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.