Standards Reflection

            Throughout the first weekend of class, our cohort wrestled with the difference between management and leadership and placed leadership on a pedestal while leaving behind the task of management.  One brave soul, Jes Gogerty, enlightened the cohort with her view of the two disciplines.  To paraphrase Jes, she said, “Management is a required part of being an effective leader.”  Management, the people’s punching bag until this point, transformed into an important discipline intertwined with leadership.  It ensures a safe and efficient learning environment for the students and staff who walk through the doors each morning. 

            One salient point from EDL 279 is the use of technology to meet standards one, two and three.  One of these technologies is personal blogs.  Blogging is another way to communicate with parents and the community the vision of the school, and the ways in which the students and staff are living up to the vision.  This can act as a supplement to the weekly bulletin sent home by the school.  One caveat to the blog and weekly bulletin is to know your audience.  If the school population has students learning English as a second language, the bulletin and blog need to be translated for these homes. 

            Twitter, when used as an educational tool, can nurture teachers and administrators by connecting them with a community of learners outside of the school or AEA area.  Reading the tidbits sent by education leaders of today including Robert Marzano, Alfie Kohn, and Daniel Pink works like a professional development session.  The articles linked to the tweets nourish the mind and may spark tension between current practice and advocated practice in the article.    This can lead to improved professional practice. 

            First and foremost, school management tasks must be in place and working smoothly.  While not as sexy as leadership tasks, management impacts students’ learning.  Poor management leads to wasted time, money and other resources which detract from the education the students receive.  On the other side of the coin, effective management enhances the educational experiences students’ receive.  The competent administrator of today understands both disciplines.

Weekend 3 Reflections, New Learning

Weekend three is in the books.  Practical information was disseminate throughout the weekend and learning was facilitated through classroom presentations and Dr. Buckmiller's activities.  OC 9 engaged in some discussions that went beyond the cordial answers we have given in prior classes.  The cohort pushed thinking by challenging other's assumptions, leading to a deeper discussion.  Small group and large group discussions provided the grounds for discussion.  It was refreshing to hear people using their authentic voice.

A key phrase from the weekend regarding the use of technology in schools was "critical consumers".  Critical consumers lay somewhere between a Luddite and techno enthusiast. With so many schools adopting a one:one concept in their schools, where does a critical consumer fit?  Will districts stop listening to a candidate that questions some uses of technology?  A candidate must choose his/her words carefully to not come across as a Luddite.

 A reinforcing point to being a critical consumer came from the distinguished speaker series group on technology.  Their responses from administrators regarding who holds teachers accountable for using technology and the way in which it is being used was shocking.  One administrator said, "Good question.  We need to do a better job."  Wow!  The assumption was computers will improve schools, but no one was holding the schools/teachers accountable for the use of the computers?  Professional development plans must be in place to equip teachers with the skills to incorporate pedagogy, content and technology in lessons?

The final salient point from weekend three came from Dr. Buckmiller's experience interviewing candidates.  He suggested assigning one person on the committee the role of affirmation.  This person nods his/her head during answers, smiles at the candidate and brings a positive feel to the interview.  This tactic can settle the nerves of some candidates and reveal the diamond in the rough.

Overall, weekend three was a success.  My eyes were opened to new ideas.  On top of the knowledge I gained in class through discussions, activities, and writings, I found equally important the opportunities to practice leadership which were embedded in class.  Examples of this include greeting people, asking about their lives and being an empathetic listener, participating in class discussions and suspending my assumptions for others to view and make comments.  These will certainly be valuable lessons if and when I choose to enter the administrative field.

How do management tasks and functions contribute to students learning?

Before deep learning can occur, management pieces must be in place.  Students must get to school on-time, each day to engage in learning activities.  Students need to feel safe when they walk through the school doors and know someone cares about them.  Schedules need to be put in place for teachers and students to accelerate and deepen learning.  Resources must be appropriately allocated.  Teachers need time for collaboration during the day and constructive feedback to improve professional practice within the classroom or team collaboration.

            This seems like a daunting task for one person to take upon, but it does not have to be.  An efficient and effective administrator relies on others by delegating responsibilities.   This goes beyond delegating undesired tasks and forces an administrator to intentionally match the task with the appropriate person responsible for the task.  By delegating responsibility, faculty takes on leadership roles.  Leadership capacity is being built within the school.  It also frees more time for other lead learner activities.  These include but are not limited to walk-throughs accompanied by timely feedback.  Sitting through collaboration time and providing feedback is also valuable

My Children's Future

I have thrown this question out to my colleagues at school and wondered how many of you feel about it.  My wife and I are beginning to save for our children's education and are putting money into investments in our name instead of our children.  (My financial adviser talked me into this strategy in case my kids don't turn out the way we envision.)  We are thinking about offering my children three options when they graduate high school.  Buying a house for them to live in with the money we saved is one option.  They would get no tuition assistance from us, but they would not have a house payment in all likelihood.  Another option is to have them formulate a business plan and use the money we saved to start the business. This should be driven by their passion.  The final option is to pay for college with the money.  I am interested in your thoughts.  Feel free to comment on the blog.

Weekend 2 Reflections, New Learning

School management provides the solid foundation upon which a vision can be built.  Without the management piece in place, a vision lacks the necessary footing to progress.  This is why most administrators in large school districts begin as a dean of students, progress to an assistant principal, before ascending to the title of principal.  Management skills are refined and polished along the way, while the vision and a path to achieve the vision become more clear.

Acknowledging this, it is clear two of our speakers this weekend are working primarily on the management end, while one is primarily an educational visionary.  The assistant principals at Urbandale Middle School and St. Francis provided OC 9 with practical advice and tools which allow them to work smart, fast and efficient.  Both principals echoed many other's as they spoke about the rigors and loneliness of the job.

Jason Glass is an instructional leader.  His ideas have Iowa educators and leaders talking. The blueprint he proposes for education is a vision of learning.  I support many of the ideas in the blueprint, but I question the ability for the blueprint to be taken on as our own by school districts across the state. Thus, will it be shared?  Districts will be the primary managers of the blueprint.  Also, he has been very honest about moving from job to job and said he cannot imagine being in a position for longer than seven years. (This statement came during our Evaluator Training class at Drake in the Spring of 2011.)  Who oversees the vision once he is gone?  What will happen to the blueprint?  What happens to the blueprint if Governor Brandstad is not re-elected or chooses not to run in the next election?  Schools need continuity just like students.  In the absence of continuity, schools will go back to closing their doors and conducting business as usual.