As a future leader in Duval County, I understand the relationship between leadership and the success of a school or district. In order to be an effective leader one must recognize their strengths as well as their short comings. A skilled leader will find ways to expand those strengths and work to minimize the impact of their own weakness. My vision of learning is centered around the fundamental belief that a school’s culture may have the greatest impact on predicting success of our students. My leadership strength is grounded in my ability to communicate and assign effective roles. Effective communication between school stakeholders is a corner stone of my vision of learning.
My greatest strength may be my ability to communicate effectively with my peers. I have always possessed the ability to understand and motivate people in my life. Often I am told that I have a charismatic personality. As a leader charisma alone will do nothing for my ability to lead a school. My personality; however, may open a door long enough for me to communicate my plans and vision for a school. In my tenure as a teacher I have seen many veteran teachers maintain a negative image of an administrator because of a poor first impression, or the inability to communicate. I will work diligently to maintain the lines of communication between my fellow administrators and my faculty. Often teachers are intimidated or simply put off by administrators who are ineffective at developing dialogue between the stakeholders.
I plan to surround myself with those who make the success of the school in which I lead a priority. It is imperative for teachers, as well as administrators to share a similar vision. If both parities maintain two separate ideas about the future of a school, certainly neither will be achieved. Max Dupree wrote a book about successful leaders. In his book “Leadership is an Art” he described a leadership style called roving leadership. “Roving leadership is the expression of the ability of hierarchical leaders to permit others to share ownership of problems- in effect, to take possession of a situation.”(Dupree M., 1990 pg 49). I will always allow my staff the opportunity to lead in defined capacities. Often leaders see shared leadership as a threat to their ability to lead. This is especially true of young leaders of a capable veteran staff. I will take initiative to find those veteran teachers to lead defined initiatives. This provides the school with an opportunity for growth; it also provides an outlet for input as well as expression. My confidence in others and my ability to trust those who are capable may be my greatest strength.
I will make every effort possible to increase the channels of communication between my school’s stakeholders once I enter into a leadership role. It is imperative for stakeholders to communicate their wishes as well as their desires for the school’s future. One way in which I will take initiative to develop communication is through “coffee chats”. I will hold these unofficial meetings at a neutral location. The meeting date will be posted and anyone who is concerned about the school’s future may attend. My role at these meetings will be to simply listen. I will communicate prior that the meetings will not serve as a time to launch specific complaints about teacher/teachers. It will be a time for parents and stakeholders to voice their concerns. This will be something unique to the district in which I teach. Hopefully this will serve as an innovative way to open the channels of communication.
Prior to my experience at UNE I was a confident teacher. I have always been confident of my content knowledge in the courses which I teach. I also pride myself on the effort I incorporated in the courses I instruct. While my content knowledge was excellent, I did show tremendous room for growth as an educator. I am one of the people who was initially cynical about an advanced degree in education. My initial goal was to continue my studies in political science and religion. I was at a crossroads in my career, down one path I could continue work in political science and see what the future would hold, down another path I was working in a career which makes me very happy. I then decided to obtain a master's degree in educational leadership. Prior to UNE I went through alternative certification in my district. It is my firm belief that the program I first went through did little to help me to grow as an educator. I know that the initial success I enjoyed as a teacher was in part due to my age (I was 23 when I started teaching). The additional factor is that students were excited to take my course. This type of motivation would not sustain me through a career of courses to be taught. I lacked knowledge on school laws, and the implication of certain statutes as they pertained to me. Again I understood my subject matter very well, but lacked an advanced understanding of the education profession.
After completing my first week at UNE, my perspective on an advanced degree in education changed tremendously. I began to use things which I learned on a daily basis. I gained valuable insight on student motivation, and effective ways to design and lead courses. As a result I have been able to build on the initial excitement which I brought to the courses which I teach. This in the end makes my courses more enjoyable for the children whom I teach. My greatest insight has easily been in the field of school law. The course was extremely challenging and I am proud to say I earned an "A" for the course. Often teachers many years my senior ask me for legal interpretations in our district. I am happy that I am able to help my school in a leadership capacity. I now serve as Vice Chair for the shared decision making committee. I have also gained valuable insight in the field of school finance. I have not had the opportunity to contribute in a leadership role; however, my knowledge has greatly increased. I am confident in my ability to lead a school or schools as a result of my education at UNE. I am not certain I would be able to obtain a better education from any other facility. I am more confident, knowledgeable, and capable as a result of my education.
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