I will admit this week’s readings were not as interesting to
me as the first two. It may have been
simply they just did not seem to soak in as well as the others. The online article did perk up some
thoughts. It was different reading about
principals. I do not plan on being a
principal and will be content being a teacher for the rest of my career. It did give me some insights on how to know
if you are working for a principal that has good leadership skills for the school. I will be honest in the nearly 18 years of substitute
teaching I have yet to find a principal at any grade level that has possessed
all 5 key responsibilities of the principal.
There has been on middle school principal that I have worked with quite
often that meets almost all the responsibilities. He definitely established a vision in the
school. After his first couple of years
he established the use of John Wooden’s Pyramid to success. There isn’t an actual written down vision,
but they follow the John Wooden quote that is usually attached the to
pyramid. That quote is, “Success is piece
of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the
effort to become the best of which you are capable" (Wooden 1948). He then ties each level to
the of the pyramid to each student’s academic and social success. The levels of the pyramid are split into the four
quarters of the school year. He uses the
pyramid He does make the school hospitable
for learning. His door is always open
for the students and is very approachable by the students. He is always willing to help students, but is
still willing to be a disciplinarian if the students act up. He also is very receptive of his teachers to
go to workshops to learn skills to help teach students. He does cultivate leadership in others by
having department heads that help with decisions of each department. I do not have first hand experience when it
comes to managing data and people. He
does do this because I have overheard conversations talking about data. The only of the 5 responsibilities that he
does not do much about is improving instruction. He allows each department to make choices on
how instruction is performed and improved.
Though I do not plan on being a principal, I feel believe that
I can use some these responsibilities into my classroom. I can develop my own vision for my classroom
and direct my instruction towards that vision.
It is only common sense that I will have a classroom that is hospitable
for education. I will always be
available for my students to ask question about the work or if they have personal
issues that they want to talk about. If
I want to have a successful classroom, I need to make my classroom to where
students want to be there. I will
cultivate leadership with my students. First,
they will help decide one classroom rules and expectations. I will also do many group projects where there
will be a leader needed to complete and present these projects.
Wooden, J. (1948). Takacs Learning Center. Retrieved from http://www.takacslearningcenter.com/tag/coach-john-wooden/
Hello Corey,
ReplyDeleteI also do not inspire to be a principal in the future, but the article and reading does give good insight on how the entire community is a part of the process to make a school great. The Principal should be engaging in the community so that students and parents will feel more connected to the students learning. With this type of leadership the faculty and staff will follow suit or even lead in other ways to make the community be more in line with the growth goals of the school. I love the fact that you brought in John Wooden to your blog. Being a coach myself I understand how the entire team effects successful production, no matter if its school, basketball, or even corporate America.
Hello Corey,
ReplyDeleteI agree that I found this week's reading a little bit harder to "soak in" because I did not think that it was quite relevant to me since it was mainly talking about principals, but like you, I instead saw the ways that I will be interacting with principals. I think that a big takeaway from this week's reading though was about effective leadership.I think that although we might not be planning on becoming a principal, we can still take the strategies talked about within the reading to help foster a community of collaboration and leadership within our own classrooms. So instead of thinking about it as leading an entire school, it is thought about in terms of leading a classroom and showing our students how they can be effective leaders as well.
Corey,
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I too, never want to be a principal. I assumed I would be in the classroom for my entire career. However, after 16 years in the classroom, I needed a change and lo and behold, the Math Specialist/Coach position came about. I am between admin and teachers and I see firsthand, both sides. I don't think anyone can really possess every one of those 5 responsibilities. Not in today's world and expectations. But you found someone who comes close. You might just want to keep that person close!
Thanks for your posts and comments!
Diane
Corey, I liked your honesty about this weeks readings but I am glad you were able to reflect and try to connect to one principal that does have some of this responsibilities. I think principals should not have too much power and therefore they should stay away on the ways a teacher decides to teach students in their classrooms. Although, they should provide workshops or professional development for teachers to keep up with technology and different ways of instruction. Principals should give opportunities to those who want to get into school administration or a higher leadership position.
ReplyDeleteGreat post,
Luis