Christopher Norby's Leadership As A Teacher: An Interview

Zoe Primosch

Geoff Raydant

Concert Band

28 March, 2023

Leadership as a Teacher: An Interview Christopher Norby is an AP and Honors teacher in the SMHS English and History department. As a member in the Academic League and Model United Nations clubs, which Mr. Norby is kind enough to contribute extra time to, I always appreciate the sacrifices and personal time Mr. Norby dedicates towards his students. I look up to Mr. Norby because of the close relations he has managed to form with students as a result of his hardworking and compassionate soul, and it is these characteristics that have firmly established Mr. Norby as a leader in my mind. As a leader and someone I look up to, I was excited to hear Mr. Norby’s perspectives on leadership, which

Norby, I was honored to have been given the privalege of gaining insight into the mind of a leader. Despite the differences in our titles, I was surprised by the ideologies we both shared in regards to leadership and students. Mr. Norby constantly reminds me through his own actions, as well as his opinions in this interview, that leadership is supposed to be fun. Leaders should motivate followers to appreciate their time together in a way that extends past a teacher - student relationship. This is something that I have noticed to differentiate between decent leaders and great leaders. I always distinguish decent leaders and exceptional leaders by their ability to make students enjoy a topic regardless of past experiences. I have met some absolutely amazing role models, like Mr. Norby and others, who were able to make me fall in love with a subject through a combined struggle for total growth and a relationship that extended beyond a professional one. They didn’t want to see perfection: they wanted to see growth, understanding, and community. I have seen this in past leaders, like Iris Cantoran, who always made me feel welcomed and secure in my vulnerabilities. This is something that I hope to emulate in future leadership roles, as I always strive to create meaningful connections that extend beyond administered

Norby and I. He often mentioned humility, which I myself believe to be an important aspect of leadership as well. When asked about a common flaw seen in student leaders, Mr. Norby stated the problems he sees when students dont possess humility. He stressed that leadership is not a finish line, but an accommodation of progress. I had never thought of posistions that way before. When prompted, Mr. Norby elaborated and explained that when selecting a leader, he doesn’t expect them to be a finished product, a perfect person, but rather, someone who is expressing a motivation to grow and learn. As a student, this information feltr extremely valuable, as I had always considered leadership to be an end point, not a launch pad. In the past, I have always coveted managment roles because I felt they made me “complete,” and were a way for me to feel superior because I was “better” than my peers, but I feel much different in retrospect. (Reflect on