Final Leadership Class

My definition of leadership has been reinforced because I have always thought that leadership goes beyond the school and district administrators. Teacher leaders have many different roles and I do not think a school can be successful without the teachers stepping into those different roles. I really enjoyed learning about the different roles of leadership and how on even the elementary level there are opportunities to lead.

I think that my opinion of my leadership potential has changed. I forever thought that I would be a classroom teacher who does committee work and helps contribute to the school climate. Now I have begun to think about how I could potentially be a district leader and maybe take on a role that would take me out of a traditional classroom setting. The only reason I hesitate would be job security and change, but change is also something that I look forward to to keep me fresh and on top of things.

Education can be improved from within and what I can do to improve education is continue to be open minded, try new things, and be a positive role model. I think that I do these things, but I have to careful not to let those things go to the wayside when lots of negative things like budget cuts are happening in the district.

Leadership Class #5

Well, this week we got to play the making change simulation game. Needless to say, the process was interesting. My group had a little difficulty at the beginning of the game, ok, the first two years, but one we started to see some movement across the board, we started to catch onto the whole process. One thing that I did realize about playing this game is that I can be critical at times about how change/decisions are made in the district, but I now have a different outlook. Now I know that I would not want to be the one to begin/implement change in the district. That does not mean that I am not going to be on board with change, however, it is not a very easy process for anyone involved. There are benefits and disadvantages for all. So, I think that I have gained a bit of respect for those in my district that have to begin the change process, but I still think how some approach change in the district is not a good model. My district is way too top down or let's just give it a try without really looking into it.

Leadership Class #4

Change is a difficult process, that it why it IS so important to have a plan for change. School districts go through a lot of change and sometimes the change is well thought out and planned and other times it is too fast. Our district changes the curriculum every 7 years. There is a well thought out process for each curriculum so that it doesn't come all at once. There are things, however, that are not thought out and just implemented. Then before you know it, you are asking teachers to change 2 or 3 things a year depending on the new "fad" in education. Then teachers make that change to only change it again two years later. If a district is going to make ANY change, I think it is vital that they have a plan, follow through, and then go back and review to make sure that the change was a positive one, not a negative one.

Leadership Class #3

The topic of change is one that I can relate to. In the past five years, I have taught at 3 different schools and two different grade levels. The reason this came about is because the district closed the school that I was working at for budget reasons. That was the hardest change. None if us really wanted to go, but we knew that we had no choice. Over the years, I have come to accept changes much better. Through all my moves I have learned what I really need and do not need, met all kids of different teachers and families, and have stayed very fresh in my teaching. For awhile, I taught Kindergarten and thought that there was no place else for me, but then I started to teach third grade. Now that I have am getting a degree in IT, I feel that the door may be open for more possibilities for change in the future. Change was something that I resisted at first, but now I think change is a good thing because it keeps you "fresh" as a teacher.

Leadership Class #2

Data is something that has taken me awhile to "buy" into. When I was a kindergarten teacher, it was really hard because there was not a lot of data there for me to use. As time went along, I realized that I could be collecting data on so many more things that I was. Now as a third grade teacher, data really helps me to drive my instruction. When I give a math assessment, I fill out a form that tells me the areas that my children did not score well in so that I know to go back and reteach the concept so that they have a better understanding. I also use data with the kids reading and spelling levels. Three times a year I give a district assessment for both and use the data that I gather to help me make groups where the kids are working at their level of comfort. Then the kids that need a little bit extra help can get it and those that are way above grade level can go beyond. Data has really helped me become a better teacher. I am not saying that I am ALL about data, but it can be very useful when used the right way.