Organization and Administration of Schools - Reflection

There are so many things that I could envision as “pitfalls”.  I’ve worked closely with my principal this year, and have headed a few committees and events.  Managing the budget was a bit stressful, but wasn’t nearly as difficult as managing staff members.  I understand the need to build relationships with people, and I’m constantly amazed by my principal’s ability to deal with such a variety of personalities.  There have been situations where I have asked the staff to do something by a certain date and multiple staff would complain about the due date, require it to be changed, or just simply not do what was asked.  When I spoke with my principal, he was very patient and understanding with the staff and allowed extra time.  I was angry and wanted to ask the teachers how they expected their students to follow rules and procedures when they themselves were so defiant.  My principal explained that it was best to keep moral high, and how in the long run, happy teachers were more beneficial to the students learning.  He managed to reach an agreement that was reasonable to meet our deadlines, and make the staff feel that their needs opinions were taken into consideration.  

            Working with a variety of stakeholders takes patience and understanding.  I have seen the importance of including stakeholders in decisions, and I have felt the nervousness and tension of dealing with the variety of opinions and points of view.  There is definitely some skill involved in listening to multiple opinions and needs and finding a way to include them in final decisions.  It’s important to remember that you will never make everyone happy and that you can’t drive yourself crazy trying.   It is important to listen to everyone and consider his or her thoughts.  Once a decision is made, it’s appropriate to follow up with stakeholders and explain the final decision. 

            This course has provided me with the tools to analyze my and other schools.  I have been able to build upon the strengths that my administration has and concepts they have developed at my school.  I have also been able to see some of the areas that need improvement.  I feel that the data I’ve collected through the “look-for’s” have provided me with insight to what is working and what needs to be changed.  My school does a good job of collaborating and is continually finding new and more effective methods, including the use of Google Apps for Education.  Staff as teams and the administration continuously analyzes data to in order to find ways to improve student growth.  While there are others involved in many of the decisions the administration makes at our school, it is often the same people making the decisions.  As an administrator I would do my best to include a variety of stakeholders when appropriate.  This course has made me reflect more on my school, my administration and myself.  Through my reflections, I’ve confirmed some of my opinions and changed others, but both have helped me grow.   

Curriculum Theory - Reflection #2

  Entry #1: Co-Teaching

     I feel co-teaching is highly effective, especially when teachers are able to reach the collaborative stage.   The article describes one form of co-teaching, and defines it as a general educator and a special educator working together.  I do not agree that that is the only definition.  The article is very clear about the stages, which I completely agree with, but doesn’t clarify the various models that can be considered co-teaching.  Co-teaching can be one teacher leading the group while the other monitors; it could be teachers dividing into small groups for rotation, or two teachers teaching simultaneously on the same topic.  There are many forms of co-teaching models.  It is an excellent way to differentiate, and a does have a great use in special education inclusion classrooms.  Personally, I have seen co-teaching used not only for special education students, but also for ELL students.  These particular teachers did not start out at the collaboration stage; they disagreed on how co-teaching should look.  One teacher wanted to pull the students out of the room and the other wanted them to stay.  They eventually worked it out, and not only have the students stay, but they plan together, all students rotate between the two teachers or they simultaneously teach the class.  An added benefit to this co-teaching model was the integration of technology.  One of the teachers has a strong technology background.  He has helped the classroom teacher feel more comfortable and has integrated technology into many of their lessons. 
     As an administrator there are some difficulties that may need to be addressed in a co-teaching environment.  For example, in the scenario above the two teachers were able to compromise and work out their difference of opinion.  This may not always be the case.  Teachers may not be so willing to work together.  An ongoing conflict or difference of opinion could have a negative effect on students learning.  It may be necessary for the administrator to step in and help with relationship building.  If co-teaching is something that the administrator is looking to incorporate school-wide, it may be advisable to have a professional development session on relationship building among the staff.  Another difficulty could arise at the time of teacher evaluation.  When observing a teacher is may be difficult to evaluate them as individuals.  The administrator needs to go in with the mindset that they are evaluating a “team”, then try to see what each person contributes to the team.      
     Co-teaching does offer a great model for 21^st century skills.  Students get to see how effective collaboration benefits the group.  This may not be in the front of their thinking, but it’s effective to have students receive this exposure. The co-teaching model may also provide more opportunity for students to use technology.  One teacher may be more comfortable and help the other(s) integrate technology effectively, or it may be helpful as a management tool just to have more people to help with the technology equipment. 
     Co-teaching is an excellent way to differentiate, and something that as an administrator I would encourage my staff to implement. 

        

  Entry #2: Individualizing the Curriculum  

     Though many of the programs were interesting and all have their positive sides and downfalls.  I like the idea of Offering Mini-/Elective courses, especially in the upper grade levels.  Students will be more engaged and retain more information if the content is something of interest to them.  This would be a different concept in my county and would require a lot of effort.  I would first ask for a pilot school.  It would be important to find topics of interest to the students. We would start with one subject area, then open it to other areas as the program was developed.  It would require curriculum writers to take the topic of interest and be sure to align it with the county, state, and Common Core standards.   Part of the argument against this model is that it was poorly designed and did not teach the important skills.  I feel that if the time is taken to align the standards and be sure that lessons are developed with the UDL method, it will include the skills while capturing the interest of the students. 

      

 

Reflection #1 - Curriculum Theory

As stated by Glatthorn (2009), there is an increased awareness by most Americans that we need to do more to prepare our youth to succeed in this world.  There are many ways that people feel we can achieve this goal, but not everyone agrees on the best method.  No Child Left Behind, is one way the government has influenced how and what our children should be taught and dealt with accountability issues.  There is also the increased emphasis to compete with globally.  It seems this has always been a concern, but after the tragedy of 9/11, there has been an increased awareness of our ranking when compared to other countries. The concern that we are falling behind has prompted school reforms such as Race to the Top and Common Core. 

Along with the above influences that are more related to government and global issues other influences include diversity and technology.  Diversity continuously expands in it’s meaning.  Early on, diversity was learning about other cultures, but it has grown to learning about, and accepting other races, religions, cultures, and those with special needs.  It teaches us to celebrate each individual and what makes each person unique.  Technology has also played it’s role in influencing technology.   In recent years technology has grown from simply typing out a paper, to doing research, to using technology as a learning tool.  It sometimes feels like a slow struggle to have some teachers use technology with their students, but it is often written into curriculum.    

As I read through the history of curriculum and looked at what influenced each era, I found it interesting to read about how the events of the world, the “new” studies, and the “new” research, had such a huge impact on education and curriculum.  I began to wonder how people would look at what influenced this time in 50-60 years.  The readiness of technology has closed gaps between the US and the rest of the world, and allowed for such differentiated and relevant instruction.

 School leaders need to keep abreast of current affairs and trends.  It’s important for them to be up to date on major studies and current theories.  Now more then ever, leaders need to be involved in curricular development and trainings.  This will help them support their staff and have knowledge of what and how subjects are being taught in their schools.  

Reflection 2 - Post-Conference Analysis

As I prepared for the post-conference, I was nervous.  I was concerned about how the teacher would respond to my suggestions, would my nervousness show, would I sound knowledgeable?  I spent the night before reviewing my notes and writing up my speaking points.  When we sat down for the conference, I felt comfortable with our conversation, but was more nervous about being recorded then the content. 

            Megan and I sat next to each other, one on each side of a square table.  We used my office, which is the Media/Technology office.  We met at 7:15 am for privacy, the teachers do not report until 8:00.  By looking at our body language, you could see that we were both relaxed and comfortable with each other.  Megan sat up straight and seemed eager to explain her thoughts and hear my ideas.  We maintained eye contact and were sure to listen completely to each other without interruption.  Megan nodded in agreement with my ideas, and smiled when complimented.   When suggestions were made, there was a look of concentration on Megan’s face as she was thinking about what happened and listened closely and analyzed my suggestions.  Our tone, enunciation, and pronunciation were all appropriate for the time.  There were a few moments of stuttering as we thought of the next topic and as I was looking over my notes to be sure I covered all my points.  Though I felt prepared and had my talking points prepared, I felt like I could have been smoother in my transitions and conversations.  I think the reason I was a bit nervous and not as fluent was due partly to the video recording. 

            Our conversation started with Megan explaining how she felt about the lesson.  I had her give more detail by asking why she felt it went well and how she felt about the students’ performance.  We reviewed the strengths and suggestions for the lesson.  We also reviewed the points that were brought up during our pre-observation.  There was one individual student that Megan asked me to watch, along with one of her groups that she needed help with controlling their chattiness.  I was able to provide Megan with the exact amount of time that the individual student was off task, and how long the group spent talking before they settled. I made a few suggestions for each situation, Megan was appreciative and agreed to give some a try. 

            I used a non-directive approach with Megan.   She is very close to being able to be collaborative, but I feel that because she is only in her second year, she still needs a little more direction.  I started with listening to Megan’s thoughts and encouraging her to reflect on the reasons for the outcome of the lesson.  I presented some of the findings and data that I collected about the situations we spoke about in our pre-observation, and provided some solutions.  I encouraged Megan to help other teachers by sharing her strengths.  She agreed to have other staff members observe her lessons to share her ideas. 

            Overall, I was satisfied with the full clinical cycle process.  It was a positive learning experience.  I felt as if I had improved in my observational skills.  I know that with more practice I will fine-tune the rough edges, such as fluency during the post-observation.  It was a great feeling to be able to provide a staff member with real ideas that could help improve student learning in her classroom. 

Reflection - Room Arrangements

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It was interesting to walk around the school that I had walked through for the past six years and realize that I’ve never thought much about how the teachers arranged their classrooms.  My school is under reconstruction, so we have grades 3-5 in portables, and grades K-2 are inside, the majority of those inside are preparing to move in December.   With that in mind, rooms may be set up for temporary purposes or to best use the space available.   

            There are two arrangements that I observed in the classrooms.  Students were either in groups or rows.  The rows consisted of two to four desks touching each other with a space between the next group of desks.  The classrooms that were grouped were generally desks facing each other in groups of four or five.  

            I noticed that the teachers who had their classes arranged in groups had a very different teaching style then those who had their desks in a row.  The teachers who had groups walked around the room as they taught.  They were also more likely to walk over to students, as they needed help.  The students were encouraged to discuss things with their group and share ideas with each other.  Those who had their students in rows were more likely to stand in the front of the room with little movement throughout the classroom.  The students were usually expected to be quiet and dialog with other classmates and idea sharing was not encouraged.  I also found it interesting that when a student needed help in a classroom with rows, he/she was asked to come over to the teacher.  I don’t think theirs anything wrong with having a student come over to receive help; I’ve done the same myself.  But, I did notice that when the teacher went to the student, they usually not only helped that child, but the others at the table.  When the teacher went to the student, they checked on the progress of others at that group and throughout the room.  This practice was helpful in clarifying problems that the teacher noticed multiple students shared.  Teachers who stayed in their seats were less likely to notice and address issues that shared throughout the classroom.

            We currently don’t have any students with special needs that would require a special desk arrangement.  In the past we have had students in wheel chairs.  I remember the teacher being sure that the rows were wide enough for the chair to move to the front of the room.  It would have been easier to just have that student sit in the back of the room, which was close to the door, but she felt that it excluded the student from participating in the same way as other students.  I was impressed that the teacher thought carefully about the student’s seat, it allowed him to go to the board and made him feel like every other student.  

            Very few classes in our school have computers.  Those that do have them are careful to place them in an area where the teacher can view the screen.  This ensures that the teacher is able to monitor the student at all times as they use the computer. 

            Room arrangement is something that I have not heard discussed since I was in college in 1998.  It seems that one day of class is dedicated to how to set up your room and it’s not discussed again.  I think it’s important to provide teachers with professional development in the beginning of the year that shares different classroom setups and how different arrangements affect your teaching and vice versa.  As an administrator, if you value collaboration among students as a teaching style and expect to see your staff utilize collaborative groups, it would be good to share this in the beginning of the year.  Sharing the best seating arrangements for collaborative groups would help the staff make collaboration a more natural process in their classroom. 

           

Reflection 3: Final Reflection

As I look through the past eight weeks to review topics and gather my thoughts, I’m amazed at how much we have covered in such a short period of time.  I’ve learned so much from my cohort, sometimes they’ve changed my opinion, and other times they’ve helped me build upon and expand my existing ideas.  I have reflected on some of my leadership experiences and realized that I handled some situations well, while others could have been handled in a more efficient way.  One situation that stands out the most has to do with the after-school program I use to run for my school.  Each year the other coordinator and myself would make changes that we felt were best for the students.  We had good intentions, and felt that we were helping.  In this short eight weeks, I realized what I spent five years doing, was not how I wanted to portray myself as a leader.  While our students did well, they could have done better had we spoke with the staff that stayed after and worked with the students.  Group discussions, and surveys would have given us some insight and ideas as to what the students really needed to be successful. 

            I’ve also become more analytical of leaders around me.  At times I’ve asked my principal to sit with me and explain his reasons behind his actions.  While he’s always had an open door policy and would have entertained any questions, I’ve been more up front about my thoughts and opinions, and used our discussions to help me grow as a professional.  We had a situation where a staff member lost the dongle for her computer.  My original thought, as the technology teacher was that each teacher signed a form saying that they were responsible for their computer along with the accessories, and that since she lost her dongle, she was responsible for replacing it.  When I brought this to my principal’s attention, and told him what I planned to say, he informed me that he would not support my decision, and that I should use school funds to replace the dongle.  Without argument, because of my respect for my principal, I ordered the replacement.  Later, I asked for a reason for his decision, I first explained my point of view.  (It cost $28 for us to buy a dongle, but it would have cost the teacher $5, because she could order from Amazon or eBay, I’ve had run-ins with the same teacher in the past about lack of responsibility with school equipment, and where would we draw the line, would we replace a $1400 computer if the teacher broke it?)  He listened, to all my reasons, shocked at some of the facts, and made to think more deeply about others.  He then explained that due to the remodeling and major move our school went through over the summer, and continues to go through, he felt that it wasn’t fair to punish the teacher for misplacing something during this amount of confusion.  He also said that he wanted the teachers to focus on instruction rather then stress about replacing a piece of technology, and being angry.  He possibly avoided am angry teacher who would only spread the word to others creating a downward spiral in moral.  In the grand scheme of things, $28 isn’t much to pay for happiness.  As I gave the teacher the new dongle, her face lit up.  I told her that our principal was responsible for the replacement.  She cheered and said, “I knew he would come through!”  It was then that I understood what my principal meant. Here was a teacher who had faith and trust in her principal, and it was times like this that reinforced her trust.  She would remember this moment in the future when he comes to request something from her. 

            That situation is one example of positive school culture, which is a topic that I found to be interesting.  I feel the reason this topic stands out to me is because it is so essential to student learning.  It has such a huge effect on all stakeholders.  If the school’s culture is one that is seen as negative, it is more likely that the students are not meeting their potential.  I’ve experienced both positive a negative school environments, and have seen how the negative can create a downward spiral that brings down the staff, the parents, and the students.  Each ELCC standard has an impact in one way or another on school culture.  They look at building trust, relationships, and collaboration. 

            I’ve been part of the Family Involvement Team at my school for six years, and will be co-chairing it this year.  We’re working on changing some of our vision.  We would like to become a resource hub for our families.  We want them to feel welcomed and know that we are there to support them.  One idea we’re looking into is having an information night.  We will invite someone to talk about discipline at home, banking, finances, and more so that we can help our families.  Another idea is to go out to the community to a central meeting area to hold some of our homework nights, or math nights.  The hope is that attendance will improve because there will be less transportation problems, and it will be more convenient for the families. 

            The other aspect of school culture that I’m interested in, is building a learning environment.  As I pointed out earlier, in the after-school program example, I don’t want to be a leader who makes and implements decisions.  I want teams of people to analyze data, discuss ideas and develop solutions.   I want each person to take a lead in what they believe in.  I want to inspire the staff and students to believe in themselves and what they have the ability to do and help each other grow. 

            Having a positive school culture provides a solid foundation for other aspects of leadership and student learning.  The focus of schools is always to do what is best for the students.  By collaborating with all stakeholders, inspiring and motivating, having involved families, students should achieve learning and growth. 

            One of the more challenging discussions that we looked out, for me, was school reform.  I’m not sure if it’s because it is the topic of the last week and I’m stressed about wrapping everything up, or if it’s just something that I need to look into more closely.  I know what reform is, and I understand that two types.  One involves changing subject matter and/or teacher methods, while the other is more drastic with programs that come in and take over the changes. This seems like a topic that could spawn a whole other class.  There are so many aspects to look into when deciding to do a school reform, then implementing the changes.  I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface with our discussion. 

             I think the part that I’m questioning is I feel like reform is a constant.  Teachers generally reflect constantly on lessons and ways to change and make lessons better.  They may change what material they will cover, or the method they use to cover the topic. Am I wrong in thinking this is a type of reform?  It’s not a major reform, but it’s definitely a change to try to increase student learning.  Maybe I’m looking at the definition it too general of a way.  But if I’m not, what is my role as the administration when it comes to teachers making those minor changes.  Do I use opportunities, such as data discussions, to encourage teachers to reflect on what they have done and what they could’ve done differently or do I just trust that the natural instinct of a teacher is to analyze, reflect and make changes? 

            Maybe I missed this in the reading, but another stressor about school reform, is exactly who makes that decision. Obviously if it’s a county decision, as a principal, it’s not a choice.  But what if as a principal, I feel that a particular reform would greatly benefit my school.  I can purpose it to a team of stakeholders and begin wit getting everyone’s buy-in.  But is it essentially a decision that has to be approved by someone beside the principal? 

            I count myself lucky to have had the experience as a tech teacher before possibly taking a leadership role.  Technology is such a huge part of all of our lives, if we want it or not.  As an administrator, I want to promote the use of technology in the classroom.  The support of the administration will have a huge impact on the technology and/ STEM initiatives in a school.  If there is a positive school culture, and trust from the teachers to the administration, then whatever is held important to the principal, is often shared among the staff.  As I’ve encouraged my own principal to use technology during our faculty meetings, I’ve seen an increase of request from the staff to also use the technology.  I’ve also been involved in the STEM initiative, which has been put on the backburner, possibly due to reconstruction.   I’ve noticed that the staff has not been excited about our new STEM lessons, and there has not been as much collaboration.  My hope is to encourage my principal to show the importance of what we are doing, so that the staff would then follow. 

            Again, I’m amazed by the amount of material we have covered.  In some ways I feel much more knowledgeable, but in others I feel like we have just scratched the surface, but I feel motivated to continue to research what we have learned and gain more of an understanding.   

Reflection 2: Leader Responsibilities and Student Achievement

First off, I want to note that I found it hard to rate myself on my self-assessment.  Some things I’ve had experience in through my coordinator position of our after-school program.  While I haven’t been in other situations I can only speculate as to how I think or sometimes hope that I would handle the situation.   I feel like I have a better understanding of Argyris’s Espoused Theory and Theory in Action.  I’m saying that I’m going to do one thing, but I’m not sure exactly how I would react in the situation. 

      My strengths seem to be in the responsibilities that were centered more closely with relationships.  Affirmation, input, intellectual stimulation, relationships, resources, visibility, are all some of my strengths.   Many of these are higher functions affecting student achievement.  But I feel like those that fall in my weaknesses are higher needs.

       Two of my challenges are focused on the curriculum.  It’s not that I wouldn’t be involved in the design or that I wouldn’t meet with teachers to discuss their quarterly assessments.  It’s that I’ve never done those.  I’ve been out of the classroom for 6 years, working as a tech teacher.  I do feel like I can keep up with many of the curriculum due to the high amount of collaboration that I do with the classroom teachers, but still feel like there is so much more to learn in that area.  I would love to send staff to conferences and trainings for their curriculum, but feel very strongly that as an administrator, I also need to attend.  I will not be an effective guide or model for my staff, if I’m not trained on their materials.  How else could I assist them with ideas, or help solve questions about student achievement if I don’t know what and how they are teaching?  I feel that as an administrator, this training will give me an idea of what the staff goes through.  I can’t ask others to do what I myself am not willing to do.  

      Change agent was another point of concern.  While I’m not concerned about making changes that I feel are best for the students, or at least posing the question to my staff.  I’ve never been in this situation.  I wonder how far my actions would go?  How intimidated would I feel when I had to face the board or superintendent to explain my decisions?  What if they disagreed with my “no homework” policy because I felt it was unfair to a large part of my population?  I feel as if I can fight the fight, but again, it’s a question of Theory in Action. 

This self-assessment was effective in opening my eyes to look inward.  Seeing the relationship to student achievement is definitely a motivator as to what I should focus on, and what I needed to do to be sure that I am an effective leader.