In this episode, I focus on the idea of taking responsibility for your choices and what that really looks like in a classroom setting. It’s not just about being right—it’s about being honest when things don’t go as planned.
I walk through this Leadership Kit story and highlight how a simple moment—owning a mistake—can shift the entire dynamic of a group. When a student chooses to be honest instead of deflecting or blaming, that moment becomes a powerful opportunity for growth.
This connects directly to what we see with students. Taking responsibility is not always easy, and many students avoid it at first. But when they learn to say, “That was my choice,” they begin to build trust with others and confidence in themselves.
At the end of the day, I believe this is where leadership begins. Responsibility is not about perfection—it’s about ownership. And when students learn to own their choices, they take an important step toward becoming people others can rely on.
Show Notes
Leadership Kit focus: responsibility
Skill: be responsible for choices
Owning mistakes vs. blaming
Honesty as leadership
Reflection and noticing questions
Building trust through responsibility
Classroom discussion strategies
Responsibility as growth
Key Takeaways
Responsibility starts with ownership
Honesty matters more than being right
Owning mistakes builds trust
Leadership shows up in difficult moments
Reflection helps students grow
Responsibility is a learned skill
Transcripts
Funky Teacher, Nicholas Kleve:
This is Mr. Funky Teacher with BeAFunkyTeacher.com. I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast. Welcome back everyone, to today's episode is called Saturday Stories. Leadership Kit.
Be responsible for choices. That one was mine.
Before we jump into today's story, I want to ground myself in gratitude.
Here are three things that I'm thankful for.
The first thing that I'm thankful for is honesty, the kind that isn't always easy but always matters.
The second thing that I'm thankful for is for growth moments, especially the ones that come from mistakes.
And the third thing that I'm thankful for is for people who take responsibility.
Because that's where real leadership shows up.
Well, it's Saturday, which means it's time for another Saturday story from the Leadership Kit.
Last week, we talked about doing what you say—following through.
This week, we take it one step further.
Because sometimes things don't go right.
And when they don't, what you say next—it matters.
So let's step into the story.
This episode is part of the Leadership Kit.
The value that we are focusing on this week is responsibility.
The skill students are practicing is be responsible for choices.
And the story you're about to hear is called That One Was Mine.
The characters in this story are Aaliyah, Jaden, Sophia, Mateo, and Leo.
I'm going to read the story all the way through with no interruptions.
I'm going to have you listen to it, and then we'll talk.
All right, here we go.
The story is That One Was Mine.
The answer didn't match.
Jaden looked at the paper, then at the group.
"That's not what we got," Mateo said.
Sophia checked the step again.
"Something's off."
Aaliyah pointed to the middle.
"I think it's right here."
Jaden leaned in.
"That's where we changed it."
Mateo crossed his arms.
"I thought we agreed on the first way."
Jaden hesitated.
"We did."
Sophia looked at him.
"So why did it change?"
The table got quiet.
Jaden stared at the paper, then looked up.
"I changed it," he said.
No one spoke.
"I thought it would work better," he said.
Mateo shook his head slightly.
"Why didn't you say something?"
Jaden shrugged.
"I don't know. I just did it."
Aaliyah didn't react right away.
She just nodded.
"Okay."
Leo leaned in.
"Can we fix it?"
Sophia pointed back to the original step.
"We just go back."
Mateo sighed.
"All right."
They worked through it again—slower this time, together.
When they finished, the answer matched.
Jaden leaned back.
"That one was mine," he said.
Aaliyah nodded.
"Yeah," she said.
"And you owned it," Leo added.
"That's what matters."
Sometimes responsibility isn't about being right.
It's about being honest.
Well, that is our story.
And our skill focus here is be responsible for choices.
We all make decisions.
Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't.
You all know that, funky teachers out there.
Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.
But leadership shows up when you own it.
No excuses.
No blaming.
Just honesty.
Saying something like, "Hey, that was my choice."
Owning it.
That's where growth begins.
That's where, as funky teachers, us modeling that for students is so important.
Teaching students to own it and to be responsible for choices—that's critical.
And so as you bring in this story with your class and you start looking at the discussion piece, bring in a question to students:
Have you ever made a choice and then realized it caused the problem?
That's a reflection question.
Then move into noticing:
What did Jaden do?
Why was it hard to admit?
You could also ask:
What changed when Jaden took responsibility?
And then as the week goes on, later in the week, you could ask:
Why do people sometimes avoid taking responsibility?
What happens when we blame others?
How does owning your choices build trust?
Those are important questions to discuss.
So when you're using this story with students, this week is about ownership.
And as the week goes on, name those moments with students.
Say things like:
"You owned it."
"That was honest."
"That's responsibility right there."
Students need to understand that owning mistakes isn't weakness—it's leadership.
And if you want a printable version of this story with teacher questions and a student handout, you can find it at BeAFunkyTeacher.com.
It is free for classroom use.
Now as you head into your week, here's the leadership focus:
You don't have to be perfect—but you have to be honest.
Because growth doesn't start with being right.
It starts with being real.
Well, if you found value in this episode, head on over to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcast and hit me up with a five-star review and let me know what you think.
It helps more teachers to find this space.
And as you go into your day and your week ahead, I want you to remember to inspire greatness in young people.
