Blog #13 – Final Blog

What an amazing ride!

I have learned so much from so many wonderful professors and have been inspired by the readings, books, lectures and guest speakers. I am so glad I decided to enter this program, it was without any doubt the hardest thing I have ever done, but it has also one of the most life rewarding. My lesson delivery at school has changed since I entered the program. My view of what it means to be a leader has also changed and my overall philosophy on education has been challenged. The mock interview was more like a coaching interview and I am very grateful. I found myself taking notes at the end of the interview. Once again, thank you to all of my professors at CSUF and to my colleagues from the Visalia and Sanger cohort.

Blog #12 - Reflection on both Capstone paper and Personal Professional Growth Plan

Writing the Personal Professional Growth Plan made me realize that I do not have to wait to be an administrator in order be an educational leader. I have been trying to establish a Professional Learning Community (PLC) in my department. Unfortunately we have only been able to accomplish a common final assessment. Creating a Personal Professional Growth Plan will help me implement a PLC in my department. The Capstone paper was challenging. I first gathered information from DataQuest and found  demographics about my school.   I reflected on what programs are effective and what programs are not. Then, I was able to suggest some improvements. One of the suggestions focused on how to improve Latino parent involvement. As research has shown parent involvement is of utmost important for student academic success.  Our school offers PIQE which is a parenting education class for Latino parents. I believe this program should be offered every year and not every three years as it is now.

Blog Post #11

  Budget Reflection

I had just submitted the Mt. Whitney High School Budget. It was impressed how detailed and accurate a school budget has to be. I have never been part of the decision making for a school budget, and can only imagine how difficult it is to decide how to allocate funds. The decisions that are made in a school budget affect so many students.  A big chunk of this budget is classified salaries (instructional aides) and benefits. It causes me to wonder if these educational aides are cost effective in the classroom. My personal experience is that it all depends on the competence of the aide. I had some very helpful classroom aides and some that were not helpful. I would definitively like to look into some research on this.  Is there a more effective way to use the funds that would be more beneficial to ALL of the students?  

Face to Face – Nov. 4th and 5th.

Blog Post 10

The Human Resource representatives presenting on Friday were honest and candid and this was appreciated.  Some of the advice was as follows:

·        When hiring a new employee make sure to check references.

·        When you become an administrator DO NOT to fall into the “paper work trap”.

·        Get into the classrooms often.

·        If you are going to talk to reprimand a member of your staff be open for them to take a representative with them.  Just make sure the staff member is the one answering the questions and not the representative.

·        When there are problems with a teacher or staff, ask the following questions: You can’t, you won’t or you do not know how?

·        When hiring a principal you are looking for an instructional leader and not a manager.

·        It is important to work on relationships with your staff.

CADA (California Association of Directors of Activities) had also useful activities that I may well use in my classroom and with the ELAC (English Language Advisory Committee) at  my work site.  The information provided on Saturday was excellent.  I now know much more about school finances. I like the following presenter’s statement, “If a school is failing financially, it is probably failing in every other way.”  It was overall a very productive weekend.  I am grateful Dr. Wise and Dr. Buster took the time to schedule such knowledgeable presenters.

Relationships -Blog Post #9 -

What a great way to finish the book.  The story of Jeff is really inspiring. He was not perfect, but most remember him as a giving and caring person that built great relationships at his school.  As a teacher I know I am most likely to accept and receive criticism or feedback after an evaluation of an administrator of which I feel connected with rather than from one that I have not.  If I hear criticism from a trusted administrator I am more likely to change, because I know that this administrator means well and wants me to be a better teacher. If I hear feedback from an administrator I do not know well, I may second guess his/her motives. I may think the administrator just wants to look good and find something wrong in my lesson, or that he or she is just singling me out. Trust and having strong relationships is crucial if we want to have a strong staff.  At my school there is a strong principal who values relationships and trust at our school.  Recently I had a family emergency and he did not hesitate to show his support and never made me feel guilty for having to leave a whole semester to care for a member of my family. As a result I feel a sense of loyalty to my school and principal.

Blog Post #8 Face to Face Meetings 10/21, 10/22

This weekend’s classes were very informative and useful.  Attorney Roberta Rowe gave us useful and practical information regarding “basic search and seizure”.  She also discussed how bullying could be physical, verbal and psychological.  She added that it is the district’s responsibility to protect, train staff and students, and investigate complaints, and remedy bullying.   At my school our school principal Mr. Jeff Hohne takes the time and visits each one of the classroom at Mt. Whitney and gives a 10 minute presentation about bullying. I think this an effective way to handle it. An assembly would also be a good idea, but visiting the classrooms makes it more personable and students are allowed to ask questions and make comments. Attorney Rowe also spoke about “Child Abuse Reporting Requirements”.   Mrs. Rowe advised us that we are all mandated reporters and that we just need a reasonable suspicion in order to facilitate a report.

On Saturday Dr. Linda Hauser did a very dynamic presentation on how to conduct a productive meeting. All of her ideas and tools were great. I have been involved in the ELAC meetings at my school for several years and plan to apply some of what I learned in the very next ELAC meeting at my school. The next speaker was Dr.  Kevin Torosian. His presentation was very informative.  There was so much new information for me about school suspensions and the educational code.  Dr. Torosian was so knowledgeable, but his last statement is still with me. “If you are raised by wolves, what are you”? It really made me think about how some of my students struggle to do the right thing, but haven’t been given the tools by their parents to help them live the life they deserve to live.  Dr. Wise gave us a presentation on “FRISK” and what a wonderful tool it may be! I know I will be sharing it with the administration at my site.

The last speaker Dr. Walt Buster talked about the book called Motion Leadership by Michael Fullan.  Dr. Buster shared with us the six secrets of change which include: Love your employees, connect peers with purpose, capacity building prevails, learning in the work, transparency rules, and systems learn. Number one, love the employees may be the most challenging probably for most administrators.

Overall, I think this was a very productive weekend and I learned more than I imagined I would learn. Thank you for your presentations.

Blog Post #7

Leadership Connector, Trust (C. 6)

I found practical, the advice given by the author in this book. Some of the advice should be obvious and basic, but unfortunately there are leaders that do not practice some of these norms.  In my twenty-one years of teaching, I have worked under several leaders.  Some were good and some were marginal. I relate to the story of Mary who had invited the Marching Turnaround Cadets as I too had made mistakes as a teacher.  Many years ago, I was working at my first teaching job in Porterville, but living in Visalia. I read in the Visalia Times Delta that there was going to be a play in Spanish in the local theater and thought this would be a great idea for my students to attend for extra credit. I called the playhouse and asked them if the play would be appropriate for high school students and they assured me it would be.  I went to work the next day and invited my students to attend. That weekend for the grand opening of this play, my husband and I went to see it and OMG I was terrified. They used so much vulgar language I was embarrassed.  Since the play was not in the city my students were living, I only saw one of my students there.  That weekend I wrote a letter apologizing to that student and the parents. I told them that they had trusted me and I had made a terrible mistake and that I was very sorry and that that was never to happen again. That morning I called the girl and told her I have something for you and she said, “I also have something for you too” She also had a letter from her mom addressed to me. I said thank you and put it away.  When she left I read it and she said that she had thought to call the principal, but that her daughter liked me very much and begged her not to call. I was so embarrassed. I was a brand new teacher, but this lesson stayed with me always. I learned that parents trust us with their children and that we should take every precaution we would want any teacher to take with our own children.  From then on I always preview any film, movie, play, song or anything I will show to my students before I even consider showing it to them.  I used this experience as a learning lesson. Trust is definitely very fragile.