Sunday

I'm not sure if we were supposed to blog about Sunday, but I figure better safe than sorry. The day went quickly, I felt confident in how I did on the final and although I resisted the case studies at first I got something out of it.
I also liked the discussion about stress and burnout. I can see how this can happen to many teachers, and administators and it's important to have a grip on things when you're in this field.

Thanks for another good semester! Happy Holidays everyone!

Last Sunday

I found the information on Stress very interesting. Though we all experience stress, we all handle it differently. We need to be aware of not only the stressful triggers in our own life, but also what we can do to help reduce stress in the lives of our staff members. We need to have critical conversations with staff members on what things in the job might be pushing them too much, but we also need to learn how to push enough. Life really is all about balance. Sometimes we will get off balance and we have to know the people in our lives that can help to bring us back. I have appreciated the friendships that have been built in this program and know that we will continue to have those relationships as we move onto the next phase of our profession. Thank you all!

Saturday

On Saturday I was really interested in the information that Lori and Kelly shared. Realizing that we can have a plan for the unexpected things we will experience as administrators. Dealing with the death of a student is a devastating event and one that I hope none of us will have to go through. My hope is that we will see the myriad of resources both inside and outside or our buildings and that we will work to establish quality relationships with those resources so that it will benefit not only our school but our entire community as well.

Sunday

First off, congrats again to all those who have finished up the EDL program! This class taught me so much about school personnel. The hiring process has been made clear to me and the effectiveness of hiring the right person for the right building culture makes sense. Administrators face a wide variety of situations throughout their daily schedules; and I think learning about Situational Leadership informed me of how situations will be handled differently based on the circumstances. Great class -very beneficial.

Sunday December 12-12-10

During our presentations on Sunday I gained lots of new information regarding cooperative teaching and professional learning communities. I also learned some new information about "sexting" and what schools today are doing about the problem of sexting within their schools. My group was asked to decide what educators should do regarding the situation. Should their be a school policy banning "sexting"? We did not come up for an answer for this problem. We all agreed that something must be done to protect school administrators stuck in these situations as a situation was shared where an administrator was charged with child pornography because he took a student's cell phone and was exposed to "sexting" therefore leading to charges. I personally do not feel that a policy will prevent the problem in schools!

Last of the last

Just wanted to give a shout out to all of you who are posting your last of the last assignments for all of your master's!! My final posting is a thought or two on the final presentations---lots of good stuff! I really wish we could've all heard the information on collective bargaining and negotiations, as I feel completely ignorant on that topic. I guess because I've never been involved on the teacher side of negotiations even, I feel underprepared for any role I may have in the negotiations process as an administrator.

EDL 522 - ILES

I feel that this was an effective class.  I enjoyed the mock interview.  That took a lot of scheduling and preparation to get the interviewees there, but the time and effort was well worth it.  I feel that all of the in class assignments and group projects were relevant to the course goals.  That is not the case in many previous classes.  The class was pretty close knit and many people already knew each other which made the class more enjoyable and relaxed.  This course has better prepared me for the rigors of personnel management.

Grant Iles

December 12, 2010

I have really learned a lot from this course on personnel.  I feel much more prepared to deal with personnel issues that may arise from the things we talked about and the scenarios we worked through.  I now see how important hiring the right person is and investing in that person. Investments of your own time and energy, to support, train and evaluate personnel will help them to work towards the building mission. 

my last class, too

i never felt as good as when i pulled out of the parking lot after class on sunday. going through my mind was "goodbye western, if i ever come back, it won't be for a long, long time!" that feeling of joy lasted all of 2 hours when i realized that i had left my computer charging cord in the classroom. so back to wiu i went, only to find that the building was locked. so back to wiu today. these two trips taught me my lesson. when i received my bachelor's degree (from wiu) i never thought i would go back for another degree, much less to wiu. and now, many years later, here i am. i hope i enjoy the eds and phd programs! i guess it is inevitable.

as far as our class, i feel that this class was a good class to end with. many things that were covered in other classes helped me understand the topics in this class. i think the work i did with job descriptions will help me better when i start applying for jobs. i think i will be more aware everything in the job description, where as before, i might not have been as thorough.

the futures wheel was an activity that i actually used in a meeting with my principal today. we were discussing declining enrollment, so i went to the white board. it was really beneficial to have such a valuable tool.

as part of my internship, i am going to give a school culture survey. i wasn't sure what to include until we did our survey in class. in fact, many of the projects we did in class will be used by me in some fashion during my internship.

i really learned a lot from the people i was grouped with in the small group work. you all are great representatives of this program and will make great administrators. thank you for allowing me to learn from you.

while i didn't like the idea of taking a final exam, as i completed the exam i was able to reflect on what all i had learned in this class. we covered a lot of information. information that will make me a better administrator, some day.

Last Class too!!

I am also very happy to say that I have completed all classes but unfortunately unlike Jon it took me closer to 4 1/2 years to finish! As I wrap up this last class, I think there were very valid messages sent to me from my classes. Things that I think will never leave me are that nothing is black and white in administration. Regardless of policies, there will always be something that makes you step back and look at the situation and you may have to deal with it differently than another. I also think that when there is no one in harms way, waiting to make a decision and thinking about it is a very important thing to remember. Lastly even as administrators I think we need to reflect upon on our jobs and the decisions that have been made or how you handled a situation. It will help us to grow as professionals. To the classmates that I have had over the years, I truly can say as a teacher I would be honored to work under you. To all of my professors your knowledge and experience you have shared is truly priceless.

Class on 12-12-10

It was unfortunate that the weather was very questionable and the room very cold. The activity of determining what was appropriate in a job description/job advertisement was very eye opening. This is where the principal's knowledge of the law is important. Overall the principal's position carries with it many opportunities for going against legally acceptable procedures. Without the knowledge of law and acceptable procedures many principals could be found not in compliance with the law.  I just think there are many policies and procedures that a principal needs to know to be successful. To me this is a very daunting task.

Sunday, Dec 12th

I was unable to make it to Sunday's class due to a blizzard in southern Wisconsin. I deemed it a smarter decision to stay home and not risk death than to drive the 3-6 hours to Moline. Three years ago, I probably would have made the trip but this administrative program ahs helped me make better and more professional decisions. That being said, after changing my sons' fourth poop-filled diaper on Sunday I started to question my decision. I guess it's true, nothing is black or white. At least the heat was on at my house.

Saturday, Dec 11th

I thought Saturday's class was helpful. The group I was with did a really nice job with their presentations. Any discussions regarding RTI are helpful considering I have really no interaction with our Special Education Department. The hiring process flow chart helped me to remember the steps in the process. The future wheel was by far one of the best things we did in the class as far as something that stuck with me.

Last Class !!!

I can't believe that I am done. Three years ago it seemed like this day would never come. I enjoyed this masters program, I met alot of good people and wish everyone the best. Hopefully I will be able to find something to do with all of my free weekends. :)

Weekend 3 Day 1

I enjoyed the presentations, the people in my groups did a very good job. Emily and I ended up having the same topic, student-led conferences. I found Corry's topic on coaching to be very interesting. It sounds like he took the right approach by just observing teachers for the first few weeks. Tony presentation was on merit pay. This topic raised a few questions for me. Since I am a PE teacher how would the merit pay system benefit me?

last class

I still think one of the most beneficial assignments are when we look at different scenarios and how we would solve the problem. We did this when we looked at the school in need of a counselor. It is valuable to bounce ideas off of each other and to get different points of views. Some people may have already been in a situation like that therefore they may have some experience to help solve the issue.
While it will be nice to have my weekends back, it will be disappointing to not be able to see some people I have been taking classes with for the last 2 years. The program has always pushed for us to build relationships with other administrators when in the job; therefore, I hope we are all able to keep those connections alive.

weekend 3 day 2

The mentoring program was very interesting. My first job was straight into the fire. I did not even get a tour of the building. Had to find my room, office, and gym (it was the easiest to find) on my own. I had no direction, no objectives, and no mentor. I was not sure where I was going and had no clue how to get there. I remember being very frustrated but took the initiative to proceed on my own.
I also believe the conversations on climate and culture were interesting. After all, we control some of that our self and can help improve it each day.
LAST CLASS, LAST DAY

weekend 3 day 1

The presentations were very good. Everyone had a different topic and delivered a great deal of information. It was nice to see how schools are looking to improve in different ways. Being able to collect so many diverse ideas keeps the mind open to new areas. One of the points made with the presentations was how some of these ideas would be used once the concept was introduced to the staff. Usually we sit through some type of PD or have new concepts introduced only to have no follow through or evaluation of the program.
It was also quite interesting seeing how many monitors had up to date weather programs on them.

week 3 day 2

I really liked the discussion on stress.  I have been feeling lots of stress over the past few years and have had experiences will all three forms of stress and even with the factors of burnout that we talked about today. Being able to recognize those stressors is a huge advantage in combating and working through what is going on, so that the stress can be dealt with and eliminated.

Week 3 day 1

I really enjoyed the presentations that were given.  Many of the topics really made me think.  We had a presentation on student-led conferences, and even though we have student-led conferences at my school I don't always think that they are used effectively and could be done different.  After seeing the presentation that was given, I was able to come away with some ideas of how to change our conferences and ways to make them better, even if it is just in my own conferences. 

Week 3 Day 2

I just finished the final. My head is hurting as I reflect on all we discussed in EDL 522. I enjoyed the closure today as we talked about anticipatory stress. My learning was affected today by this type of stress: the drive home. Overall the stress of this blizzard is now over as I sit in my warm living room. Use this as an example in your classroom: when students are stressed or uncomfortable, learning is affected. Thanks to all for sharing their experiences, opinions, and knowledge of the topics we covered in class. Happy Holidays and good luck to those who have finished the program.

December 12 post

After reviewing some of the presentations that were highlighted, I noticed that my school district doesn't do alot of the newer ideas presently. Some factors or excuses that may contribute to the lack of introducing newer ideas or concepts is because the size of our school, the lack of revenue, and primarily the old addage of if it ain't broke, it doesn't need to be fixed. The majority of the teachers that presently teach at my school district have taught there for over 15 years and are resistant to change so in order to keep peace, I feel the administration in the past has stayed with the status quo. I think the mentoring program could be added because I remember feeling lost my first year or two of what was going on and why it was going on. The substitute program that was talked about would also save time and be more effeciate from the secretary saving time to the teachers caring what is being taught in their absents. I realize that the material presented in class is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to knowing the ins and outs of being a principal but its a start.

3rd weekend Day 2

Through the presentation today on mentoring as well as yesterdays group presentations it was clear that in our district we have a well-established program setup for first year teachers. As I went through it my first two years I was frustrated because I had already been teaching for two at another school but since I did not have my standard license yet I still had to go through the process. Mentoring was the number one priority in our district and it cause me to miss multiple practices as well. Looking back at the whole process its clear why a district has to be so strict in order to show the importance of the program. The important thing is if you are going to place that importance on it, then it needs to be well planned out and have meaning.

3rd weekend Day 1

During the presentation there were two presentations (standards based grading and student led conferences) that had me thinking if they were possible to implement at PVJH. Of the two, I think student-led conferences would be the more realistic change to be able to take place. There would be resistance to this because of the initial time and training on how to help students present their work to their parents. In the long run students would gain so much more from these conferences to help them continue to succeed the rest of the school year.

Weekend 3 Day 2

Although I was not at class today I just finished my final exam and it really made me think about several things. I enjoyed the questions about the pros and cons associated with each of the three types of communication. I am a person who is terrible about misinterpreting written communication. I am always worried that someone is mad when in reality they are using sarcasm, or that if their message is brief they must be upset with me, etc. I think this is so easy to do. I will always remember that both body language and written message may be relaying something that is totally the opposite of what you want to the recipient.
I also enjoyed all of the questions having to do with new teacher issues, reasons why teachers leave and stresses on teachers. I am very familiar with the ways that I think and feel, but it is interesting to see the research on the larger scale and see what the majority of teachers feel like. I have really benefitted from this class. I enjoy that after each course I always go back to school and look at things in an entirely different light.

Weekend 3 day 1

I thoroughly enjoyed the presentations given today. I learned a lot about several different topics, but I have to say I really enjoyed both Tony's presentation and merit pay and Dorry's about instructional coaching. Both of these are topics that I have lots of opinions about and interest in. I definitely agree with Tony that the further into merit pay you look, the more confusing it is! I think it is a great concept with a lot of "ironing out" that needs to be done. (By someone other than me!)
I also enjoyed mapping the hiring process. I am more of a visual person, and to have a tool like this on hand to use whenever hiring would be much easier than either trying to memorize the process or typing it up. I think using a pictorial also makes you think more about the steps what exactly each one entails.
Today was another great day.

week 3 day 1

I enjoy when our EDL classes create and give presentations to small groups. I learn so much from all you guys. CULTURE: you have to look at all the little things that are going on in the school and see if the culture matches the vision. STUDENT LEAD CONFERENCES: I liked the idea of using the fall as a student lead conference and the spring for traditional conferences. One of the issues in the high school is getting more parental participation (especially at parent teacher conferences) INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING: someone you could have help you in the classroom and coach (not consult) you. Walkthroughs (rounds) that help collect data and help create a snap-shot of what's going on in the classroom...Awesome idea. BULLYING: zero-tolerance in our schools. The discipline issue that has been bothering me this school year. We had two separate incidents in my school where students have moved from our school because of bullying. In one case, the three boys only received a detention for harassing a student who had been abused by her father. Thanks to all for sharing .

Stress

It was kind of interesting about the stress discussion that we had this morning, and the question about stress in the final. I think teaching is a very stressful job if the teacher is not good with stress management. I know that every time something does not go well at school, it would bother me even when I get home and in my sleep. I sometimes take things too personally. There are certain things I can control and something that is out of my control. I often remind myself that I only can change things if I have control over them, the rest of uncontrolled factors, I just have to accept them and move on. I think that teachers who are good and effective need to know how to destress. De-stress can include activities like talking to someone about the problems, be proactive instead of reactive, stay in shape, have some hobbies, or just be true to yourself. A stressed out teacher, or principal will not be effective in their work.

Weekend 3, Day 2

I truly believe that a mentoring induction program is a worthwhile endeavor, and that we can provide a great resource to beginning teachers by using the right model. As with all things, though, much depends on the thought and effort we put into such programs. Giving first and second year teachers more meaningless work to do will only bring about feelings of contempt for the whole notion. Like Jake said in an earlier post, this program provided valuable activities for us to complete that brought about reflection for future practice. Identifying the appropriate, relevant aspects of effective mentoring, as we discussed in class today, will be crucial to teacher buy-in and program success. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience in this program, and I wish you all continued success in your future endeavors! Happy holidays! Corry

Last Class

This is my final reflection about my time spent in the educational leadership program and one thing seems very clear. Hire good people! Today's class reinforced again the importance of hiring the best people to work in your school as teachers, janitors, aides and any other position. I think the management aspect of being a principal is made easier when you have hired good people who you have built a trusting relationship with. I was actually kind of suprised how applicable most of the things I have learned in the program where. It is defintely not just theory, but a lot of practicle ideas that make schools better and benefit students. Thanks to everyone for making class enjoyable and good luck in the job search. Our schools need great principals!

Dec. 11, 2010

I found the presentations to be interesting and informative in many areas I am unfamiliar with.  I thought everyone in my group did a great job gathering important information and hitting on the main points.  The Danielsen framework evaluation system was interesting and I like the fact that is take most of the subjectivity out of the evaluation and the feedback is more meaningful.  I also found the presentation on Mentoring to be helpful and can see how important setting up new teachers can be. 
     I also found the project on creating the flowchart for the hiring process to be helpful.  It is a handout I can keep for future use!

Weekend 3 Day 1

The most interesting thing to me today was the Gallup poll activity.

The thing that interested me were the questions about
Has anyone asked about your development?
Does someone at you school care about you personally?
Do you know what is expected of you at work?

These are the questions I don't really think about in my job. I know people care about me and I know what to do in my job, but no one has ever told me exactly what is expected in my job and no one has asked how things are going in my life. I don't think I expect it, but would it change how I approached my job? I'm not sure.
Lastly, the question about development. It is quite clear to me that people only care about the product I produce. My job emphasizes performance. If I continue to produce quality performances no one cares. If I was not able to do that, then there would be a questions about my development. It's kinda cart before the horse. I'm smart enough to only take a job I can perform well, but that is not always the case.

Just a thought.

presentations

In our group we had three people present on some variation of co-teaching. Even though we talked about the same subject, we were able to see different points of views on the subject. We were able to have some in-depth conversations during the presentations; therefore, we were able express our views on critical issues.
In our three person group we were able to come up with a flow chart for the hiring process. This information would have been very beneficial when I was organizing the hiring of a paraprofessional for my internship. It will now be a resource to be used at a later time.
One thing I really enjoy about this program is the ability to come and have productive conversations. It's is important to see how other schools or teachers are succeeding, but also finding out what is not working.

12-11-10 Class

The discussion of the school culture was very interesting. My personal school culture has changed dramatically since the blending of the two high schools. I think my answers would have been slightly different last year. I liked the tool we used and would like to use it to assess our new school culture. The discussion of the common core standards and the future was very informative. I think administrators need to be kept up to date on these changes so they can keep their staff informed. Implementing anything new in school needs to be done gradually and with the purpose of getting a majority to buy in and implement the changes with integrity. That is one of the major things missing in public education. We do things NOW, instead of introducing the concept gradually.

final weekend - Iles

I enjoyed the presentations.  The format was good.  I felt like people were able to present more freely, and thorough with smaller groups, as compared to an entire class.  I like the ability to review a bit for the final.  It gave me an idea if I am truly prepared for it. 

Grant Iles

December 11 post

By taking this class, I have learned a variety of information that I never new or didn't have the grasp that I have now. I have a better appreciation for the hiring process and all that entails to find the best person for the job. The presentations that I heard were very informational and I will be able to use the content tomorrow and in the future to help see why things are done they way they are done. This was a very good assignment to have and I would want to have, if possible, a copy of all the presentations done.

Final Weekend

School Culture and Climate

This weekend I got a double dose of school climate and culture. It began with the climate survey which I thought was a great tool for beginning conversations about different aspects of school climate. Then I was able to hear a presentation about school culture where similar surveys were used to identify 3 areas of strengths and 3 areas for improvement. One aspect of the climate survey I found especially interesting was who was given the climate survey. The presenter recommended giving the survey to not only teachers, but also janitors, secretaries, and other non certified personnel. Another great suggestion I picked up was to invite people not familiar with the school or district to report on aspects of school climate.

Jacob Crase

Dec. 11

The presentations today provided a great deal of information in a variety of different topics. I enjoyed listening and learning about extra curricular evaluations, PLCs being implemented in a math department, improving culture in a school, evaluations using Danielson's criteria, and project based learning. I was very interested in listening to Lauri and Kelli talk about their dealing with the crisis at their HS. My first 5 years at my school I dealt with 4 student deaths..almost 1 each year. I found it helpful to know that in some aspects we dealt with our student's in the same way. It was a very emotional experience for my current principal since it was the first time he had to deal with a student dead. Unfortunately we do not have a good crisis plan set in place...who to call how to deal with situations, etc. I do believe administrators need to be the overall monitor but let the counselors do their job. Coming from a small school where a big part of our student body are related to at least one other person in our school, it can make for a very difficult situation. I also like Lauri's box of papers to deal with student death. It really helps to hear from the counselor b/c at times many of us teachers were dealing with each death differently and how we were grieving. As an administrator don't forget that your teachers can also be dealing with the loss of the student, especially when you are from a small school and know all students.

Presentations

I really enjoyed listening to the presentations today. It was nice to hear about topics that other people are passionate about. It reminded me how well-rounded administrators need to be and all of the things they need to keep up to date on. As a result of the presentations, one of the things I know I need to do in order to be more prepared for an administrative role is to get on our negotiating committee.

Weekend 3, Day 1

Today provided great opportunities for discussions. I was really impressed by the quality of the presentations that I got to see, and there was great value in talking about the topics that everyone selected. Dr. Closen, you mentioned the option of continuing on with further classes.... As I reflect on the time we spent together today, I know that I am going to miss these opportunities for conversation, collaboration, and reflection with interested and motivated people who share common goals and ambitions. Only one day of class left in this program.... Now, will the weather cooperate?

December 11

I really enjoyed the different presentations.  It is always beneficial to be aware of new educational topics and concepts that are being implemented into schools and/or districts.  My topic on student-led conferences was inspired from another teacher who spoke of it in another EDL class.  I think that professional collaboration helps educators to keep current with educational topics and pushes the envelope for districts to try new things.

Saturday December 11

The discussion about crisis was very interesting to me. My school has recently dealt with a critical situation which a teen was involved in a fire which destroyed an apt. building and the loss of his mother. As far as a crisis plan goes, I am not aware of a plan in my district. I do believe my administrator has done a great job at providing resources for the families involved but it has been difficult for many staff members because the situation was not really discussed and follow-up/debriefing had not taken place.
The group presentations were interesting and provided a lot of beneficial information regarding the field of education. I enjoyed the mentoring presentation and how it is so important for new teachers to have resources and support as beginners.

Saturday December 11

I enjoyed class today. I liked the presentations. Everyone in my group did a great job. Team teaching/collbrative teaching seemed to be a popular topic.
I also liked the discussion about dealing with a crisis. Kelly and Laurie seemed to have done a great job dealing with such a tradegy. We (Williams) experienced a tragedy similar to that last spring. Two of our students passed away in a car accident. It was great how the building joined together. I also liked how they followed the crisis format, it helped the process go as smoothly as possible to help the students and staff to grieve and be comfortable and safe at the same time.

Co teaching

I learned a lot about co teaching today because two people in my group did the presentation on it. It was interesting. I taught Special Ed for one year, and it was a self contained class. My students only had me as their teacher. I had an aid who came in one or two periods to help out. I did not like that environment. I think kids should be exposed to different teachers regardless they are regular students or students with IEPs. Some kids get along and learn better with certain teachers. Also each teacher is different too. Kids need to be exposed to different personality. I kind of like the coteaching method, however, I am worried that it might turn out to be the teacher/aid relationship instead of two different teachers working together to better help the students learning. When one teacher explains, the other can reinforce, it would be great.

T. Sanders Saturday Afternoon Post

My small group's presentations today really got me thinking about all of the initiatives out there to help districts work toward RTI nirvana. We actually had three different presentations that focused on the concepts of co-teaching and the benefits of collaborative work among teachers. Our discussion moved toward LD identification and whether or not the constraints of RTI slow the inevitable identification of students or whether using small group instruction in the regular education setting (Tier 2 and 3 stuff) was really any different than labeling a kid as LD would be. Obviously, I don't know the answer, but it was a thought provoking discussion that stemmed from some pretty darn well done presentations---way to go room 109 crew.

Final Paper and presentation

I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment as I felt it was very beneficial.  I actually have to present to the school board on Collaborative Teaching and the positive effects it can have on our district.  As a result my research paper focused on the positve effects of the concept and how the remaining school personnel plays a role in the outcome.  I look forward to the presentation!