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.