Competencies
- Communication: Effectively listens to others; clearly and effectively presents and understands information orally and in writing; acquires, organizes, analyzes, interprets, maintains information needed to achieve school or team 21st century objectives. I have had numerous opportunities during my internship to strengthen this area, several of which include contributing information to our daily bulletin, the school's website and Facebook page, helping draft parent letters and connect ed calls. I keep staff updated through emails and face to face conversations. Standard 5 Element C has a few artifacts that reflect ways I communicated with all stakeholders.
- Change Management: Effectively engages staff and community in the change process in a manner that ensures their support of the change and its successful implementation. Early on, the staff expressed concerns about stepping up the overall administrative response and staff expectations regarding discipline. Along with the PBIS team, we implemented a more comprehensive program, complete with lesson plans for teaching the expectations. As an administrator responding to behavior issues, I have tried to consistently implement our discipline procedures and consequences according to our plan. I was also given the opportunity to implement a school-wide focus on vocabulary called Wise Words.
- Conflict Management: Anticipates or seeks to resolve confrontations, disagreements, or complaints in a constructive manner. I have had several opportunities to work through conflicts between students, between teachers, and between parents and staff. Relying on the preparation from Crucial Conversation and implementing Carnegie ideology, these situations provided me with positive experiences. It is often hard not to sugar coat issues when having to deliver less than positive news to parents about their children but I have found that having the student share the information regarding the infraction in the presence of the administrator and the parent really helps to deescalate the conflict.
- Customer Focus: Understands the students as customers of the work of schooling and the servant nature of leadership and acts accordingly. Our PBIS program incorporated a FEATHER incentive program. All staff, including bus drivers, have Cardinal Feathers to pass out to students who are displaying model execution of our expectations during transitions times and other occasions outside the classroom. Feathers go in a weekly drawing and students have a large assortment of prizes to pick from. One feather is drawn per grade level. Our PBIS team has also planned quarterly activities based on student survey responses.
- Delegation: Effectively assigns work tasks to others in ways that provide learning experiences for them and in ways that ensure the efficient operation of the school. I have been afforded the opportunity to delegate tasks and assignments at various times throughout this year. From empowering the teachers to work out a routine for arrival and dismissal in the cafeteria to planning a school-wide literacy initiative. I have learned that there is a fine art to delegating power to others. Knowing your staff is key to sharing the responsibility of the day to day processes and procedures that go on daily.
- Dialogue/Inquiry: – Is skilled in creating a risk-free environment for engaging people in conversations that explore issues, challenges or bad relationships that are hindering school performance. One area that the ability to use questioning and effective dialogue with staff members is during pre and post conferences. We developed a pre-conference google form to collect specific information that has helped to generate fruitful conversations during these conferences. Just as teachers can elevate the level of class discussions by using well thought out questions, administrators can generate powerful conversations during conferences, staff meetings, and PLC's by doing the same.
- Emotional intelligence: Is able to manage oneself through self awareness and self management and is able to manage relationships through empathy, social awareness and relationship management. This competency is critical to building strong, transparent, trusting relationships throughout the school community. We kicked off our beginning of the year staff meeting by having all of our staff complete the survey to determine their Love Language. Our goal was to make our staff aware of the specific love language that each person "speaks" in an effort to strengthen our overall team.
- Environmental Awareness: Becomes aware and remains informed of external and internal trends, interests and issues with potential impacts on school policies, practices, procedures and positions. One of the first tasks of the school year was to help simplify the arrival and dismissal procedures. Our campus is located in a residential section of downtown and our campus is exposed on all sides making it difficult to limit the flow of vehicle and foot traffic. I worked on several ways to increase safety and efficiencies. See the map under Standard 5c. The link shows car tags that were made to help differentiate the EC parents from regular drop offs.
- Global Perspective: Understands the competitive nature of the new global economy and is clear about the knowledge and skills students will need to be successful in this economy. Having had the opportunity to attend the ICSEI conference in Singapore broadened my understanding of global education. The time spent with educators from around the world enhanced my perspective and allowed me to establish network connections that will serve me in years to come. By collaborating with educators from around the world, administrators can add a unique blend of cultural flare and sound practices to their school programs. One specific example I brought away from the conference was Canada's approach to creating a vision and mission for their system. They chose to cultivate a mission from the collective missions of the individual schools. As an administrator, I really like this approach.
- Judgment: Effectively reaching logical conclusions and making high quality decisions based on available information. Giving priority and caution to significant issues. Analyzing and interpreting complex information. I was able to participate in the decision making process for determining how we would spend out remaining Title 1 funds. I presented a proposal and justification for funding. I was also given the opportunity to help a teacher work through a comprehensive plan to help strengthen areas of concern. I had to determine what areas we needed to focus on and guide the process.
- Organizational Ability: Effectively plans and schedules one’s own and the work of others so that resources are used appropriately, such as scheduling the flow of activities and establishing procedures to monitor projects. Scheduling is a large part of managing the school program. I was able to sit in on this process at the beginning of the year to get a better understanding of how the process works. "Begin with the end in mind!" I have worked on various schedules throughout the year from Picture Day to Google Expedition. Organization is one very important key to success for my leadership style.
- Personal Ethics and Values: Consistently exhibits high standards in the areas of honesty, integrity, fairness, stewardship, trust, respect, and confidentiality. I believe my values and ethics are at the very core of all that I do as an educator and administrator. Character is something you should never compromise. As a leader, I feel it is my duty to not only model the core values but to work diligently to help instill these in our leaders of tomorrow.
- Personal Responsibility for Performance: Proactively and continuously improves performance by focusing on needed areas of improvement and enhancement of strengths; actively seeks and effectively applies feedback from others; takes full responsibility for one’s own achievements. Keeping a daily log/journal of detailed accounts of my day have helped me in the reflection process. Using the feedback of my NELA advisers, my coach, and my mentor principal continues to shape my performance. I also take time to reflect on my interactions with students, parents, and staff in hopes that I can use every opportunity as a spring board to a better version of myself.
- Responsiveness: Does not leave issues, inquiries or requirements for information go unattended. Creates a clearly delineated structure for responding to requests/situations in an expedient manner. One of the daily goals that I set for myself during my internship has been to answer emails and attend to tasks in a timely manner. Discipline is one task that I believe should be executed swiftly and justly but within a reasonable amount of time. We use a google doc to report classroom issues so that our administrative team is kept up to date and can respond in accordance as needed.
- Results Orientation: Effectively assumes responsibility. Recognizes when a decision is required. Takes prompt action as issues emerge. Resolves short-term issues while balancing them against long-term goals. At the beginning of the year I sent a survey out to our staff to gather information on what their expectations of me were. I wanted to know what their needs were so that I could plan accordingly. Again, just an example of planning with the end in mind. There have been numerous opportunities to make a decision and see the results. Reflection has been a critical tool in determining the success of my decisions.
- Sensitivity: Effectively perceives the needs and concerns of others; deals tactfully with others in emotionally stressful situations or in conflict. Knows what information to communicate and to whom. Relates to people of varying ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Empathy is an essential tool when working with students from diverse situations and backgrounds. Our population of students at NES has given me an opportunity to work through situations in which sensitivity and confidentiality was essential and I have come to understand so much more about the invisible struggles that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.
- Systems Thinking: Understands the interrelationships and impacts of school and district influences, systems and external stakeholders, and applies that understanding to advancing the achievement of the school or team. There are so many different facets of how this type of thinking comes into play in the total school process. From scheduling to planning community events, administrators have to consider the impact of their decisions on the students, the community and the day to day processes that run the school. The intricacy of this process can be overwhelming at times but empowering those around you can make all the difference.
- Technology: Effectively utilizes the latest technologies to continuously improve the management of the school and enhance student instruction. I have worked diligently this school year through my school system and through the trainings offered in NELA , to enhance my technology skills. I completed my Common Sense Media certification and helped to gain certification for my school.
- Time Management: Effectively uses available time to complete work tasks and activities that lead to the achievement of desired work or school results. Runs effective meetings. I set up a rolling agenda (as used by our central office executive cabinet) for our monthly Leadership Meetings. I also shared a google form to collect staff concerns prior to each meeting so that these concerns could be addressed in a timely manner.
- Visionary: Encourages imagineering by creating an environment and structure to capture stakeholder dreams of what the school could become for all the students. Over the duration of my graduate coursework and my internship, I have been challenged to consider how my core values have helped develop a meaningful personal vision. My vision has evolved throughout the course of the program and will continue to evolve as I seek to continually grow and improve in my role as a leader.