REFLECTIONS ON REFLECTING
I learned as I was involved in professional development years ago that a definition of critical thinking is “thinking about your thinking while you are thinking.” This concept was brought to mind as I considered the reflecting I have done throughout this program. I have learned to rely upon these reflections to evaluate my leadership skills as well as my job performance. As our text (School Leader Internship, Martin et.al, p.104) explains, expert leaders use reflection as they are going about their job duties. Reflection is not isolated; it is something we must do as we are leading our school. I have also learned that reflection helps us to anticipate and possibly prevent problems, see things from others’ perspectives, and prioritize needs of our staff, students and the school as a whole. Documentation of these reflections is also important. Journaling or taking notes in some way helps us to recall events and what we have learned from them so that we can improve upon the way in which we react to or plan events in the future.
COURSE ASSIGNMENT REFLECTIONS
For EDLD 5387, my signature assignment was writing a proposed professional development plan for the coming school year. My reflection upon this assignment was beneficial because I was able to review the plan through the eyes of the staff as well as to examine where there were additional needs. I also did not want to propose development heavier in one area and neglect other areas. As I view professional development as a very important aspect of school success, this reflection was imperative as the school leader so I could provide necessary and relevant professional development options for my staff.
In EDLD 5342, week 5 assignment, we were asked to reflect upon ethical behavior regarding the financial aspect of the Superintendency. I believe that reflection was important to me as it helped me to solidify my thoughts and beliefs about how highly important it is for the Superintendent to maintain ethical and moral judgment and behavior as the chief financial officer of the district. Handling public funds is a tremendous task and must be done with credibility and integrity. I was reminded by revisiting the reflection to adhere to the Texas Administrative Code of Ethics if there is a questionable situation. My policy of “always do the right things for the children” is a beginning, but laws and ethical standards must always be adhered to.
BLOG REFLECTIONS
In this final course, we were asked to reflect upon each of the Superintendent competencies and post those reflections to our blogs. This was one of the longer and more intense reflections that I wrote, but was also one of the most beneficial. It allowed me to look at each competency and scrutinize every aspect. This not only will better prepare me for the TEXES exam, but will assist me as I fulfill my present job duties as a campus principal and seek a Superintendent position. I feel the postings of other students were also constructive as I read their reflections and learned from my peers.
Another reflection on my blog that has proved beneficial was the final reflection of the Finance course, 5342. I learned a wealth of information in that course and the reflection on my blog will be there to remind me of pertinent information and guides me to recall specific resources. As I have stated before, I began this program feeling as if the financial duties of a Superintendent were overwhelming, but I soon learned that I will be able to fulfill these duties as long as I adhere to rules and regulations and use resources that are available to assist me in this process. I also will be an effective financial officer as I adhere to the ethics and integrity that must be present in all aspects of the superintendency.
COURSE AND CAMPUS SUPERVISED LOGS
As I looked back at my course and campus supervised logs, I recall the many activities that I have been involved with during this program. The interconnectedness is something that really stands out as I peruse the logs. As I chose activities early in the coursework, I recall the dilemmas I had when choosing activities and then determining which competency they relate to. The logs helped me to balance some of the areas of learning. I also learned from keeping logs how many facets there are to the role of Superintendent. It seems overwhelming; however I am confident in the preparation I have through the Lamar program. I looked back over the reflection I posted in Tk20 of my internship plan and recalled the insight I received from writing it. I have learned that planning ahead is imperative for an instructional leader. From the beginning of this coursework, it was evident that working consistently rather than procrastinating will produce the best results.
ASSESSMENTS
The Pre and Post self-assessment reflections were very insightful as I was able to quickly identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. I saw that I made improvements in many areas and that my confidence level was raised dramatically. Although I know I have many things yet to learn, I know I possess knowledge in all areas of competency that are required of a superintendent. Preparing for and taking the Lamar competency exam also provided a time of reflection over a grand scale of material. Fortunately, I passed the test the first time and I believe that is due in part to the reflections I made over many of the assignments, intern activities and other required coursework. The reflections served as a mini review or synopsis of elements of each course.
OTHER REFLECTIVE EXPERIENCES
I especially enjoyed the times I interviewed my site supervisor; therefore the reflections were quite helpful. He always offered information beyond the assigned subjects and questions. I continue to learn things daily from him as we work together. He is an integral part of the day to day happenings at my school and I am able to observe or participate in many activities with him. He uses reflective skills by discussing and collaborating with staff members after specific events have taken place. He also documents activities and their outcomes carefully and has set a great example for me.
REFLECTIVE STRATEGIES IN IMPROVING LEADERSHIP SKILLS
I have already begun to use reflective activities to improve my leadership skills in my present job. Should I pursue a job at a different level of leadership, or if I choose to remain in my present position, I plan to take these skills and apply them in order to make a positive impact on my staff and students. Journaling is a way that I have begun to make reflections. Each day or two, I make entries into my journal about the happenings of the day. Along with that, I describe feelings about my decisions or actions and make note of areas in which I could improve. I also slow down at times during the day, close my office door and ponder what I need to get done and what I have already taken care of. This may simply be for 5 or 10 minutes, and I may or may not make notes, but it allows me to reconnect to my reason for making decisions and to remind myself to be in the moment, enjoy my job and the people around me. This is especially helpful on a stressful day. Throughout this coursework I have become more aware of decisions I make, programs and plans I implement and actions I take each day. I have always been a person who thinks a lot about something before I make a decision, but I am now realizing it is just as important to analyze a situation after its completion. A practical example of this is going on in my school now. The administration made a decision to implement CSCOPE across all four core curriculum areas. This has been a point of contention to say the least. The other administrators and I are presently looking at the use of this curriculum and determining whether we made the right decision. We are using data, teacher input and research to collaborate on this decision. There is much reflection going on by the teachers and the administration.
My plan is to incorporate reflective skills into my professional life and my “everyday” life. The need for reflection is great and the benefits are immeasurable.
No comments:
Post a Comment