INTRODUCTION
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia I come from an Indo-Canadian family of five, my two parents, my two siblings and myself. I am the oldest of the three children, which as a result has made me the leader. Growing up I was never a shy child, I was always putting myself out there whether it be through school activities or simply planning a wedding, I was always the first one out there with all hands on deck. Throughout my life, I have always been one to stand out. I have always thought of myself as a leader and not a follower but in order to lead you sometimes need to learn to follow. Now relating this to my inquiry question, in order to be a leader for those students with introvert personalities I will first learn to follow certain strategies and techniques that will help me in motivating and inspiring those students.
The question that I decided to do my inquiry project on is: how can my personality help inspire motivation and leadership amongst students with introvert personalities? This question has always been in the back of mind, particularly because I am such an outgoing person who has a strong character per say. This question became even more evident when I was on my two-week practicum. I found that students who were outgoing like myself made a connection with me right away, whereas students who were timid kept their distance. This made me wonder, am I intimidating for these students or could it just be that my personality is too much for them to handle?
The more I thought about this question the more I realized that there are other teachers like myself who may feel this way. Teachers who may have the same personality as me or even the exact opposite and how their personalities influence the interactions they have with their students.
To be quite honest, I do not really know what I expect to find out. I am hoping to learn techniques that can help me in becoming more approachable for those students with introvert personalities. I believe it is crucial in education to make a difference in each student’s life. For me to be able to reach out to the timid and quiet students will make a huge difference; not only for them but for me as well. The difference for me will arise because I will have developed a sense of trust that can help in building a positive relationship with the student.
I hope that my research can help me in becoming an engaging and inspiring leader for all students in my class, not just those that have similar extrovert personalities like myself but those with introvert personalities as well.