts—generally speaking—were simply newer and fresher ideas that they were not as likely to be hearing about regularly at home.

Assuming that these two hypotheses are rooted in reality underscores the absolutely vital role parents play in the lives and educations of their students. This role is—and always should be—PRIMARY.

It also underscores the incredibly important role that educators play in the lives and educations of their students. This role is—and always should be—SECONDARY or TERTIARY.

These hypotheses align in fascinating ways with another contrasting phenomenon I observed between my K-level and L-level students. While my K-level students were almost always smarter, better behaved, more mature and responsible, and more adult-like in their classroom bearing and behavior than my L-level students, I discovered over time that my L-level students were usually more authentic, teachable, lively, and interesting than my K-level students.

In short, both my students and I tended to have more fun and enjoy class more in my L-level periods than in my K-level class.

Why was this?

Again, I cannot provide a perfectly accurate answer to this question. However, I believe that part of the reason for this contrasting classroom phenomenon arose from the fact that my K-level students were much more concerned about their grades than my L-level students. In other words, my K-level students were so focused on getting an "A" in my class, that they often forgot to enjoy the process of discovery and learning involved in earning that "A."

My L-level students, on the other hand, were much less focused on their grade, which opened them up to being more present and curious in each new moment of educational discovery. This, in-turn, allowed them to be more authentic, humble, and teachable when approached with new material with which they were unfamiliar. And because they were unfamiliar with more than their K-level counterparts, they were ultimately learning more as well. As a result, they participated more actively in group discussions, were less concerned with what their peers might think about them for participating in those discussions, and were therefore more willing to embrace new learning opportunities of all kinds.

I found these observations to be incredibly interesting, enlightening, and surprising. Moreover, it was a powerful reminder to me personally of the importance of not letting my own educational progress from the past retard my pedagogical potential in the future.

It is good to be smart, responsible, high achieving, and successful.

But it is far better if we are also authentic, humble, teachable, and real.

Conclusion

My experiences teaching and implementing SAL principles and practices into a ninth grade English classroom at a large public high school in Houston, Texas, during the 2009-10 school year underscore the importance and value of universally incorporating Pedagogies of Personal Leadership and Character Development (PPLCD) in the classroom, home, community, and virtually everywhere else.

If your goal as a parent, educator, or citizen is to develop other citizens who are good, peaceful, and productive human beings who make the world a better place for their presence therein, you must continually teach, model, and reiterate the lessons that lead to that desirable end.

There is no other way.

Clearly, the data from this action research project illustrates that you don't need to be a superintendent, principal, teacher, coach, parent, or personal leadership expert to see the value in SAL-oriented instruction. Students themselves—from a very young age—can readily discern this value once it is brought to their attention and intentionally presented to them in positive and productive pedagogical patterns.

Nevertheless, it remains up to leaders, managers, educators, and parents to ensure that their various charges—i.e. children, students, subordinates, et cetera—are appropriately, readily, and repeatedly exposed to the material until they become habituated self-learners (and leaders) for life.

In Your Journal

Compare and contrast the PPLCD teaching styles of Lynnda Crowder-Eagle, Kehl Arnson, Thresa Brooks, and Dr. JJ. If YOU were to be taught in a classroom setting by one of these four educators, which teacher would you prefer, and why? What style do you think would work best with YOUR personality and learning style? If your answer to this question is: "none of them," then what alternative style would you prefer or suggest, and why?

Which method would most closely resemble your own style if you were to become a teacher of PPLCD, and why?

Do you think it is important to align your own teaching style with your own personality instead of trying to copy another educator's style or approach? Why or why not?

—Dr. JJ

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 502nd Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 288th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.

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Chapter 9 Notes

1. Jensen, J.R. (2005) I Am Sovereign: The Power of Personal Leadership. Charleston, SC: Booksurge Publishing LLC.

2. This phrase is borrowed from the morning mantra that Principal Kehl Arnson made famous at Campbell High School in Smyrna, GA, as recounted in BOOK THE SEVENTH, chapter 6.

3. Anonymous examples of this student work can be reviewed in Dr. JJ's Doctoral Dissertation, see pages 1051-1055 of my doctoral dissertation (Volume 4, pages 141-145).

4. Many of my students had developed a habit of “sucking their teeth” -- an act that involved the quick rubbing of the inside of their front lips against their incisors, which would make a brief, spitting-like noise -- to communicate a lack of motivation, disagreement, dislike, disgust, disdain, bad attitudes, etc. As a teacher, I found this habit to be both annoying and disrespectful. I had to practice patience with them for this habit, which was so ingrained in many of them as to become an involuntary response whenever they felt picked on or otherwise "put out" in any way.

Freedom Focused

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

I Am Sovereign

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I Am Sovereign