School Culture Reflection Paper

Schools must have a positive climate and supportive culture in place. Creating a clear mission for all to follow

In my leadership internship, I have aided in drafting many 20NET alerts to families, hosted parent nights regarding school initiatives, cheered with parents for their children at athletic events, and mediated conversations about student learning at parent-teacher conferences and IEP or 504 meetings. One way in which I have articulated and positively reinforced a clear vision and values of the school’s

The ISLLC standards provide high-level guidance and insight about the traits, functions of work, and responsibilities expected of school and district leaders (ISLCC, 2008). Their main purpose is to increase understanding of how educational administrators can enhance teaching practices and student learning. As future school leaders it is imperative that we use these standards as tools in assisting us when making a decision regarding our stakeholders. However, applying the ISLLC standards in a school setting does not guarantee success for a school leader, but it does facilitate the process in creating a positive school culture in a learning

The key school culture issue in scenario #1 is that the team is an interdisciplinary team that is not function as such. They have been together for six years and works like a “well-oiled machine. It is obvious that the team has worked through the four stages of group development because they have addressed the social, emotional, and developmental needs of their students. The team has the cornerstones for effective collaboration and teamwork People, Task and Process (Conzemius and O’Neill, 2002). They have the leadership, commitment, knowledge, and skills. The team has

1,165 miles south of Atlanta, lies a fairly small island in the Caribbean Sea named Jamaica. This country is no bigger than the state of Rhode Island, yet holds its own unique culture. My mother and grandmother migrated to America about twenty years ago. About ten years ago my Grandmother and Uncle started a Jamaican shop, “Caribbean Connection” that sold an array of Caribbean goods and cooked a good selection of Jamaican dishes. This shop is my family’s way of preserving our culture. I don’t actually recall learning my family’s native language, which they call Patios, or otherwise known as Broken English or Creole English. Certain things such as religion, mannerism, our language, our food and our customs are very important to my family and

The moment I wake up in the morning thinking that my day would be exactly as I expect it, shaped of beliefs, values, morals, and the views on diversity, means that it would be a great day. However, I can’t only thank these sources for whom I am, my own personal experiences and feelings have had a huge impact on my cultural views. I’m a sport loving player, who was raised in a small town in Cuba, Pinar Del Rio. In 2009, I completed my journey from my home country, to the land of freedom “United States”, but it has always been of major importance to not forget my roots, and to remember my cultural heritance. And like any other immigrant, it is very important to assimilate and try to fit in the American culture.

There are many positives in my district that I can use to build a foundation of excellence. There are two areas that stand out that I will use. The first area is the dedication the staff has on their students and learning. Fifty one percent of the teachers have attained a Master’s degree and five teachers are Nationally Board Certified speaks volumes to me. It shows that they have the knowledge, experience, and will to improve. The second area that I will use is the active Parent-Teacher organizations, Athletics, and Music Boosters. With experienced teachers willing to learn more to improve their teaching and parents willing to help in any way they can are the main ingredients to a recipe for excellence.

As the principal, I want to help develop and guide the climate of the school but in order to do that, I need to have and understanding and respect of the culture of the school and the teachers, parents, staff, and students. The culture is the traditions and values of a school, where as the climate is the feel of the school as you are on the school grounds. For this reflective essay, I would be a new principal at a new school, so the teachers may or may not have all worked together before and there would not be an established culture & climate, with the exception of uncertainty and or excitement. This would provide the staff and the community the opportunity to develop, build, and the culture and climate together. I would start with meeting with the teachers & staff individually, I would also provide a survey to see what they believe are the needs for developing our new school with high expectations for all students. After meeting individually, I would hold our first staff meeting (I would provide food, drinks, little incentives - ) and I would share the survey data as well as data on student achievements from all the schools in the district. This data would guide us in the future directions for our students success. I would then show the YouTube video

As a future principal, holding myself and my staff accountable for maintaining high expectations for each student in my school will be of paramount importance. Educators and educational leaders must take ownership of successful student learning outcomes. In order for this to happen, a culture of equity must exist in the building. Students will be more successful in reaching their learning goals when the school provides a safe and effective learning environment. This can be achieved more effectively when issues regarding culture and bias are directly addressed.

According to Ubben, Hughes, and Norris (2016), when a shared vision and purpose is present it is the one bond that holds everyone together. The purpose of a vision and mission statement is to provide a sense of direction for all teachers and staff before improvement can take place. Alice in Wonderland said it best, “If you don’t know where you are going, it doesn’t much matter what you do” (Ubben, Hughes, and Norris, 2016, p.56). If leaders do not have well-defined goals, it will be very difficult to begin the process of school improvement, because bringing about change includes implementing a plan and getting everyone involved in the process. In order for leaders to effectively improve the school’s culture, it is very important that data

As a future school counselor who will be working in an extremely diverse area it is important to having an understanding of diverse cultures. A student’s culture is a significant part of who they are and trying to ignore who they are can be detrimental to their wellbeing. As a school counselor I need to be sensitive to each students cultural differences and know that they have experiences based on that culture. These experiences may be positive and negative. Taking the time to get to know the student’s culture can help build trust with the students, it can show them that you care. Getting to know the student’s culture can help you understand some of the family dynamics at home or how best to communicate with the parents/ guardians in the home.

I believe that schools have hidden cultural agendas, stemming from their policy makers collective cultural backgrounds, which controls what curricula is used, and how knowledge is taught within the system. I further believe that not all students fit the cultural mold defined by our schools, and that those students that find themselves outside the established "norm" cannot fully benefit from their school experiences.

This article is about how a principal implement a positive growth in school culture. A positive culture will allow schools to flourish as there is an overlying value of respect and a feeling of educational benefits. The two areas that Habegger defines as areas that a principal needs to work on to create this growth are creating a sense of belonging and providing clear direction. Both of these areas where then broken down on how changing them will have a positive impact on the students, teachers, and parents and community.

1. Culture is perceived as a way of thinking that influences the behaviors of a group of people.

The cultural environment of a school can speak louder than any words. The culture of the school is the life force that keeps the school moving forward and in the right direction. Keeping the environment and culture of the school up beat and positive can be a hard thing for any administrative team to handle. Imploring the correct administration is a very important step in this process. Finding the right administrators that are going to support, listen and lead the faculty of the school is where this positivity needs to start. The faculty its self is also important. The faculty must want to lead and teach the students and each other. When everyone is working harmoniously, the environment of the school is far superior. When one thing is wrong between the administration and the faculty, the whole structure of support and caring can crumble and fall apart. As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. If you think of the child as the culture of the school, and the village as the staff of the school. Without everyone trying and caring about what happens in the school, the cultural of the school will not become a healthy and strong environment. Everyone from the principal to the 3rd shift custodians and 1st shift food personnel need to be on board with caring about how the school is being handled and guiding the school in the correct direction. If everyone helps with developing the culture of the school, the school will be happy, healthy and strong.