Standards Reflection

Management is a key component to creating a shared vision for a school. In order for a vision to be carried out, a school has to be organized and has to be running like a well oiled machine. Part of creating a shared vision is the delegation of tasks from members of the staff. In some ways management is a shared process, but it is the leader's job to ensure tasks are delegated to the right people and the school is managed efficiently.

Management is also a key component in sustaining a safe, efficient, learning environment. We often want leaders to be instructional leaders and we often overlook the importance of management. Management is essential in student learning. A leader must not take for granted creating a safe learning environment because students need to feel safe and secure when they at school. The roles and services of custodians, teacher, and food service workers are what can make or break a school. A leader is only a reflection of the people he/she leads.

Weekend 3

During this weekend, there were three activities which stood out most. The first activity was the bus scenario. In this activity, we were to read the scenario and then uncover the standards within the scenario. This scenarios provided an example of a person who was not following the standards. Several of the standards were overlooked and it caused trouble for the bus driver. In many ways, this scenario provided a realistic example of what many administrators go through on their jobs. Because of the difficulty of a principal's job, sometimes standards are overlooked or not recognized. The failure to provide this sort of leadership will often cause dissension in the school.

The second activity I found interesting was the press conference activity. In this activity, the class was given a tragic scenario. The class was divided into two groups. One group was to act like the press and the other group would prepare a press conference. Tragedies occur all the time and it is important to know how to respond to these situations. This activity showed me how careful you have to be when relating information to the media. One misstep could be the difference in how the media reports a situation. When giving a press conference, it is imperative to remain calm, stick with the facts, and avoid subjective statements.

The third activity I found interesting was the mock interview questions. In groups, we created potential interview questions for hiring a teacher. We also created a rubric for answers we would want the candidate to say. After completing the activity, it caused me to realize how difficult it is to ask question which get to the heart of the candidate. Too often, people understand how to "play the interview game" and respond with answers the interviewer wants to hear. It is very difficult to discern authenticity of candidates because people train themselves to say the right things.

Management and Student Learning

Student learning is influence by managerial tasks at school. Management often goes unnoticed, but is important in fostering an environment of learning. The reason management has such a profound affect on student learning is because the policies and procedures help determine the mentality the staff and the students will take in the school. When there is strong management, it helps students will better value their education. The quality of the management is a reflection of student achievement and learning.

One of the most important aspects of management is human resources. It is imperative, leaders are hiring the best teachers available. Teachers have the most influence over students and they guide their learning. It is important to hire passionate, motivated teachers because students are more likely to have high achievement if they taught by excellent teachers. Another important aspect of management is providing a safe learning environment. Students learn best when they feel safe. Students do not need to be distracted with feeling unsafe. Feeling unsafe in a school could be the reason a student decides not to attend class. If a student is not in class, they are losing the opportunity to learn. Keeping a safe learning environment is often taken for granted, but is essential influencing student learning.

Teacher Bully

After reading the article Teacher Caught on Tape Bullying Student. Is a Camera a Kid's Only Advocate?  I was appalled a teacher would berate a student in such a manner.  Based upon the video the student took of the teacher, one could tell this was not the first time this has happened to this student.  This was not just a teacher “having a bad day”.  Even if the teacher was having a bad, there is no excuse for behavior like this.  Teachers, like any adult in a school, need to be professional at all times.  If the teacher were having a bad day, the best thing for the teacher to do would be to inform his/her students.  Usually when this occurs, students will take it easy on you.  In some situations, classroom management can be an issue.  Sometimes teachers have students who are somewhat uncontrollable, but again the way the teacher from the article responded is inexcusable.  There is always a professional manner of handling a situation.

What I do not understand the most is why the teacher from the article was put on paid leave.  Too often, teachers commit obvious atrocities and are still getting paid.  In a situation like this, where it was quite obvious the teacher was wrong, there is no way the teacher should be paid.  He should have been fired immediately.  He was cursing and threatening the student.  Most importantly, he was not doing his job, teaching.  Districts need to find better ways of getting rid of teachers and not placing them on paid leave, especially if the crime is so evident.

Attendance

Over the past couple weeks, East High School’s attendance has dramatically increased.  It is not clear whether the increase in attendance is due to East’s involvement in “The Get Schooled” contest or because the school has finally started to drop some of the truant students.   One of the reasons East’s attendances percentages were so low was because of the sophomore and junior classes.  In general, the seniors and the freshman had decent attendance, but the sophomores and juniors had very poor attendance.   In my own classes, I have not really noticed any real increase in attendance.  I have noticed my classes are getting smaller because of students being dropped off of my roster.  Nevertheless, East’s attendance percentages across the board have increased dramatically.

This issue with attendance has caused me to think what I would do about attendance if I were principal at East High School.  Just recently, East was awarded a “Safe School” grant for $140,000 annually.  The money for the grant has to be spent based upon the results of a survey teachers, students, and parents took last spring.  If I had access to the money, I would put locks, cameras, and alarms on every door except the front door.  Having this security would enable a closed campus.  The only students allowed to leave the building for lunch would be seniors and a few selected juniors (based upon grades and attendance).   There would be a campus monitor at the front door at all times.  Their job would be to make sure no one is leaving or entering without proper permission.  I would also form a partnership with stores and business in our community such as the Oasis.  I would allow these business and stores to sell food during lunch as an alternative to the cafeteria food.  Keeping the campus closed would significantly help increase attendance at East.  

Get Schooled

One of the biggest problems at East High School is attendance. This year's administration has decided to tackle the problem by participating in a contest sponsored by MTV. The contest is called "Get Schooled". The contest began in September and will end in November. We are the only school from Iowa in the contest. The winning school will receive a special concert from a famous singer/rapper. The administration has also received donations and grant money to reward individual students attending all of their classes throughout the day. Students at East High School are excited about the opportunity to win prizes and have a guest celebrity perform at our school. As a result of the contest and the rewards, the attendance percentage has slightly increased since we began the contest in September.

Although the contest seems to have a small effect on attendance, I have mixed feelings about this contest and giving students rewards. Should we reward students for doings things they are suppose to do? What happens when the contest ends and grant and donation money runout? Will students do what is right only when receiving a reward? I think there can be a real danger in rewarding student for doing what is right, but at the same time we are trying to change behaviors. I realize what has been done in the past has not necessarily worked and we have to be willing to use some innovation to reach our students. At the same time, we do not want students growing up thinking and feeling they are entitled to certain rights and privileges. Life is tough and often people do not feel rewarded for what they do. In most cases, rewards are not immediate and the payoff of hard work goes unnoticed. Are we giving our kids a false sense of reality?

Weekend 2

Over the past weekend, there were many interesting topics discussed. Some of these topics include management strategies, the educational blue print, and the master schedule. We also had several guest speakers who gave their own perspectives on administration and education. The learning aspect which stood out most was the interviewing process for becoming an administrator. Adam Tjeerdsma gave his personal insight and perspective of the reason he was not hired for a principal position. The reason he did not receive the position was because of his lack of enthusiasm. Although he was well prepared for interviewing and answered many of the questions "correctly", the school did not feel he had the enthusiasm to lead.

Mr. Tjeerdsma felt he needed to work on displaying his enthusiasm while interviewing. He described himself as a even-keel person. The message was to "play the game". I have mixed feelings about this situation. I do believe it is important to have enthusiasm in a position of leadership; however, it is imperative to be yourself. I think it is important to interview in a manner in which people see the real you. You do not want to be in a position, once you have a job, where you have to constantly pretend to be something you are not. I think it is certainly important to improve in areas in which you are weak, but it is also important to be true to yourself.

Technology Can't Fix Everything

This year East High School has a Plasco Trac in the main building and Rapture system in the Walker building.  The purpose of these systems is to scan student’s school identification cards when students arrive late for class.  When a student is tardy, he/she will have their school identification scanned and the machine will print off a tardy slip.  The tardy slip will display the time the student had their student identification card scanned and the amount of tardies the student has been issued.  After four tardies, the system will automatically assign a lunch detention for the student.  This system will also print out a temporary student identification card if a student’s card has been lost, stolen, or forgotten.

With this new system in place, teachers are no longer responsible for keeping track of tardies and assigning detentions because the system is now tracking this information.  Although this new system has freed up time for teachers, it has caused problems.  One of the problems it has caused is the fact many students are not serving their lunch detentions.  Some students are not serving their lunch detentions because they have forgotten, while others are not serving it because they do not want to be compliant to the rule.  As a result of this action, administrators are pulling students out of class and assigning them ISS during the day.  For the most part, the students who are not serving their lunch detentions are also students who have poor attendance, grades, and behavior. 

I understand the point administration is trying to make to students about being on time to class, but I do not think it is the answer.  I do not understand how pulling a student out of class, when their attendance is probably poor in the first place, is going to teach the student a lesson about being on time.  We have to think of a better method of getting students to be responsible for attending their classes on time and a proper punishment if they choose to not oblige by the rule.   

Saturday and Chapters 1-4

                During this past Saturday, I began to think about the importance of managing a school.  There is so much emphasis on leadership and sometimes management is ignored.  The reason for this is because management sometimes has a negative connotation.  People never say they want to be a good manager, but if management is overlooked, it would be difficult to maintain the order of a building.  Being an administrator is about balance.  It is important as future administrators to have a good balance of leadership and management skills.

                Another intriguing aspect discussed on Saturday was technology.  I believe technology can be both a curse and a blessing.  The reason is because technology can make a person’s life easier.  Technology should be embraced because technology is the future.  At the same time, technology does not necessarily equate learning.  There has to be training and preparation to fully employ technology at a great capacity.  Also the question remains of how to keep up with new technology, upgrades, and updates.

The book Smart, Fast, Efficient, is a great reference and guide book.  This book will be most effective once I have my first administrative position.   There are many aspects of administration often overlooked until a person actually obtains the position.  This book provides a comprehensive checklist one could use to help alleviate the stress often associated with your first administrative position.

                After reading chapters 1-4, I realized there are a myriad of items to take care of prior to the school year beginning.  One of the keys to preparing for your new administrative position is to learn how to prioritize your time.  It is imperative to ensure you are utilizing your time wisely while learning as much as possible about your building.  A person can never be too prepared for their first administrative position.