CEDO 565 Week 3 Dealing With Change

This week I watched the video Who Moved My Cheese, read about the differences between the Millennials and Generation X and adaptive leadership (Chapter 4 of How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader). Although I learned quite a lot from all of the lessons’ activities this week, my focus seemed to be transfixed on Who Moved My Cheese. Before I became a teacher, I reinvented my career every two years, essentially changing jobs for one reason or another. I never felt truly happy or fulfilled in any jobs until I became a teacher.

As a teacher, I was able to use all of my talents and creativity to help groups of people who were a lot like I was at their age. I loved it. The routine of knowing what type of schedule I would have every day, with the excitement of a new challenge everyday was thrilling to me. That was thirteen years ago. Others who started this journey in lanes next to me have moved into leadership roles as some sort of administrator in our district. I am now starting to feel like I have been like Hem for the last three years. I have counted on the routine to remain the same and still be fulfilling, but I have to admit things are changing.

As I watched the video and saw the characters scramble daily for “their cheese”, I realized that I am growing tired of my “old cheese” and fighting to go back to the same “Cheese Station C”. This Generation Xer is deeply craving a more flexible work schedule and more balance in my life when it comes to my work and personal life. In the video Haw began to write messages of inspiration and deep thoughts on the walls of the maze as he searched for his “new cheese”. One the messages actually asked the question, “What would you do if you were not afraid?” This week I asked myself this question and am working on finding the authentic answers for myself. Sometimes the best way to deal with change is know it is time to change.

CEDO 565 - Leadership and Planning Week 2 - Strategic and Interpersonal Leadership

This week I learned even more about leadership and the qualities of leadership. After reading chapters 2 and 3 of How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader, by John G. Gabriel, I realized that I am fortunate to have been in a school that has helped groom me for roles. I have served on the school’s interview team for several teacher candidates, been in charge of organizing book fairs and school programs, mentoring field students from universities and am now an active member of my school’s learning team. In his book Gabriel pointed out part of good leadership starts with assembling a good team.

Gabriel presented a scenario where teachers at a school found out about a new hire for their department after they hadn’t been a part of the interviewing process, this ended disastrously. Should school leaders include teachers and other staff in the interview process? I believe that they should. The teachers who will actually have to work with the new hire, assist and mentor the new hire should have some input on whether they feel a candidate would be a good fit in the area that they will work with them in. Administrators who may operate their school in this manner might learn also learn, “Teacher leaders can be integral agents of change when involved in interviewing.”

Another essential characteristic of good leadership is the ability to articulate expectations effectively. When I say effectively, I mean in a manner that expresses thoughts in a respectful and clear way without demoralizing those they are leading. Gabriel says that, “Clear communication is essential to a team’s success.”

This week leadership and leaders accepting input from those that they are leading were at the forefront of my mind as my school district and other public school districts across the state were thrust into a political fight in Madison WI. The opposing sides are fighting about the right to have a say in how the schools are operated. With the fight continuing this week and probably weeks to come, what I am going to learn will probably be immeasurable.

CEDO 565 Leadership and Planning Week 1 - What I have Learned and How I Currently Lead in My School

Leadership matters
"The manner in which we educate our leaders is fundamental to this continent", explained Patrick Awuah as he spoke to an audience about transforming leadership in his native homeland of Ghana. How will we educate our leaders? Will we educate them to understand that leadership is a service with tremendous responsibilities or will we educate them in a way that promotes the ideas of leadership and all that comes with it is an entitlement? As educators we have a determining role in how leaders of today and tomorrow are shaped. What we promote in our classrooms will have direct impact on how the global world will operate.

In the book How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader, Chapter 1, the author John G. Gabriel discusses the qualities of effective leaders and various leadership roles teachers may be suited for within the realm of what they already do. He suggests that teachers, not principals, know the day-to-day problems in the classroom and what it takes to solve them. When I reflect on the duties I currently perform and the challenges I have on a daily basis, I am able to have a direct impact in the development of the next generation of leadership. In pondering this, I had to reflect on my own leadership of my classroom and building.

Currently, I have several roles that I function in at our school such as Presenter, Speaker/Writer, Grade level/Subject Area Leader, Mentor/Peer Coach,Faculty Representative, Community Leader and Technology Leader. These are roles that I currently work in now and I enjoy them. I enjoy the opportunities to use the skills I acquired before I became a teacher as well as staying active in the arenas that strongly interest me. For our school these leaders could be used in multiple ways, one being the consistent promoting of the school’s public and transparent image

Do I always model the type of behavior that is the building? Do I engage my students in critical thinking and problem solving activities allowing then to sharpen their communication skills? The answer is yes. This a part of regular instruction for them. I learned more about the qualities of effective leadership and how to examine my own limitations. As we move forward in this class, I look forward to emerging into the leader I aspire to be.