Final Thoughts

Well, I was not sure I was going to make it to the final post of the program. I feel I have been challenged more than ever, and am thrilled to have succeeded. Taking two classes, doing a master's project, and working full-time was very difficult, but I am still standing!

I really loved the session with the financial information. I found it interesting to see all of the thought and balance goes into the finances of a school. You do not see that from the teacher side of the job.

I enjoyed the mock interview very much. It was easier than I thought it would be. It showed me I am prepared to go into administration. It was nice to get a feel of the types of questions asked in an interview for an administrative position.

Overall, I don't think the finality of the program has set in yet. I am amazed at how much I have learned and have grown throughout tho program.

Capstone Reflection

As I reflect on the capstone paper, I realize there is a ton that goes into running a school. A principal better know he finances, people, and goals clearly. It all starts with the people you surround yourself with as the administrator. Building and fostering relationships is important to begin the process of building a successful school. Setting goals in student learning and creating the means to reach those goals is the crucial part of the job. Looking at creating a schedule for PLC and collaboration among teachers and staff is also very important. I have realized that there is not just an easy answer to developing a successful school. It takes a lot of time and buyin from all people on campus. It is a process that is constantly being adjusted.

Budget

It is interesting to see all of the thought that goes into the school budget. I had heard my principal talk about categorical and flex money, but I never realized all of the rules that go into spending money. As a principal, it is crucial to be very organized, especially with finances. The amount of thought that needs to go into spending is unbelievable. Plus, you must make sure all of the people below you are documenting their spending and fundraising. I never realized the responsibility the principal has when it comes to the finances. I guess the best way to sum it up is to be thorough. It all falls back on you, and one mistake can cause a lot of problems for you and your school. Responsibility, thoroughness, and organization are all very important qualities to have when being a principal, especially when handling the budget.

Weekend Reflection

I don't know if I am more nervous or excited about being a leader after this weekend. There was a ton of great information, that I am still taking in. All of the finances are overwhelming. It is crucial to have a great business leader in the district to help with the finances. Also, all of the responsibilities and liability the principal and superintendent carry is unbelievable. It makes me realize how important it is to have a hands-on principal. The principal must oversee all areas of the school, though delegating is also important. It is scary to think that a school leader can lose his/her job because someone they trusted did not turn in money or follow through with something important. That brings me to the point that a principal must hire good, trustworthy people. It is critical to be able to trust your staff, and it falls on the principal to make sure to hire great people. I know as a future leader, I will be thorough in my work and make sure I have great relationships with my staff members. That will lead to a productive and positive school.

Weekend Reflection

There was a ton of information received throughout the weekend, but I am going to focus on the session on effective team meetings. Dt. Hauser had many great tips for when we run meetings. I feel my principal does a pretty good job keeping meetings on task, though they do go a little long sometimes. People tend to get a little sidetracked and side conversation then occurs. The agendas have a list of the items we are going to cover, but they do not go into too much detail. There were a couple of ideas that stood out to me.

First, I love the idea of having a "parking lot" poster in the room. If someone brings up an issue that is not on the agenda, it is to be written on the "parking lot" poster. This means it will be discussed at a later time. This keeps the staff meeting on task and keeps it from running long and people getting frustrated.

I also liked that agendas are to be more detailed. Breaking down the minutes. allows people an idea of how long the meeting will be. If certain topics are going long, the agenda can be used to focus people back on topic. I feel these two ideas will help save a lot of frustration and wasted time at meetings.

Trust

The book suggests many great ways to build trust in a school or work environment. I really love the part that walks about not gossipping. How often do we go into the lunch room or work room and listen to someone complaining. First of all, it makes a negative environment. Secondly, if word gets out that you were a part of the conversation, people are going to lose respect for you.

We need to make a conscious effort to not partake in gossip. We lose trust when we are associated with gossip. As a leader, you need to promote positive relationships. Negative comments and conversation will just deflate the morale on campus. We need to lead by example at all times!

Continuous Renewal

As a leader, one is overwhelmed with the amount of work. If you are not working on you own projects, you are usually helping someone else. I have learned over the past couple of years, from my principal and personal experience, that it is impossible to do your job well if you are burned out. In order to not get burned out, you need to pick your battles.

In the book, Leadership Connectors, the authors mention picking your battles as an administrator or teacher. If you knitpick every single thing, it is nearly impossible to stay positive and renewed throughout the entire school year. Many battles can be avoided just by being a good listener. Many parents that come complain just want someone to listen to them. Lending an ear may be the best way sometimes to keep from a confrontation.

Also, an a teacher or administrator, you need to keep a healthy balance between work and personal life. It is difficult to not get too caught up in the job, but that will also lead to burn out. It is important to keep yourself and your family as a focus. Many things can wait until the following day, however, there are nights that you will be working late on things that need to be dealt with right away. The key is to make sure you give yourself time to refocus and re-energize.

Sometimes the keys to being an effective leader are challenging to follow. Sitting back and listening is not always the easiest tactic. Making sure to take time to focus on yourself and your family seems impossible with the work load. It is important to do these things to make sure you can do the best job possible everyday.

Competence

As an administrator, there are many ways you must be competent in order to be successful. Communication skills, self-reflection, humility, and organization are just a few of the characteristics a good administrator should have. I am going to focus on organization, though.

As I have been going through this administrative cohort, I have learned that organization is crucial. I have always been pretty organized with my teaching, but nothing compared to what I need to be as a administrator. I notice that my principal is constantly going from meeting to meeting. She is also called on at anytime to help with a situation or give advice to someone on campus. This leads her to have to multi-task. She leaves one task and sometime has to begin another before finishing the one at hand. Organization keeps my principal from falling behind or forgetting what she was previously doing. Organization allows my principal to perform her job at a higher level. I realize that I need to strive to be much more organized as I move into administration.

Bullies in Leadership

Have you ever had a principal, learning director, or GIS act more as a leader than a mentor? How did that work out for you and the environment of the school. I am guessing the attitude trickled down into the classroom to the students.

As I get closer to becoming an administrator, I have to keep in mind more and more how I present myself to others. Am I bringing out the best in my coworkers and students? Am I portraying myself in a positive way? I need to keep in mind that I need to use the strengths of the people around me. As a future administrator, I cannot micromanage everthing. I need to trust the people I am surrounded with. That is why it is good to higher the right people. I need to keep in mind that it is not good to create public humiliation by calling out teachers or staff in front of their peers. Pulling the teacher to the side to talk is much more appropriate. Also, saying one thing and doing another will not lead to respect and unity on campus. A leader must lead by example. Sometimes that is difficult, but it is necessary.

I have learned that I need to really think about how I portray myself to parents, students, and coworkers. I find that I have changed while going through this program. Leadership qualities do not need to apply to just the administration. I have felt my teaching and relationships with people on campus has improved since I have applied more leadership qualities to my everyday life.

Meetings with a Purpose

While reading Leadership Connections, something that jumped out to me was making staff meetings purposeful. I know everyone has sat through those meetings that were a waste of time. You are thinking of all the things you could be getting done. The book gave a few good tips for planning a staff meeting as an administrator. You want to make sure to make the meeting purposeful. Communicate to the staff the objectives for the meeting. Make sure the staff understands why the topics are being discussed during the meeting. Also, one should honor diversity. Staff members have many talents and strengths to be able to share with their colleagues. Lean on staff members to help present topics. This is a good way to make staff members feel appreciated and good about themselves. Another way to make meetings better is to compromise. As the administrator, find out what your staff wants or needs to discuss. Is there professional development that the staff could benefit from? Are meetings necessary every week, or can they be every other week? Listening to staff members will help keep complaints to a minimum.

The key is to develop good relationships with your staff. A leader needs to listen to the staff members. This will help build a positive culture on your campus. Good communication will lead to happier people on campus. People will feel like they are being heard. This can be demonstrated through little things at staff meetings to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the staff members. This will also keep gossip and complaining after meetings by aggitated staff members to a minimum.Happier adults on campus will trickle down to create happier students on campus.

New to Leadership

As I am getting closer to switching into the admin. role, I get a little anxious thinking about connecting to the new staff. As I was reading Leadership Connectors, I was able to get some good tips from chapter 2. I have noticed my current principal uses many of these suggestions, which is probably why the atmosphere is so great at my school.

I think as a new administrator, a person needs to walk around and be seen. Talk to the teachers, but more importantly listen to the teachers. Build relationships and trust with the people on campus. The book makes a suggestion to focus on little things that need attention. You may be able to fix a few little things without shaking up the school or staff. Trying to change something major may "ruffle some feathers".

The other part that stood out to me was to be aware of the finances. You need to know your budget inside and out to be successful. Know where your money is being spent. This will allow you to budget for technology or tools to help your teachers and staff be more successful.

There were so many great tips in the first couple of chapters, but those were a few that stood out to me. Building relationships, developing trust, knowing your finances, and focusing on little things you can do to help the school will all help the transition into administration.

Motivation

Our first in class session made me even more motivated to complete my Master's project. I am focusing on increasing student motivation through mentoring students. It is great to see clips, such as the "Drive" video, that focus on trying to find ways to increase student motivation in a positive way. The goal is to get students to want to learn. As educators, it is a difficult task to reach all students, but we need to find a way to connect students to their learning. Using a variety of positive strategies will help reach these students. This is difficult for teachers, because we are used to a variety of positive strategies, but we also use punishment to try to motivate students. As teachers, we need to find a way to connect all students to their learning, and we need to realize it is not going to be easy. It is going to rewarding, though!

Teaching and Learning!

My name is Matt and I am going to school in the evenings while teaching during the days. It took me some time to get comfortable with the schedule. It took my body a while to adjust to the crazy schedule, but I seem to be surviving.

I am married to a beautiful wife of nearly seven years. We love to go to the movies and out to nice dinners. We recently had the chance to go to Maui. It was a blast! The Seven Sacred Pools of Hana was probably the highlight of our trip.

This is my eighth year teaching. I have taught grades  fourth through eighth. I love the sweetness of the fourth graders, and love the digs that go back and forth among the junior high students. If they an keep it appropriate, the "trash talking" is a ton of fun! I truly enjoy my job as a sixth grade teacher. I cannot see myself outside of education. This experience of getting my MA has helped me approach my classroom much differently. I am constantly learning. It is great!