University 's Master Of Educational Leadership Program For The Winter Of 2016-2017

Initially when Mark began answering questions and introducing himself, it was very apparent that he is very compassionate and caring about his work and surroundings. Mark received his bachelor’s degree in finance from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Later, through the trials and errors of life, he decided he wanted to pursue a teaching/coaching career and only needed to take one semester of classes at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa in order to receive his teaching degree. In addition, he received his master’s degree from the University of Southern Florida. Through many discussions with his wife and job experiences working at local banks here in Sioux Center, Mark has found that teaching and being involved as an athletic director is his passion and the job he truly enjoys.

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.

What defines a leader? One may say a leader is a person with many titles that distinguish them as having an important role. I however see a leader as much more than a title but rather as a person who makes an impact. A leader in my eyes is one who is an inspiration, shows care for the position they have, is determined, and a team player with empathy and compassion towards all. As future pharmacists, it is of the utmost importance that these qualities carry into the profession so that we may become a better provider to our patients and a more trustworthy part of the healthcare community. With the various leadership roles throughout my life both in the community and on the campus of MCPHS University, I have strengthened and developed the qualities of a leader that make for a future pharmacist ready to improve the profession for the better.

I always thought I would be a teacher and I would make differences in lives and it would be the greatest experience in the world for me, yet being a teacher wasn’t enough, I had a need to expand my education. I decided that perhaps I needed a new career, however, I felt certain education remained my passion. I began to explore new areas of education and I realized I still want to be a member of a classroom, a school and curriculum. I aspire to guide those leading our classrooms.

I am seeking admission to Concordia University-Chicago’s Educational Leadership Doctoral program. Currently I am an Instructional Leader with the Rockford Public School District. I would like to pursue a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership to further my knowledge of the required leadership traits, essential skills and educational systems, practices and laws so that I may ultimately become a contributing member of a school district’s administrative cabinet.

Create a personal, professional mission statement summarizing philosophy, knowledge and skills of instructional supervision from which to guide future leadership actions.

Masters of Arts in educational leadership is a study field that interested me deciding on the master program to pursue (Green, 2010). The program is essential in academic institutions since it views leadership as a relational process. In other words, it has an all-inclusive attitude towards people and their diverse points of views sharing a common goal and vision among individuals in the institution. The strong interest and desire of pursuing the art program resulted from the interest of understanding the cultural aspects of people that leads to their diversified points of view. Additional interests in educational leadership arose from the increased urge of expounding knowledge on leadership. Furthermore, based on the dynamic nature of the modern society, pursuing the master program aimed at understanding different management styles and required skills for these styles (Green, 2010). The discussion paper has the objective of expounding and reflecting on the different aspects of educational leadership learnt in the MA in educational leadership program.

Ever sense I was a young girl I’ve been really into physical activities. At the age of five I started skating and instantly fell in-love. At the age of six my dad enrolled me into hockey, and from that point on my life has never been the same. I’ve had numerous opportunities in sports such as: winning gold and silver for U18 Team Canada hockey, and getting a scholarship to Wisconsin University to play on the women’s hockey team. Although these moments are surreal, it is not only the moments that I remember but the mentors and teachers that I have been fortunate to meet along the way. These coaches have not only taught me the game but have also taught me life values such as: teamwork, leadership, discipline, time management and much more. Without hockey, and sports in general I don’t know where I would be today, but I do know one thing and that is without sports I wouldn’t have met all the amazing people that helped guided me towards wanting to become a physical education teacher. Sports have always been a huge part of my life, and I am blessed to have sports guide me through life. Thus, I want to become a teacher to help kids have the same opportunities that I had growing up.

For this assessment, the industry is defined as the handful of top business schools within the world that provide elite MBA degrees to Executives.

As the leader of a 21st century school one must embody the qualities that best reflect the ever-changing face of education. Traditionally, the leader of a school focused a large portion of time and energy on typical managerial functions within the school. These tasks, although important, will not propel a school to achieve excellence. Today’s school leaders must be visionaries who create a sense of purpose driven unity. As a transformational leader, one must also be the beacon of learning in establishing and effectively cultivating professional learning communities. One must recognize and further develop the leadership skills of those within the school in order to ensure the vision and mission of the school is achieved. Keeping in

Student leaders come in all shapes and sizes. They choose to lead based on their skills and preferences. Whether in social groups, athletics, or within the classroom, student leaders demonstrate certain traits that benefit both themselves and those they are leading. Generally speaking, leaders are classified as role models within the student body. They are the students who challenge the status quo, who ask questions and demand answers. They inspire athletic teams and social organizations alike; they bring to light the issues that an organization or club faces and work toward a solution. The traits and skills that these leaders exhibit socially, athletically, and academically can be both inherit and learned. The

Last week, I had an opportunity to be a part of ISA Leadership Retreat 2015 hosted by the International Student Association. It was an amazing experience because I had a chance to get involved in a group of people from vast number of countries . One of the sections that inspired me the most is “ The power of integrity and Vulnerability in leadership –Amber Cordell”. In this section, each of us will choose a favorite quote from quotes given . We also have a chance to be on stage to tell what quote we chose and why we chose this quote. The quote that I chose was “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort but you cannot have both-Brene Brown”

As I began this Leadership in Education course, I entered with an open mind and eagerness to learn about varying leadership styles and approaches. Over the years, I have fortunately been exposed to numerous genuine, caring, exceptional leaders in higher education. They all shared one commonality: student-centeredness. This has been my compass and guides me in my work. Through this course, I wanted to learn how I can better support students, whether directly or indirectly by leading other professionals and para-professionals in their work with students.

Effective school leadership today must combine the traditional school leadership duties such as teacher evaluation, budgeting, scheduling, and facilities maintenance with a deep involvement with specific aspects of teaching and learning. Effective instructional leaders are intensely involved in curricular and instructional issues that directly affect student achievement (Cotton, 2003). The writer of this paper acknowledges that school principals should play the role of instructional leaders, not just a school manager. The reality is that are many demands on a principals time and management skills making it difficult for most of them to spend time in classrooms, when performing teacher evaluation. Principals often make sure that teachers

The concept and practice of teacher leadership have gained momentum in the past two decades. Teachers are assuming more leadership functions at both instructional and organizational levels of practice. Empirical literature reveals effects of teacher leadership practice, teacher leader characteristics, and conditions that promote and challenge teacher leadership.