A Short Note On My Assistant Principal Of Crestview Elementary

This semester, we learned specific ways to build our leadership capabilities by reading “How Remarkable Women Lead” by Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston, researching Boston women leaders, interviewing a present day woman leader, and reading a group book. Throughout all of these resources and research, common themes of how to be a successful leader emerged. Not only did I learn more about leadership in general, but I also found ways to improve my own leadership without going too much out of my comfort zone. The important lessons of leading with perseverance, framing, and an activist's mindset thoroughly influenced my identity as a leader and gave me new tactics to grow as a person.

Achieving a school district’s mission and vision requires the commitment of its stakeholders. In order to involve them in the process, it is necessary for educational leaders to “motivate staff, parents, students, board and community members” (Educational Leadership Constituencies Council, 2002, p. 4). The transformational leadership theory emphasizes the importance of educational leaders acting as role-models in order to motivate and inspire the school community. This approach has the potential to involve all stakeholders, leading to increased student success (Bush, 2007). The Assistant Director of Special Education in Northwest ISD directly supervised the school district’s assessment staff. Her education, experience, and passion set an example for her subordinates, stimulating them to achieve more, leading to her promotion to Executive Director of Student Services.

Austin being a leader instead of a manager is how she leads and inspires not only her students, but other faculty members as well (Wren, 1995, p. 8-10). There was a time when I attended the Virginia High School League States Debate Competition with my debate coach, another Midlothian High School English teacher (Cheatham, personal communication, April 20, 2014). During one of the round breaks, my coach and I happened to get on the topic of English teacher (Cheatham, personal communication, April 20, 2014). It was then that my coach raved about Mrs. Austin and the personal impact she has had on his own teaching methods and ways to motivate students that are dragged down by SOL tests and public school standards (Cheatham, personal communication, April 20, 2014). In this experience, Mrs. Austin solidified her leadership capabilities of motivating and inspiring anyone around her to work harder and be better at anything one does. Overall, Mrs. Austin knows how to properly handle coping with change. She knows how to be a leader, not a manager (Wren, 1995, p.

Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders. This quote by Tom Peters best summarizes my philosophy of teacher leadership. As a teacher leader, it is up to me to inspire, direct, and encourage others so that stronger teacher, administrative, and student leaders may be born from the process. Teacher leadership involves collaboration between teachers, administrators, and teacher leaders with the goal of positively impacting the student learning environment. With student learning as the ultimate objective, teacher leadership “becomes an indispensable avenue for school improvement” (Coggins & McGovern, 2014, p. 21). So how do I as a teacher leader begin this process? I believe that teacher leadership can be achieved through three means: modeling, mentoring, and collaborating.

Servant leadership is key- Educational leaders must have the interests of the children as their main concern. Hall’s use of fear to achieve results created a bigger problem within the school district rather than solving it. Listening to teachers’ difficulties and working directly with those inside individual schools will help leaders identify and solve problems, as Errol and Castarphen have done and will continue doing.

Located in the suburban and almost rural parts of Harrisburg sits Central Dauphin High School, one of the largest public schools in the area, and my former high school. The school is composed of around 1,708 students with my graduating class reaching about 420 kids. The student to teacher ratio is fifteen to one which is equal to the Pennsylvania average. Not surprisingly, our school has a 23% minority enrollment ratio which is 8% less than the Pennsylvania average. Also, only 16% of the students at Central Dauphin qualify for free lunch. When you compare these numbers with our sister school, Central Dauphin East High School, there are some surprising results. Central Dauphin East has a 65% minority enrollment rate with

In our school, the principal is the head of our organization and since she does not have an Assistant Principal, is the head all alone. She has been principal for 10+ years at the same establishment and loves every day. She stresses to her staff the importance of student safety, student achievement, parental

A vital individual when it comes to initiating change is the person willing to take action in order to construct something different. A person willing to own the outcome and lead the change is the critical element in producing change. Without the leader of change stepping up and accepting responsibility, all others have is an awareness of the problems that exist, therefore, change doesn’t transpire. There are countless people who are constantly eager to share all of the items which they believe need to change, with anyone who will listen. There are far fewer who are willing to step up and lead that change. Teacher leaders have the vision to generate change in their schools, and are a vital asset to change. Catalytic leaders are needed throughout schools in order to make change happen. Leaders with an expertise in the area of change are authentic, initiative, and influential.

In a similar manner, Harvard Park Elementary and principal Kelly Purcell was able to nurture a chain of leaders in the faculty. She is the shining example of one of the most dedicated people in her field. Faculty, community members, and especially students saw her impact on Harvard Park Elementary. A moment that stuck out to me was when she was cradling the students following the death of one of their classmates. She truly cared about her students, and wanted to give them peace of mind especially when it came to those who were directly connected to the friend they lost.

Throughout my years growing up, I have had numerous teachers and coaches, all of whom were excellent leaders and mentors in their own ways. However, out of all these people, the most effective leader I have come in contact with is Mrs. Lori Pierce. Most recently, she coached me in speech, but she also was my drama director and 6th grade teacher. Obviously, Mrs. Pierce has the resume of a remarkable leader because she not only fills multiple roles at Verdigre Public School, but also she serves on the Alpine Village Retirement Home Board of Directors and volunteers at the United Methodist Church and various community events. Her vast involvement, though, is not what makes her the most effective, impressive leader; indeed, it is the practicality,

In the documentary The Principal Story Ms. Purcell discussed how all decisions made at the school were data driven; monthly assessments were given and the resulting data would determine what areas were in need of improvement. These areas needing improvement would then be discussed amongst the staff members in order to determine how they were going to go about improving the areas of weakness. Ms. Purcell contributed to the success of the campus by providing time for teachers to collaborate and take on leadership roles. In the documentary we see Ms. Purcell allowing teachers the opportunity to grow in their leadership skills by having them lead in curriculum discussions and campus based committees; participating in what Fullan (2007) would

Grant reveals the significance of having the element of knowing how to succeed in school has helped provide her with the skills to become school principals. School leaders need to be able to possess the skills and attributes that help them successfully navigate the school environment. Moreover, Dr. Grant openly and clearly shares with me it was in response to the negative experiences in college, “I was always able to see, oh is that what I have to do to play? Oh, okay, I can do that. Do I have to talk a certain way? Okay. I’ll play—I’ll play.” Indeed, Dr. Grant recognizes college provided her “the proving ground where I got it—I got it. By the time I left . . . I thoroughly got it.” Dr. Grant reveals, then, the skills needed to navigate the institution of schooling are acquired through the experiences in

Our teachers should be role models and mentors by providing leadership skills to the students, something that is not currently being done. An improvement opportunity this new school’s administration faces is building an empowerment culture structure that allows the teachers to become leaders in the classrooms. This means that the teachers need to be responsible for their classrooms and students’

Over the years, I have worn many educator hats such as a Director of Resource, classroom teacher, Head Start teacher, special’s teacher, and as a teacher’s aide. My leadership experiences have not been ones in an administrative role, but I have had leadership experiences both informal and formal in nature. My years as a professional educator with a Virginia Collegiate Professional license has allowed me to teach in public settings as well as Catholic schools, at many different grade levels and for me, all of those experiences have influenced my leadership skills.

Those who learn to be instructional leaders acquire many characteristics that are beneficial to their schools and communities. The writer concurs that Instructional leaders exhibit a clear sense of direction for their schools and prioritize and focus attention on the things that really