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I have been wanting to go back to school for many years. I held back for many reasons: money, my daughter, time, doubts that I could pass the entry exam, etc.

With the constant and positive pressure of family and professional mentors and prayers, I finally took the step. I am a passionate learner and no matter what the setting, I am going to find ways of professionally growing, but it was time that I took this step and I am so thankful and feel blessed to be a part of the IL program. Part of the indecision in the beginning was that I was not really able to decide what area to pursue. I have always been interested in special education, but I wasn't sure that at my age that I would want to or be able to continue that. I never really wanted to or planned be a principal either, but working closely with the woman who exemplifies true servant leadership (and has a similar personality as mine) has given me confidence that I can use the gifts God has granted me and the passion I have for learning, and mentoring and leading to facilitate and guide others to making positive changes in educational environments. I believe now that I am on the right path. Right now, my plan is to step into administration a bit slower than possibly my peers in this program, but I am also praying for guidance. The more classes I take, the more I feel windows opening and bringing sweet breezes of possibility.

I still have some personal issues to work on before I feel I am strong enough to be an administrator. One, I take things personally, and easily get my feelings hurt. I don’t want that to ever affect how I work with other professionals I am leading and working with. I want to be fair, clear and honest without those types of emotions getting in the way. Two, I sometimes second guess myself after I have made a decision. I want and need to build more self confidence. I am getting better in these areas, but, as I learn more about the multitudes of decisions being made by school leaders, I don’t want to be wasting time on silly things. I want to be able to be secure in those decisions I might not have time to digest and pray about. Making decisions that affect so many other lives besides my own is a big responsibility that I want to feel more secure in.

For now, I am filling my "toolbox" with a multitude of resources and knowledge. I am surrounding myself with the mentors and models that I feel exemplify true leadership and I am constantly praying and listening for guidance.

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What barriers or obstacles might prevent me from accomplishing my goals?

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What barriers or obstacles might prevent me from accomplishing my goals?

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The following barriers or obstacles could inhibit me from reaching my goals by the deadline I set.

Money issues that could delay my attending classes at the same rate I have planned

Revamping of literacy program that changes how literacy coaches work within our district and/or state

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What limiting factors counld inhibit me?

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What limiting factors counld inhibit me?

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There are some personal limiting factors that could inhibit me. They are:

Second guessing myself

Taking things too personally

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What is my plan for overcoming barriers and obstacles?

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What is my plan for overcoming barriers and obstacles?

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My plan for overcoming personal inhibitions and barriers includes:

More positive self talk and continual work on building a positive mindset.

Surrounding myself with like minded, positive influences who will challenge me and hold me accountable for positive self talk.

My plan for overcoming outside barriers and obstacles is to:

Do my best in classes so that I can maintain a 4.0 GPA and possibly  get scholarships or grants to continue taking classes at the rate I planned.

Maintain vigilance in the law, as well as in the policies and procedures being held or changed in the area of literacy

Update my list for PD and or certifications I may need to add to my list to complete

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What resources are available to help me overcome and persevere?

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What resources are available to help me overcome and persevere?

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Professional (People) Resources

Personal mentors

Positive mindset and affirmations as well as honest feedback

Professional mentors

Open communication and honest feedback of my performance

Suggestions of next steps and helpful PD

etc.

Groups and Memberships

ASCD - Community of leaders, provider of PD and text rich resources for leaders to grow and provide PLC opportunities for whole faculty

PLC members - Professional peers with like minded focus to bounce ideas off of

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What action steps must I take to get where I plan on going?

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What action steps must I take to get where I plan on going?

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The action steps I will take are:

Focus on every opportunities while I am in school to not only learn from my professors and text sources but also from my peers so that I might broaden my resource base and learn from their knowledge and experience as well.

Reach out to current literacy coaches and administrators now so that I am aware of leading policies, procedures and movements within the field/specialty.

Reach out to my mentors (administrators) and let them know that I would, within 5 years like to serve in that way and would like any opportunities to shadow them and learn from them.

Maintain my positions on leadership teams and possibly create new teams so that I may serve to represent all faculty in using data to maintain and/or change what is needed to move the school forward according to our collective vision and mission.

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What knowledge, abilities and skills must I develop to get where I plan on going?

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What knowledge, abilities and skills must I develop to get where I plan on going?

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As a Literacy Coach - I will need:

Knowledge of ALL current changes in literacy curriculum and participate in all professional development opportunities in these areas.

Skills and abilities related to  clear and concise communication. This is an area I need to work on so that I can communicate the focus and not loose the attention and respect of busy, stressed and tired teachers seeking help. I tend to be too wordy and will work on this.

As a future administrator, I will need to work on/gain...

Knowledge & Skills of:

Our district's policies and requirements of administrators.

ALSDE guidelines and policies

Data, Data, Data - Collection techniques and platforms, Comparing and contrasting to different types and different years etc.

Managing different types of responsibilities

Building - Political - Staff - Legal etc...

Balancing and prioritizing issues

Counseling skills - to assist in the leading of so many types of personalities and life issues.

SO MUCH MORE!

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I feel that this list should be extremely long. Not only because I love learning and realize that every time I take a class, it makes me extremely thirsty for more knowledge in that area.

This is a list of my top 3 in the areas of literacy coach and then administrator.

Literacy Coach:

New curriculum related to and adopted by my district to address primary literacy skills

Phonics First, LETRS, mClass/DIBELS etc

New literacy laws and the policies /procedures related to following them to fidelity

Bridging the gap from primary literacy to intermediate literacy as well as bridging the gap for English language learners

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In what areas do I need to grow professionally to optimize my effectiveness

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In what areas do I need to grow professionally to optimize my effectiveness

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I need to work on/grow professionally in the areas of:

Multi-tasking - I am fairly strong in this area, but after really observing all that administrators have to balance, I feel that this is one area that I might struggle in at first.

Public Speaking - This has always been a struggle for me. I have really worked on it for the past 5 years and am getting better, but it does not come naturally.

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What is my timeline for getting where I am headed.

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What is my timeline for getting where I am headed.

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If I follow the path UWA has set for me, I am scheduled to graduate in October 2022.  This seems far away, but it allows me time to work on obtaining training in some of the areas I listed above for literacy training as well as time to shadow mentor administrators to decide if I would like to skip the literacy coaching and look into entering administration first.

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Cream and Brown Animal Charity Infographic

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New Missions, Projects and Positions that Appeal to Me

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New Missions, Projects and Positions that Appeal to Me

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There are SO many projects and missions that appeal to me.
Day to day, I find small missions and projects to reach each learner. They include both short and long term projects that help each student become more of an individual, yet global citizen. These projects include collaborative projects where each group member is a different style learner and has an important skill or strength that the others need. They include service projects that allow students to learn that as hard as their lives may seem, there are others who may need more and they have special gifts that can make a difference. etc.
I have larger missions, like how we can bring back a community and parental involvement after COVID. These involve plans to start another school community garden and or outdoor classroom where hopefully parents and community members can come to the school to work with kids and share their personal passions and skills while improving the physical environment, introducing future activities for students and strengthening community communication and excitement. One of my professional missions or goals is to participate in counseling classes to assist others in the rise of mental health issues as well as insight on how to listen and counsel faculty and staff in issues that might arise as an administrator.

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I am an introverted thinker who loves to learn. I am passionate about teaching  and in teaching because the fire that I can ignite in others for learning further fans the flames within me and keeps me going. In the classroom, and pretty much any educational setting,  I appear to be an extrovert due to that passion. I thrive on PLC's, PDs and just any give and take conversation and collaboration. I believe that learning should be personal and therefore I encourage building a community of like minded people but also creating a safe space where different minded people can come together to strengthen each other in acceptance, not just tolerance.

I’m all for giving and taking personality profiles, learning style profiles and using any self reflection tools where students see themselves as more than students but as individuals in a global community. Too often they feel limited due to their race, gender, socioeconomic status and family history. I want them to step away from that long enough to get to know their own minds and hearts, then use those other factors  as background knowledge so that they can strengthen themselves. I want everyone that I teach or mentor to know there is so much more to them than their student number, brother or sister that has attended the school first etc. If we don’t know who we are and how we fit in the big picture, we can’t open our eyes to the world of possibilities available to us. I am growing and developing everyday. Every child/student’s life that is in my life alters me in some way and how I work to assist that student also affects my growth and development. I work well beyond the hours that many of my peers put in (even before I started school again.) I used to walk down the vacant halls and classrooms in the late afternoons and ask myself what was wrong with me… why I was still there working and they could go home. I have come to realize that, like many of my students, there is nothing wrong with me, I am just different and have a different path to walk. Maybe this is why Robert Frost is my favorite poet. He talks in so many of his poems about being different, stopping and observing, choosing the alternative road, being acquainted with the night when everyone else was inside and asleep. I embrace that I am different and I know that I have a purpose. As I travel this new path as an official student and I learn about leadership I know that I am going to be faced with many challenges and several new paths to choose from. I am praying that I will listen well and choose the right path for me, my family  and future teachers, students and stakeholders.

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My current professional position is: 5th Grade (Self Contained) Teacher in a Title I School of Jefferson County

I currently also hold many leadership positions - such as:
* Lead Mentor for LES
* SREB Math Facilitator
* CILT Secretary
* PBIS Team Secretary
* ATSI Team Member

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Experiences I Have Had in My Professional Life

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Experiences I Have Had in My Professional Life

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I hold a B.S. Degree in Elementary Education from UAB

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I currently hold a HQT Certificate and Teaching License (Class B Certificate)

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I want to be a Masters graduate from UWA and in a position as a Literacy Coach with my district, preferably in one school so that I can work as a facilitator and mentor as well as serve with administrators from whom I can learn more from, and move on to be an administrator a few years later.

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Short Term Goals
My short term goals are to:

Maintain a 4.0 in my graduate studies so that I have demonstrated to myself that I have utilized my time and efforts wisely and learned as much as possible in that time period.

Spend time surrounding myself with mentors -both personally and professionally so that I may grow and develop through modeling rather than just book knowledge.

Long Term Goals

After I graduate from UWA with my Masters in IL, I plan to move forward in a leadership position. I would first like to be a Literacy or Reading Coach.

I would plan to work as a coach for a couple of years, then move towards administration, if that is where I am led to be.

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Why I Want to Be... Where I Want to Be...

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Why I Want to Be... Where I Want to Be...

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After graduating, I would want to be in a school, and serving/leading as a Literacy Coach.  I feel that this allows me to be a mentor in an area that I feel strong in and very passionate about. It also allows me to work more closely with a principal and/or assistant principal and serve in many other school leadership positions. I am not a fast mover. I love to learn and I feel that I would like more opportunities to observe and be mentored as an administrator before I move to lead in that way.