Educational Beliefs and Experiences

To model democratic core values that embody the standard of society and give students access to the tools and experiences to be socially, academically, and globally competent are two major beliefs that I believe education should be. Public schools are institutes that were created in order to equip younger generations with the necessary “life” skills so they can continue and advance our way of life and will be able to constructively contribute to the world around them. Schools are not just areas where students sit in class and take notes, do homework, and take standardized tests. On the contrary, schools must be vibrant places where students interact in a positive way, learn from each other, and develop a sense of belonging/identity and pride. Schools must be the focal point of the community and be constantly celebrated because they are guaranteeing a better future by developing outstanding citizens that reflect communities, families, and our country. I remember when I was playing varsity football and our coach would always remind us that we were not only representing our school as student athletes but we were representing our families and our community and we were never to embarrass or disrespect that privilege.

Schools should prepare students for successful and productive lives upon graduation. Therefore, the school’s curriculum must prepare students to excel at a variety of experiences allowing all students the opportunity to live the American dream. Schools must be required to teach literacy and mathematical skills. Also, with the ever evolving technological world, schools must now teach technical computer skills to all students. Today if students want to pursue college, be a mechanic, or even work at McDonalds they must be able to calculate simple and/or complex math, read and probably, now-a-days, operate some sort of computer. If a student cannot perform these skills they will most likely be replaced with someone who is more proficient. Schools must also be a place where diversity and history are taught, health and physical education (obesity epidemic http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html) are supported along with other classes that will prepare students to make healthy and socially acceptable choices, which will result in successful family, career, and college bound opportunities.

Students should learn the school’s curriculum through multiple modes. Students should take field trips, visit work sites, and perform projects where they can explore the actual relevance of the skills they are learning. Differentiating the curriculum in order to make the material relevant to all students will make students appreciate their education experience by creating a sense of accomplishment and pride in their daily educational experiences. Also, teachers should not be told how to teach their curriculum in their classes. I believe in giving teachers the autonomy to make the proper decision in how to teach their content to their students. Some teachers may find more success through collaborative group settings while other teachers may find more success through a direct instruction approach. Students deserve a free quality education and as long as they are receiving that from their teachers, I will support their efforts. Often, administrators get caught up in multiple research studies, previous experiences, and anecdotes and sometimes forget to actually talk to the teachers themselves before demanding and orchestrating the best curriculum implementation at their school.

Lately, my work does not reflect my beliefs. Working in a school where students do not appreciate education, administrators to not enforce long term consequences and students get away with almost anything and are just smacked on the wrist or forced to just apologize with a handshake DOES NOT CUT IT! Our students are apathetic and do not want to facilitate or actively participate in a free quality education that will better their lives. Due to this environment it is very difficult to express my philosophies and beliefs because most days I am not even a teacher but just a classroom manager who gives students “work.” Most of our teachers find success in just getting their classes quiet (following multiple and excessive phone calls home) so that they can introduce the day’s activities and expectations. Teaching in Baltimore City has made me question the educational system in the United States and has made me question my future as a teacher because, mainly, my work does not demonstrate my beliefs on what education should look like and how students should be achieving daily so that students are prepared to make healthy and socially acceptable choices, which will result in successful family, career, and college bound opportunities. I do not have the answer nor the patience to find the magical answer anymore. Parents need to take more initiative in their child's education and support what America is offering the youth of tomorrow. I plan on working in a more sustainable and productive environment next year where I will be able to exert my philosophies of hard work, determination, and positive choices in an environment where students respect themselves and the adults delivering their free and equal education.  

Full Clinical Cycle Review

The post observation conference was a difficult task for me. The teacher I was performing the conference with has been teaching for many more years than me and is quite good at his job. When comparing his classroom to my own he seems to run a much tighter “ship” than what I conduct myself. This in its own right made the post conference unsettling for me because I lacked some confidence and did not feel as though I was in a position to tell this veteran teacher how to improve his individual instruction. I can now relate to young principals who are trying to develop their own credibility amongst the staff and even though this task is hard to do, it can be achieved while using both respect and appreciation toward the teacher. I can say that showing respect and appreciation was one of my strengths and it truly helped maintain a positive tone throughout this whole entire clinical cycle.

Throughout this cycle, I developed a positive relationship with the teacher and this helped create multiple strengths throughout the post conference. One strength in particular was the seating arrangement we took in the teacher’s lounge.  We sat at a round table sitting across from each other with nothing on the table but the observational paperwork. This seating arrangement created ideal dialogue because we were able to create sufficient eye contact, sit comfortably, and easily point out important information on the observational form. I prefer sitting across from the observe during conferences rather than next to because it creates a sense of professionalism and respect, because when you talk to someone you should be able to, at least intermittently, make eye contact when discussing important matters. Our body language (even though I am by no means a professional in the area of reading body language and gestures) seemed comfortable and appropriate. Mr. Allen sat with his legs crossed while I sat with both legs on the floor, hands on the table, and back straight. My appearance seemed a bit more rigid than his possibly giving off a nervous persona, however, my appearance was true to how I was feeling because I was a bit anxious while talking about the lesson I observed. Regardless, of how either one of us felt we were still able to discuss the lesson fully without any interruption or extremely awkward situations. Even though I was slightly nervous I did not frequently use words like “umm” or “uhh” as transitional phrases to help facilitate the conversation.  Our speaking tone was held at a reasonable level and was clearly heard by both of us. The room was ideal because it allowed us to be alone and any extraneous interactions were fully avoided.

After reviewing the conference for strengths and improvements I overly critiqued myself and found more improvement areas than strengths. One area for improvement was using the students’ names as specific examples. Before the observation I should have asked for a seating chart so I could have been able to identify specific students and pinpoint particular situations. Another area of improvement was the type of feedback I gave to Mr. Allen. One moment during the conversation he asked me what professional developments are offered through Baltimore City that present exclusive instruction on accommodations and scaffolding.  Even though I knew I was going to talk about these professional developments I did not have the foresight at the time to bring a professional development calendar with me to discuss when and where these events take place. Simply relying on the teacher to sign up for these events on their own accord is not good enough. I learned that each post conference takes planning and great attention to detail because it is never safe to assume that “they won’t ask that question.” However, this point leads into a few observable strengths. One strength in particular was my attention to detail during the observation itself. I was able to back up certain claims about scaffolding and IEP accommodations by referring to a finely polished document. Being able to refer to properly documented data and how it lead me to certain conclusions helped with the flow of the conversation. The last strength I would like to discuss was using a nondirective approach with the teacher. This was a reasonable approach based off his experience level. I also referred to Pajak’s clinical dialect to get a better understanding of how to communicate with a “knowing” teacher. I used expressions like “I observed this” and then would highlight data that backed up my claims. During the “improvement part” of the conversation is when I switched to a nondirective approach asking questions like “how would you do this” and “how did you perceive this part of the lesson?” Most of the questions and demeanor were aligned with the dialect of a knowing teacher and nondirective formal communication.

Since I used a nondirective approach during the improvement stage of the conversation I utilized listening skills more so than anything else. I would simply ask a probing question and then listen to his response. I would use gestures like nodding and used agreeing noises that illustrated I was taking into consideration what was being said. Most of the questions gave him most of the time to talk but I would interject comments and make appropriate segues into planned dialogue such as professional development opportunities and other instructional strategies. Overall, this whole experience has been very unique and has given me great experience in the life of an administrator.

Classroom Seating Arrangements

            While observing the seating arrangements at our school, I could not help but notice the monotony from classroom to classroom.  Our principal has dictated our seating arrangements as groups of four due to the promise of facilitated group work, team rigor, and student centered activities.  Every single classroom on our floor is set up with groups of four the only variations are how the groups are dispersed across the room. The groups are spread out enough to make sure each team is not overly distracted from the next and that each group has clear visual access to the front board. I understand the purpose of teamwork and the idea of students “buzzing” but this type of dictatorship seems to make each classroom monotonous and detracts from individualized teacher creativity. The majority of teacher desks are located in the back of the room or to the side and the technology (projector, speakers, Promethean Board, and technology cart) is front and center, which acts as the focal point for directions and learning. Only one teacher had her desk in the front of the class (nearer to the white boards) but her technology has not yet been delivered. I like having the desks in the back of the room because it opens up more space for students coming up to the board and prevents students from coming near or trespassing into your personal work space.

                The traffic pattern for each class is also very clear. The team took the advice of our team leader and labeled our doors as “exit” and “enter.” This prevents the students from bombarding the classroom from all directions and maintains more order during arrival and dismal. Some teachers even used duct tape to make arrows pointing to where students line up outside before they enter the classroom and where they line up inside before actually leaving.  I have found that mundane procedures help create a sense of order and holds students more accountable for their actions, decreasing the amount of misbehavior in the classroom.  I also noticed that all teachers were constantly moving around the room and were monitoring performance while students worked on their activities.  I did not notice any teachers in front of the room lecturing or giving direct instruction, instead, all teachers were merely acting as facilitators moving from group to group and addressing student misbehaviors.

                The accommodation I noticed immediately for special needs students was preferential seating.  I noticed a few special needs students sitting near the white board and did not notice (even though these were quick glances) any special needs students in a group placed far away from the whiteboard or Promethean board.   Many teachers had isolated desks placed in corners or next to cabinets so that students could use that time to work quietly by themselves, get extra time on an assignment, or to recollect their emotions. I am assuming that most teachers are placing their special needs students in groups that will help facilitate their learning, for example, placing a special needs student with a strong reader in order to help read directions or to explain important task information.  Our principal has monitored each classroom to make sure special needs students are not grouped together and are properly dispersed throughout the classroom.

                The technology has been widely dispersed but a few classrooms still do not have any technology at all. The technology is still being installed and delivered to the building so it may be a few more weeks until every classroom is truly online. However, each classroom that currently has technology only have Promethean boards, projectors, speakers, and a technology cart; no classroom has permanently installed computers for independent student work but a portable lap top lab and two computer labs are accessible for daily use.

                The room arrangement pattern can be used to help supervise teachers because it alludes to the type of instruction occurring in the classroom, possible distractors, management, accommodations, and student engagement. The supervisor can get a clear understanding of the learning occurring in the classroom and determine if the set up is allowing for effective student-student engagement and student-teacher engagement. The supervisor can also look for a proper seating chart with special needs student’s names highlighted to quickly show where they are seated within the class. These specific characteristics of room architecture can be addressed in school professional developments in order to convey strategies that are effective in increasing student achievement. New teachers may not understand the importance of eliminating distrsactors such as sitting next to high access areas or why preferential seating is vital in meeting the requirements of special needs students. Supervisors can jot down areas of strengths and areas of improvement and create staff developments that address both areas. The classroom set up is a strong foundation for learning to happen properly. As a school administrator, it is our job to make sure every class is set up for success and to support teachers who may not truly understand how to properly execute the task.

The Difficulties of Second-Order Change

Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005), describe that most school reforms, even though, highly researched, thought-out, and articulated, are short lived. Marzano et al. (2005), contribute these “duds” to “leadership that is not consistent with the order of magnitude of change represented by that innovation” (p. 66). To me, this quote is referring to the 21 leadership responsibilities used in ineffective ways and do not coincide with the order of change. Marzano et al. (2005), describe two types of change one being incremental and superficial while the other type of change is more of a “deep transformational” effort. Second order change requires transforming the way an entire school runs and meets the needs of their students. Marzno et al. (2005), gives an example of second-order change as one that exceeds the needs of the achievement gap in under achieving schools to using innovative instructional strategies seen in open education. When a leader embarks in second-order change, they must not tread lightly and continuously analyze the enormous complexities that come with this type of alteration. One way to effectively instigate second-order change is by implementing the most effective 21 leadership responsibilities.

Marzano et al. (2005), explain that of the 21 responsibilities only seven of them affect second-order change the most. These are: knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment; optimizer; intellectual stimulation; change agent; monitoring/evaluating; flexibility; and ideals/beliefs. Since second-order change is so comprehensive and changes the entire way business is ran attention must be given to meeting the requirements of the seven responsibilities. For example, change agent and monitoring/evaluating are very important because they urge for challenging current school practices and then creating an evaluation system that gives feedback on how new practices are affecting student achievement. Fullan agrees with this practice and illustrates that supporting change with student data is one of the best ways to subside anxiety and to implement change itself (video ELC, 2010). Marzano et al. (2005), have researched their findings thoroughly and advise that each order of change is approached in a specific way.

The demands of second-order change requires a thoughtful and flexible administrator because change is a difficult process for people to embrace and difficult to execute from a leadership perspective. Not only does the principal have to use all seven leadership responsibilities but they also have to utilize and balance the use of six leadership styles outlined by Goleman (2000). These demands make the job very complicated; therefore, a principal needs to dedicate a lot of time analyzing and fine-tuning their actions and must possess the willingness to overcome the unexpected. A principal that is rigid or thinks second-order change will happen over night and is not willing to utilize the research supplied to them then status quos will not be broken and student achievement will continue to plummet.

References
Goleman, D. (2000, March). Leadership that gets results. Harvard business review, 78-90.
Marzano, R. J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2005). School leadership that works from research  to results (pp.42-63). Alexandria: ASCD.

Change is Facilitated by a Positive Culture

            Change is a scary process.  Moving to Washington, DC from a little farm town in Southwest Michigan was a significant change in my life and I was very apprehensive about it.  To me, moving 13 hours across the country took me away from everything I knew and was comfortable with and the idea of reestablishing myself and adapting to a “new way of life” was very daunting.  However, the one thing that got me through this entire process was a positive relationship with my family.  The strength these relationships gave me allowed me to take on this change with full force and helped me understand how to properly survive in my new surroundings.

            This story reveals that change is hard for most people to take on.  Without proper leadership and positive relationships that facilitate support and collaboration, change is not going to be accepted or incorporated.  Peterson (2002) states, “a school culture influences the ways people think, feel, and act” (p.10).  If your school culture is not one that supports progressive thinking, does not place student achievement first, and creates a feeling of solitude within the staff then implementing the complexities of the change process is going to be very difficult.  Before any change takes place, the leader must check the cultural pulse of the school and determine what aspects of the culture are positive and should be reinforced and what aspects of the culture are negative and harmful and should be changed (Peterson, 2002).  By creating a positive school culture, individuals will be able to develop a learning community that fosters professional development that continues the process of teacher learning.  

             If teachers enjoy discussing new ways of thinking, are reflective on their daily practices, are open to other opinions, and support both professional development and student achievement then implementing change will most likely be accepted by the staff.  As a leader, it is our job to support positive school cultures because without it we will not be able to perform our job, as the SEDL: facilitative leadership, (2002) describes, “leaders, then, are change makers and transformers, guiding the organization to a new and more compelling vision, a demanding role expectation” (p.1).  Without the aid of a positive school culture that supports innovation, respect, trust, and shared leadership that balances continuity and improvement any school reform model will surely fail.  Much of the school culture is derived from the leadership, if leaders trust the strength of others and value their efforts and see the people in the organization as its greatest resource not only will change take place but it will be supported with an enriched school culture (SEDL: leadership characteristics that facilitate school change, 2002).

References

Peterson, K. D. (2002). Positive. At issue culture, 10-15.

SEDL: facilitative leadership (2002). Retrieved August 20, 2010, from http://www.sedl.org/change/facilitate   

            /leaders.html

SEDL: leadership characteristics that facilitate school change (2002). Retrieved August 20, 2010, from              

            http://www.sedl.org/change/leadership/character.html

Self-Assessment and Survey Reflection

Principals are usually referred to as visionary individuals but their successes as leaders are not just simply due to their visionary strengths and execution. The self-assessment along with the online survey has truly helped me identify other important leadership characteristics that increase student achievement. The self-assessment was more straightforward and simply required a 1-5 ranking. While the online survey seemed a bit more complex because it extracted the 21 characteristics from a series of questions and then applied a numerical value from multiple responses; overall, my results were very similar. The minor differences were no more than one point for each characteristic, this illustrated that my perceptions for leadership characteristics are consistent.

The assessments were both interesting for me to fill out. From my personal experiences, I tried to gauge how much each characteristic plays into the success of a principal. Based off the online survey and self-assessment my top seven strengths as a school leader are: communication (r = .24), culture (.25), ideals and beliefs (.22), input (.25), outreach (.27), relationships (.18), and visibility (.20) (Marzono; 2007; McRel; 2010). My average correlation for strengths was r = .23. This shows that not all my strengths have been proven to be highly effective (visibility and relationships) while some are considered more effective like input and outreach. However, when evaluating how each of the 21 characteristics are measured to their 95% CI the most accurate measurements are culture, focus, input, involvement CIA, monitoring, and optimizer; of these I have two (culture and input).

The two assessments also revealed to me some areas of improvement. My seven top areas of improvement are: affirmation (r = .19), change agent (.25), discipline (.27), flexibility (.28), intellectual stimulation (.24), involvement CIA (.20), and order (.25) (Marzono; 2007; McRel; 2010). My average correlation for improvement was r = .24. Unfortunately, this correlation shows that my weaknesses have a higher impact on student achievement than do my strengths. Yet, when comparing my areas of improvement to the strongest correlated characteristics based off their 95% CI, I have only one (involvement CIA).

Overall, I am not taking these results too seriously because I have never even attempted to be a principal before so I truly have no idea if I am effective or not. However, based off these results it shows that I do have characteristics that will impact student achievement and even though I have areas of improvement neither assessment had any characteristic ranked lower than a three. This experience has been insightful and I look forward to doing it again in the future, especially once I have become an administrator.

References

Marzano, R. J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2005). School leadership that works from research to results (pp.42-63). Alexandria: ASCD.

McRel balanced leadership (2010). Retrieved July 31, 2010, from https://www.educationleadershipthatworks.org/Default.aspx

Successful Principal Characteristics

           The last few weeks of class have been interesting.  I have learned how to navigate an online class and a lot about leadership.  Through this reflection I am going to explore four characteristics of what a successful principal should posses.

  “In matters of style, swim with the current;
In matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
                                    - T. Jefferson

            This quote describes my first characteristic of leadership, authentic inner direction.  According to Evans (2007), the authentic leader possesses “ a source of inner direction” (139), which continuously leads the principal toward effective long-range planning and routine problem solving.  Also, the inner direction of principals defines them as leaders because they will consistently pay attention to what is important and good for the school.  The inner direction manifests itself through strong actions, which results in a “not just saying, but a doing mentality.”  Evans describes that authentic leaders are much like Popeye the sailor, they know who they are, what they want, and what they are good at (Evans, 2007).  Quality principals have authentic inner direction.

“And when we think we lead, we are most led.”
                                    - Lord Byron

            Lord Byron is simply describing that leadership is a give and take process, or being both a lion and a lamb.  Effective leaders know how to embody two varying personalities; one that is learning and serving while the other is directing and leading.  Being the lamb means working hard to make other people successful—and then giving them the credit and enabling others to work by sharing the power (Murphy, 2007).  Being the lion encompasses setting directions, leading by example, demanding high standards and holding staff and students accountable.  Quality principals are both lions and lambs.

“People are more easily led than driven.”
                                    - David Harold Fink

            Fink is suggesting that leading is much different than just forcing people to do what you say.  To me an effective leader understands the importance of creating metanoia or a shift of mind in their staffs’ everyday thinking patterns.  This characteristic focuses on teamwork and the idea of “we” and not “I.”  Metanoias create environments where the common vision is embraced by all workers and is resonated throughout the organization as pride-in-work-mentality.  This mind shift leads staff to a higher understanding of their work and fosters intrinsic motivation, consequently, alleviating a command and conquer approach from the administration (Senge, 2007).  Quality principals believe in metanoia.

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
                                    - Ralph Waldo Emerson

            Emerson believes that a leader is one who believes in taking transformational action.  My background of teaching has been served in the inner city and all the schools I have worked in need transformation.  A great transformational principal will evaluate the current status of a school and then set direction, develop their staff, and redesign the organization.  Transformational leaders inspire trust and confidence in others and work wholeheartedly to create results (Leithwood, 2007).  Quality principals are transformational leaders.

References

 Evans, R. (2007). The authentic leader. In . Jossey & . Bass (Eds.), The jossey-bass reader on   educational leadership (2nd ed., pp. 135-154). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Leithwood, K. A. (2007). Transformation school leadership in a transactional policy world. In .             Jossey & . Bass (Eds.), The jossey-bass reader on educational leadership (2nd ed., pp.                183-196). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Murphy, J. (2007). The unheroic side of leadership. In . Jossey & . Bass (Eds.), The jossey-bass   reader on educational leadership (2nd ed., pp. 60). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Senge, P. M. (2007). Give ma a lever long enough.and single-handed I can move the world. In .             Jossey & . Bass (Eds.), The jossey-bass reader on educational leadership (2nd ed., pp. 3-            13). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.