SISE Conference

My conference with my superintendent was a very rewarding and helpful experience. We discussed my internship experiences and what I had learned in each competency. My superintendent, Dr. Hargrove, shared experiences she had and lessons she learned in her early years in the superintendency. She gave me tips and ideas for ways to supervise teachers and give honest feedback, and we talked about the importance of using feedback for professional growth. We also talked about dealing with conflict and consensus building, and she helped give me direction on my three-year professional development plan. Dr. Hargrove has been a wonderful mentor, and I have learned a great deal just by observing the way she interacts with students, staff, board members, and the community. I look forward to continuing to learn leadership skills from her.

Three-Year Plan

Completing a three-year professional development plan was at first a daunting task. My biggest concern was feeling like I wanted to do everything and do it now. Throughout this program, I have learned much, and I have also learned how much I do not know. It was difficult not only to narrow down what I wanted to do, but also to spread it out over three years instead of trying to accomplish everything this year. My superintendent was very helpful in giving me ideas for my plan, and I incorporated these ideas with other areas that would not only help me grow in superintendent competencies, but would also help me with my current job.

Reflection

Reflection is a valuable leadership skill that took me some time to learn. I tend to work very hard at one task and then quickly move on to the next pressing task. Reflection takes time. It requires stopping, and I feel the pull of the next activity weighing on me and distracting me. The time and thought necessary for true reflection requires a commitment to improvement. I have come to realize that this commitment is worth the time it takes. Slowing down and reflecting on the task I have just completed helps me to improve as a leader. Through reflection, I learn what works well and what needs to be changed. I see mistakes that I have made and learn ways to avoid making those same mistakes again. Often, taking the time to reflect before rushing to the next task helps me to avoid potential pitfalls in the next task.

Throughout the course, I often felt rushed to complete assignments, and taking time for reflection often seemed frustrating. It was through these reflections, however, that I learned how much I did not know. I often went back and adjusted my assignments after my reflections because I realized that I had left out an important element or that I needed to go back and revisit a concept that I did not fully understand. 

   

Posting my reflections to the blog made for more honest reflections. Knowing that others in my cohort would see my reflection made me work harder at making sure I really slowed down and took the time necessary to truly reflect and not just recap what I had done. Reflecting in public includes an element of accountability that is not present in a private reflection. I also learned a great deal from reading the reflections of others. Often, I would learn something through a cohort member's reflection that I did not see in a reading or activity when I completed it on my own. This community aspect of blogging is an added benefit that a regular journal would not provide.

Reflecting on campus-supervised activities through logs helped me to really learn from the activities rather than simply completing them. Especially in activities in which I reviewed policy, reflecting on what the policy would look like when implemented gave me a much greater insight than simply reading the policy. For example, when I reviewed policy on transportation, I learned that the district is only required to provide transportation to students who live further than two miles from the school. At first glance, this did not seem unreasonable, but as I really thought about it, I began to think of what my son looks like as I drop him off at middle school every morning. Carrying a backpack full of books, his athletic bag, and his trombone, he barely makes it from the parking lot to the building. Imagining him carrying all of this and walking two miles in the heat of August or in the rain put a new perspective on that policy, and I understood how a superintendent must look at how implementation of the policy would affect the district's students.  

The ability to reflect and learn from reflection is a valuable skill I will take from this superintendent preparation program. I understand the value of reflection and how it can be used to guide future decisions and professional growth. I will make reflection a regular part of my work in the future through continuing to blog. I know that in order to maintain this commitment, I will have to schedule time for reflection, or I will push it aside as the school year gets busy. I will also work to help the teachers on my campus to practice reflection through regular meetings in which I ask them to reflect on what we are doing that is working, what is not working, and what needs to be changed as we implement PLCs in the coming year.

Week 3 Reflection

I was involved in an initiative to look at ways to include new learning communities and leadership teams on my campus.

My campus is fortunate to have many forward thinking, innovative teachers. These teachers are natural leaders, even though they have not been given a specific position of leadership. As I talked with my principal and other administrators, we decided to look at ways to arrange our teachers into learning communities to give them an opportunity to work with people outside of their departments. I have wanted to create cross-curricular leadership teams for some time, so this year, we will arrange our teachers into grade level teams. Teachers who teach multiple grade levels will be spread evenly across teams, with representatives from each subject area. The teachers on these teams will nominate leaders who will represent them on a campus curriculum leadership team. We will build into the team a system of rotating leaders on a two-year cycle so that all of those with a talent for leadership have a chance to lead. The campus leadership team will be made up of two teachers from each grade level team, the principal, the librarian, a paraprofessional representative, and the assistant principal for curriculum. We will dedicate Tuesday mornings each week for either a campus leadership team meeting or grade level team meetings.

The purpose of this reorganization is to give teachers an opportunity to hear ideas from their colleagues who teach in other disciplines, and to give multiple teachers an opportunity to lead. The goal of the new learning communities is to bring unity to the campus and develop a culture of professional growth that will lead to new and innovative instructional techniques. As we move into a new testing system with STAAR and try to do more with less in the current budget climate, it is our desire to bring in new ways of thinking about education.

Each month, as we meet with the leadership team, we will evaluate its effectiveness. Administrators will continue to meet with subject area teams, but we will also meet with the grade level teams to make sure that they are being effective and accomplishing the tasks that we desire, and we will allow for teacher evaluation of the system at semester and year end.

Making changes such as this is not always an easy task, and there is always a small part of me that wonders if it will really work. On the other hand, I find myself becoming really excited about the prospect of generating new visions for teaching and learning on my campus. I enjoyed being a part of this campus improvement initiative, and I look forward to being a part of these new learning communities and the improvements they will bring to our campus.

Job Entry Plan

If I were to begin a new job as a superintendent, I would spend my first day setting up my office and getting to know other central office staff. The goal of this time would be to be prepared to better serve my district. The objectives would be to be ready to go to work and to understand district strengths and weaknesses. I would organize and set up my office so that I could begin working quickly and efficiently. I would spend time getting to know my secretary and find out what the previous superintendent’s usual schedule and routine had been. This would give me insight into practices that I might want to continue to ensure a smooth transition. For example, if the previous superintendent always attended the Kiwanis lunch, I would want to continue that same practice to show that I am interested in my community. I would spend the rest of the day getting to know central office administrators and staff, getting a glimpse of district strengths, weaknesses, struggles, and celebrations so that I will better be able to plan to serve the district. Resources would include basic office supplies, personal office décor, and human resources.

The first week, my goals would include meeting the board and district staff. The objectives for these meetings would be building relationships, opening lines of communication, and continuing to understand district strengths and weaknesses in order to better understand how I can best serve the district. I would arrange times to meet with each board member, finding out about them, their families, and their history with the district. I would meet with each campus staff as a group in order to let them find out more about me and allow me to get a feel for how they interact as a group. I would want them to know that I am available and willing to help them in whatever way I can. I would also share with them my desire to accomplish the district’s vision. Resources for this week include contact information for each board member and campus principal, copies of campus meeting schedules, and human resources.

The first month, I would continue building relationships with board members and campus staff as I had during the first week. I would also spend time meeting with other district departments, such as food service, maintenance, technology, and transportation with the same goals and objectives I had for the first week. My goal for the first month will be to gain additional knowledge about my district’s strengths and weaknesses and get to know my community. I will spend time driving around my district, learning its boundaries and seeing where students live, what their bus routes are like, and what businesses and resources exist for students. I will attend community service organization meetings, such as Kiwanis and Lions Club, and express my desire to work with these groups for the good of our school and community. I will meet with parents at campus PTO meetings, and I will introduce myself to community business leaders. My objective for these activities will be two-fold. I will learn more about the community and students served by my school so that I can better lead it, and I will have made connections with community stakeholders whose support I will need to maintain a successful district. Resources for this month include names and contact information for staff members, parent organization leaders, and community leaders.

Throughout my first year, I will continue the activities of the first month, with my goal being to be visible in the community and on campuses and building important relationships. My objective will be both to learn all I can about my community and district and to build the trust I will need to lead effectively and make any changes that may be necessary. Building relationships with students, staff, community, and business leaders will be a vital part of my leadership. I believe that effective school leadership should be a partnership with all stakeholders, and these relationships will be vital to developing these partnerships. In addition to building these relationships and, of course, the daily duties associated with being a superintendent, I will continue to avail myself of professional development and readings related to new legislation and trends affecting schools. I want to be informed and connected to the greater learning community. Resources for this year will include names and contact information for community stakeholders, professional affiliations and newsletters, and legislative updates.

Internship B, Week 2 Reflection

I have  learned a great deal throughout my internship. I have had a vast array of experiences, and sometimes, I have had difficulty determining exactly where they fit with the competencies. This, to me, was proof that the competencies overlap, and many parts of a superintendent's (or any administrator's) job are intertwined. In Domain I, I spent time observing my superintendent at school board meetings, attending workshops on facilitating meetings, and planning and hosting parent nights. I observed parents working on the site based council, and worked on my own skills at facilitating meetings. I also interviewed our community relations coordinator, and her advise became invaluable as I had my first media interview on camera. My activities in this domain led me to have a greater understanding and feel more comfortable with school/community relations.

 Domain II deals with instructional leadership, and as a campus curriculum director, this is where I feel most comfortable. I enjoyed my activities in this domain, and I had some great experiences. I spent quite a bit of time this year with our district secondary curriculum director as we attended the Texas Assessment Conference and made plans for the development and implementation of new scope and sequence documents for the district's secondary schools. Together, we conducted planning meetings for each core team of secondary teachers as they examined their standards and made plans for instruction. In this domain, I had the opportunity to work with a great group of students as I supervised their co-curricular activity, and I developed a TAKS focus that helped us find innovative ways to prepare students for testing. The most exciting part of this domain was the opportunity I had to present at the TASA Mid-Winter Conference. I was able to be a part of several sessions in which I worked with representatives from TASA and three other administrators to present our Field Guide for Implementation of the New Vision for Public Education in Texas. I included my work on this field guide in another domain, but presenting at this major conference taught me much about professional development. I followed the lead of the TASA representatives and the more experienced administrators on my team, and I was grateful for the opportunity to learn from them.

 Domain III, Administrative Leadership, held a wide variety of opportunities. I learned about student accounting and how it affects finance through participating in a district PEIMS audit, and I spent a great deal of time reviewing policies and procedures. In Competency 9, I found areas where I have very little knowledge. I plan to spend more time learning about maintenance, food service, and transportation. These are major areas of responsibility for a superintendent, but they are areas in which I have very little experience. Although I spent time interviewing and observing people in these departments and reviewing policy, I still have more to learn. For Competency 10, I included my work on TASA's New Vision Field Guide. Since the guide deals with organizational changes, I felt that this would be a good area to include it, although it covers many areas. I worked with school administrators from across the state over several months to develop this electronic field guide that would help schools evaluate their current level of implementation and learn how they can further implement the New Vision in their schools. Spending time with these administrators, many of whom were superintendents or assistant superintendents, gave me valuable insight into school districts across Texas and many different leadership styles. This opportunity was one of the most beneficial activities of my internship. I feel that I have grown a great deal personally and professionally throughout this internship. Although I still have a great deal to learn, I now have a better focus for my learning and resources for obtaining the knowledge I need.

Internship B, Week 1 Reflection

My strongest competencies are Competency 1, acting with integrity, fairness, and ethics, and Competency 5, enhancing teaching and learning and working with curriculum and accountability systems. These were my greatest strengths at the beginning of the program, mostly because they are a daily part of my current job. Since I practice these competencies on a regular basis, it makes sense that these would be my strengths.

The areas where I achieved the most growth were those that dealt with staff development and finance. Activities that were a part of this program and my internship plan led me to be more confident and competent in these areas. I have really become much more involved in staff development plans and activities, and I am enjoying this new challenge. I also really appreciated the opportunities I had to visit with our Assistant Superintendent/ Business Manager during the course of this program. He spent a great deal of time explaining financial forecasting and planning, as well as purchasing and audit procedures and tax rates. My knowledge of district finances has grown throughout the program.

The competencies in which I still have the greatest need for growth are those dealing with political influences and district facilities. Although I feel that I achieved a significant amount of growth in these areas and learned a great deal, I still need to learn more and practice applying this knowledge for my confidence to grow.

Overall, I was quite surprised to see the amount of growth I experienced through this program. It was a great exercise to go back and see where I was only eight months ago and to realize how much I have learned in that time.