Reflection Log #3

The school culture is a living, breathing and growing part of any community. When that community is in need of improvement, we look to reform models for help. As effective leaders, we need to be aware of how this change will affect each member of the school community. If the reform model is implemented well, then the culture of the school will only become stronger. But if that reform is put together without much planning and preparation, the culture could suffer drastically. Culture is unwritten rules in the school which each participant interprets differently. As the culture is more clearly defined, that definition will become more unified and enhance the school for the benefit of the learners. In order for administrators to be more effective, they need to take advantage of all of the reform models and technology tools (Web 2.0) that are available to help inform the community, provide professional development, and implement the strategy to improve the school.
As the course progresses, we are learning about new reform models, how to evaluate them, how to prepare the staff for the change and how best to use technology. My concept of administration isn’t changing but growing and becoming refined after each week. The information is helping us to become more well-rounded and prepared leaders for the future. I have always been aware that the school culture is there, but unaware of how much it affects the school and, in the end, student learning. In order for us to be the effective leaders we should be we must have a deep knowledge of how the school is running and what are the best ways to implement change. Change is something that will be constant and necessary no matter where we begin our careers. It is also important for us to observe and respect what has happened before our arrival, use that information and apply it to decision making for the future of the school. Administration is going to be a lot of prep work, tough decision making, long hours, and many other stressful parts of the job description. But with the proper knowledge base and preparation, we will succeed and share the benefits with the entire community making it a very rewarding job that I want to be a part of.

Effective Leaders

To me, an effective leader was one who got things done and in a positive manner. I wasn’t wrong, but over the past few weeks I have learned there are a lot more aspects to it than that. Effective leaders need to be vulnerable, good listeners, allow for growth of the community, transparent, servants, and many more things. Each week’s reading gives me more insight into the strengths (and weakness) that I have noticed in my administrators and myself. Being more aware of these characteristics is a huge opportunity to allow me to become a good administrator.

One of the things I have appreciated the most is the need to be transparent. I have mentioned this many times in other blogs, discussions and papers and I hesitate to mention it again, but it is so important to being an authentic leader. Students love to know why and how, even my daughter continually asks “Why?” My job as a teacher, a parent and especially an administrator is to have as many of those answers as possible to earn trust and respect. Trust goes a long way allowing people to invest in your ideas and goals. When, they know that you are a good leader, they will enjoy following and helping to lead when appropriate. Sometimes we don’t know the answers and that is when we are transparent and vulnerable allowing others to step up and help.

One of my personal traits that I have learned to be a strength is that I trust people. Sometimes with too little reason, but trusting your staff gives them the confidence to explore and try new strategies that allow for growth of the community and student learning. If you do a good job of hiring and capacitating the current staff, you become more confident in letting them work independently and create trust.

We are only a few weeks into the course, but I am gaining more knowledge and experience with each discussion and article I read. Continued education is another big aspect of being an effective leader and I am confident that JHU will continue to provide me with excellent opportunities and examples from which to learn.


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