# data[].attributes.body
I love reading Todd Whitaker's book.  He really says what he is thinking and gets right to the point.  During our breakout groups today we had a lot of great discussions.  The following are some points I always want to remember:

I need to remember to always treat everyone with respect everyday, all day.

Praise must be authentic and it can be a powerful motivator.

Consistently model your expectations for how people should be treated.

Great principals focus on students by focusing on teachers.

Why do principals avoid confrontation.

Walkthroughs using a paper with Glow and Grow to help you let the teacher know what she needs to work on.

"Courage is being scared to death-but saddling up anyway."

When talking about dealing with negative or ineffective teachers, you need to remember that they will bring down even the most positive teachers.  Not taking responsibility for doing anything about mediocre teachers is unfair to our students and all the teachers who do their jobs well.  Give mediocre teachers jobs to do that put them in the public eye so they are held accountable.

School culture is the driving force behind everything.  Change the school culture and you will help get everyone on the bus.

Another great day of a lot of great ideas on how to work with my new teachers and our schools ineffective teacher.

# data[].attributes.body
Contract Management

Stacy really knew her chapter in and out; you can tell she already has some background knowledge with her chapter.  Contract management will be a large part of our principalship; therefore, it is essential that we know the ins and outs of all aspects and laws that pertain to them.

Cassie also did a wonderful job.  Knowing all the laws that pertain to a school and leader are of the utmost importance.  I need to go back into the chapter and remember to review the ethical consideration in school management.  They are an essential part of writing school policy.  Policy is a function of the school board and procedure is a function of administrators.  School boards should allow administrators to do their job and stay out of procedure.  I need to remember to look at all laws: Constitutional Law, Statutory Law, and Case Law all need to be reviewed.

Rural Principal Panel

It was very exciting and meaningful to get to talk with other principals and hear their stories.  She was a vast amount of knowledge that she has attained over her 20-year career.  The school she has helped to reform sounds amazing.  You can tell from her story and her enthusiasm that she really loves what she does.

Everyone needs to belong to something!  All kids need to have something else to be part of to foster their social an emotional development.  Kids need to have an identifier in school.  She tries to do walkthroughs on a daily basis, let teachers know that you might also be watching the kids.  The more you step into the classroom, the more it will become the norm. Take notes after walkthroughs about disruptive students so later on you can let the parents know that you also witnessed the behavior too.

Terry Baesler puts his whole heart in his career.  I was able to connect with his story when he stated that he couldn’t give up his teaching.  This is how I feel also!!  I love to teach and really enjoy that I can do the best of both worlds.  With Covid now, I am having to rethink how I can still do both jobs and ensure that the students get everything they need.  I am worried that I won’t be able to teach to the level I normally do.   I need to find a way to let some of my responsibilities go.  Don’t be afraid to steal ideas.  He must have really had a tough time when the 7 teachers left, and the newspaper wrote about him.  I can see this happening but cannot imagine how tough it must have been.

Remember to try not to give new teachers to many suggestions right away, they need to learn to develop their own skill set.

If you try to do everyone else’s job, you can’t do your job well.  This is something I am guilty of doing.  I want to help everyone and help them be their best possible teacher they can be.  As a principal, you don’t have to work morning till night.  I stay at school until 9 o’clock some nights and still don’t get everything done.  I need to learn how to balance school life with family life.  I need to learn how to pace myself.  The school will run even if we aren’t there.  We need to build our schools so that they can run when we aren’t there.  It will be a proud moment when your school can run without you.

You don’t need to have a consequence for every student every time.  Listen to both sides and then wait over night until you have a solution.

Terry uses teachers to coach other teachers, this allows the teachers to continually improve on their instruction.  This allows them to meet in PLCs later on and discuss what they need to improve and reflect on it.  This would be a great idea for our school to pair teachers up.  If you can combine the right people, they will feed off of each other. You can also send these teachers off to observe another teacher.  As teachers learn more, they will also become more confidence in their teaching skills.

When talking about Covid, there is no right or wrong, it is a trial.  The parent surveys showed that the parents want the kids back.  We need to get the communication better with our parents.  We need to get it online too.  Communicate, communicate, communicate!

# data[].attributes.body
This was a very enlightening video about what are schools really need to be successful.  Children are all so different and diverse and this needs to be what drives our educational planning.  We need to ensure that all kids have access to ALL subjects, including the arts.
Lately, almost everyone you talk to diagnoses themselves or their kids with ADHD or ADD.  I think that if we all sit long enough we get distracted and off task.  I too can become overwhelmed when I have a lot on my plate.  I get easily distracted and really have to focus on completing a task.
I love when he spoke about curiosity.  Everyone has curiosity, we need to find what our kids are interested in and use it to get them engaged.  If we spark that curiosity in kids, they will learn.  Teachers can continue to teach and kids still not learn, they need to learn how to facilitate learning.
No system will ever replace or be better than what they teachers can do.  We need to allow our teachers to become their best possible version of themselves they can be.  I plan on pairing my teachers up in a very strategic way and have them mentor each other.  I want them to build off of what they each bring to their partnership.  I want to invest more in PD this year and make it more individualized.
I need to research more about what Finland does in their school systems and understand why they are so successful.
Thanks for sharing such an awesome video. It really brought up a lot of good ideas.

# data[].attributes.body
Thank you for sharing the story you started our day with about the Abbot and Monks.  Instantly, I was able to associate with the story when you started to read it, I could associate the similarities between an Abbot and principal.  I love the thoughts that there is no more powerful leadership than to lead by example.  I also love the thought that you need to practice what you preach.  I will continue to implement these Benedictine values in throughout my leadership on a daily basis.

Chapter 5: Placement and Induction
It was interesting to hear about how a staffing survey works.  I hadn’t heard about that before in a school.  I feel that Angela really seemed to know the information that she was presenting.  When she spoke about induction of a new employee, I feel that I go above and beyond to welcome the new elementary teachers; however, I feel that the high school teachers get overlooked. I am going to try and make it my mission to give them the same welcome this year.  I know that I am only an elementary teacher, but in such a small school, I don’t mind.  I also liked the idea she shared about having a new teacher manual.  I think this is something we should work on giving them.  This is a chapter I will have to go explore more and get ideas on how best to welcome our new teachers.
Daniel also did a great job and seemed to know his material very well.  We do provide each first-year teacher with a mentor; however, some of our teachers have mentors in other schools.  I know that many teachers leave the profession early on, but to hear all the statistics is overwhelming.  I think the first-year teacher program is a great program if you have a great mentor.  I had a very bad experience with my mentor.  She was let go from mentoring and cannot mentor again.  Long story, but it caused me a lot of unnecessary stress my first year.

Chapter 7: Performance Evaluation
Nicole presented all the aspects of a performance evaluation.  I liked that she went over how to determine if an employee should be retained.  I like that she said to also look at that evaluation through the lens of a student.  I like that you added in about making sure we keep track of the positive aspects of how highly effective a teacher is in case a parent complains.  This is something that I need to keep in mind!
Sarah did a thorough job of presenting how to discipline an employee and how to terminate a tenure teacher.  It was very interesting to hear about all the different ways to address teachers who might need to be let go.  I was unaware that the probationary period of a new teacher is now 3 years.  We have a science teacher/bus driver who received a DUI.  He was allowed to stay at the school and resume bus driving after a period of time.

Breakout session after lunch
We had a great discussion during our first breakout session about the legal aspects of personal records and if teachers need to sign documentation in order to be put into the personnel records.  We also emphasized the importance of documented everything and having them sign of on it.  We learned this lesson the hard way. Thanks so much for all your information about Workmen’s Compensation and making me feel better about the janitor winning his case.  I’m glad now that our school did not appeal the decision and drag out the case.

Chapter 6: Staff Development
I love Professional Development.  I am one of those lifelong learners and love to continue learning.  I am very fortunate that our school pays for ANY Professional Development that I want to attend.  I put a lot of time into finding highly engaging PD for our staff, but no matter how hard I try, you always have that one teacher who does not engage.  I did get a lot of positive feedback from the rest of the staff on what we did. I like when Antenniell said that our PD should be applicable.
When creating a Staff Development Program, page 188 is a great diagram of the process to creating staff development.  You need to know when your people when creating a plan.  Involve your stakeholders in your plan.  I do feel that I am getting all the 6 levels of PD in the Rural Leadership Program.
I started the beginning of the year with asking the staff what kind of PD they would like to attend.  I believed that if they had a part in selecting our PD they would be more inclined to take part and learn from it.  It is always the new teacher or Generation Y who give you their input.  Some of Generation X, just sits there like they cannot wait for the two hours to be over.  This is something I need to find a way to change.  There must be a way to get them involved in our PD!  I know I can change the select few to change their attitude.
Do not forget about developing my own PD plan.  I feel that I do a great job with this.  I attend all the leadership and instructional coaching conferences offered.  I am so disappointed that some of the regular offered classes will be virtual this year.
I need to ensure that we keep the people we have and determine how I will go about this.  I want them to attain the skills they need so they can become highly effective teachers.  I think a teacher need survey would be a great way to start out the school year.  I would include all staff in this survey.

Chapter 9: Negotiations
Justine and Carson represented the aspect of negotiations exceptionally.  I think they had a lot to cover in this chapter, but they were able to get the main points across.  We always have the same two high school teachers on our negotiation team.  This is something we need to change.  We need to ask who would like to do it instead of them two always saying they are going to do it.  This past year it was very frustrating because one of the items they negotiated for was having 75% of health insurance covered.  Well it was no surprise that both took the insurance compared to the rest of the staff that did not take it.  One teacher took insurance although he did not need it just because he was upset with their negotiations.  Now look at what that caused the district?  This year is a negotiation year and we need to ask for a fair representation of elementary and high school staff.
Overall, another great day of learning.  I cannot believe how much we get into one day.  I really think the Zoom virtual learning is going great and can see this being done next summer too!  I think it is a lot more convenient for the majority of the people taking the cohort.  I have taken made a long checklist today of leadership qualities and traits that I want to implement this year.  I am going to hold myself accountable!!

# data[].attributes.body
Rural Leadership for Collaborative Community Development
Another great article that gets you thinking!  I do believe that as a leader in the school we need to take some responsibility to lead our students and schools for the better of the community.  However, I think that school leadership is only one part of the puzzle; parents need to do their part in raising their children too.  I think that the community as a whole needs to work together for a common goal.
I like the idea of involving parents and/or community in the rural school improvement efforts.  When it supports academic achievement, I think if parents are involved, then they cannot critique it later on if a new curriculum or instruction isn't effective.
A critical leadership of place is necessary if we choose to do the job we were selected to do.  We need to look support the community where we are teaching because our schools are closely linked with them.  In the school where I teach, the school is the heart of the town.  It is a school where some of the farmers donate funds just to keep it open.  We have 3 to 4 generations of families who have attended our school and it is important to them that their kids continue to attend.
I do feel that we lack at our school for having family engagement activities.  Whenever we collaborate to plan something the majority of the older teachers complain and expect to be reimbursed if they have to come in and do anything extra.  I don't understand this mentality!
I agree that there isn't a one-size fits all program to prepare leaders to develop the necessary skills to serve their rural school communities, but I think we do need some more training on this topic.
I am thrilled to have this article to go over at one of our PD sessions and explain the importance of community involvement.  Hopefully, it will make a difference and we can grow from it.

What a great prayer to start our day.  It really resonating with me and I know that I struggle to say “no” to people, especially our superintendent.  He continues to add things for me to do and it gets overwhelming.

During our first breakout session, we had some great discussion on how to deal with toxic people at our schools.  It is interesting to see how many of us have similar stories.  Overall, we agreed that we all avoid people who constantly talk negatively, but we also shouldn’t always avoid them.  We need to model right in front of them how we should be more positive and how to address negativity.

I like when you spoke about being the superintendent who went into the break room.  I agree that we need to make relationships with our staff.  Almost daily, I sat down with peers and held a discussion with them.

When you shared your story about having to come up with teachers to let go, I couldn’t even imagine being tasked with making a decision like that.  It sounds like it was unfortunate event, but I am glad you were able to repair the relationships that were hurt through this.

Chapter 2, Human Resources Planning Presentation.  I did feel that it took me a couple minutes to understand what they were talking about; however, after a couple slides, I was able to see where they were going with their presentation.  I was unaware of the term “cohort-survival” technique and found it interesting that such a topic existed.  I’m glad you jumped in and further explained this topic.  I know that this is a topic our school is concerned with because of how small we are.  If we don’t continue to get new students, we will struggle to stay open.  Overall, I think they did a great job, they had a lot of information to get over.  I believe that we really need to be aware of our rights and discrimination.

Chapter 3, Recruitment.  Right off, I like that they took the time to redo their slides and make them visually pleasing.  I like that he really has a way to put the information into his own words instead of just reading it off the slide.  I agree that sometimes you are conflicted on who to hire just because of other reasons.  You need to look at the whole picture and your mission when hiring someone.  Once again, we need to market our school and know that the community looks at what happens in our school.  Many aspects play into hiring someone while maintaining our school image.  I was shocked to see that 75% of applicants will study the website before applying for a job.  They both did a great job touching on the main points of the chapter.

Chapter 4, Selection Process.  I thought they did a thorough job of going over all the aspects of hiring a new candidate.  I do think that a job analysis is a great idea to do at schools and we could find out a lot of useful information.  I loved that you interjected and spoke about writing, “open until filled” on a job opening.  We just posted a job for a janitor and that is what was written on the ad.  I’m going to check and see if we can change it and put a close date on it.  We have only had one person apply so far.

I cannot believe how fast today flew by, I really enjoyed getting to listen to the other groups present.  I am looking forward to doing tonight’s readings on Appreciative Inquiry.

Appreciative Inquiry

I believe we need to look more into the Appreciative Inquiry Model.  I remember on the first day of leadership school, you asked us why we wanted to be leaders.  One of the things that I mentioned I wanted to change was to bring more FUN back into our school.  This is something I have always believed.  I have always kept my classroom fun and inviting, and the kids seem to thrive in this environment.  This is one of the best things about the position I am in, I can still teach while also being a leader and making the changes I believe in.

I love the article that used the example of having to move into another house.  This is exactly right, if the staff has stock in the changes you want to implement in a school, the more apt they are to take a positive approach to change.

AI focuses on the strengths found in schools and everyone works together to celebrate these successes and build on them.  I love the idea that everyone participates in making the school more effective while being innovative.  I think this model would help professionals to grow as teachers and in return the students would benefit from these rewards.

AI differs from other schools that focus on the traditional models that we are familiar with.  These models look for the weaknesses and can sometimes the changes they implement can come across as threatening to staff.

I would love to apply this model in my school; however, it we would get some resistance from several high school staff members.  They are always the complainers at our PD.  I find it so frustrating to hear them complain in front of our new staff members.  Fortunately, it didn’t take our new staff members long to see how they behaved and find it unsettling.

I think this model might break down the barriers that exist between high school and elementary.  I feel that elementary staff is always trying to fit in with high school staff.  It’s only a couple in the high school left who act like this.  Our new teachers are very friendly.  I also think that a couple of the older teachers might not like the change, but I think they would get on the bus eventually.

I want to research this model more and find a way to present it to my staff and superintendent.

# data[].attributes.headline
July 17 Reflection on Presentations, videos, readings.

# data[].attributes.subject
July 17 Reflection on Presentations, videos, readings.

# data[].attributes.body
July 17, 2020

It is Friday!  What at awesome week!  It really flew by fast!

I really enjoyed the how Allison, Angela, and Austin presented the Political Framework.  I thought their slides were well organized and contained a wealth of information.  I know it was a lot of information for them to cover, but they were able to do it by touching on the basic components.  I thought they did a good job getting their ideas across to the rest of us.

During lunch hour I read the article, How Principals can Banish Adult Toxic Behavior.  I was very thankful that you provided us with this article because these are some of the most important skills we need to have as a principal.  While reading the article, I was consistently reminded of a teacher who is causing our school many issues.

One tactic of toxic teachers is that they put more energy into justifying and rationalizing their unproductive behavior than it would take to change their habits.  This suits the person I am thinking about perfectly.  Whenever she is asked to help, she goes into a frenzy describing how busy she is.  I know as a fact she is not that busy.  She has been allowed to get away with minimal classes and the rest of her day filled with made-up slots, so the school board thinks her schedule is full.  I try very hard to understand why our HS Principal/Superintendent allows this.  The longer I am there, I see that she almost runs our school.  I’m not sure what they answer is, but I know that she is harming our school morale.

While watching John Maxwell: The 5 Levels of Leaders.  I agree with his comment, that not all people will follow you because they want to, some follow because they feel they have too.  I was able to relate to his example of how people get ready 30 minutes early before their day ends so they can quickly get out of work.  I see this consistently at our school.  You can tell which teachers go above and beyond and which ones are they for the paycheck.  It just shocks me on some Fridays when the buses leave, and I go to walk down hall of High School and 75% of the rooms are dark and they have already left the parking lot.  I am usually the last to leave, but I also like to stay and finish my work because I know that if I bring it home, I will not get it done.  I also know that no matter what kind of great leader you are, you will always have those teachers who will be a problem.  I’m not sure if there ever will be one right answer on how to deal with them.  Being in a small town, and their standing in the community adds an addition layer of conflicts when dealing with certain staff.

# data[].attributes.body
You started out our day with a question about what kind of leader we want to be.  Do we want to tell people what they should do, or do we want them to want to follow us and our mission?  I want to be the kind of leader who my staff will follow and support OUR mission.  My first year as acting principal went very well.  I had great support from my teachers, and I felt we were a great team.  I tried my best to treat them as equals and treat them as I would like to be treated.

I loved listening to everyone’s presentation during the morning.  I was blown away by some of the great creativity some people displayed, I think it motivates me to increase my creativity.   My theory that I presented was the Contingency Theory and I did feel that it was a difficult concept to understand at first, but I did my best to present it.  I showed an additional slide that displayed the questionnaire a leader would fill out in order to find their LCP.  I was glad I added that slide in because it brought about a great discussion within our group.

I was so impressed with the case study and would love to do more of them.  I felt more engaged with it when we discussed it and role-played our positions in the case.  Now we will be aware of how to handle cases like this if we ever come across them.

We finished early in our group, so we went around and shared similar issues that we have seen in our schools.  We were able to apply our recently learned information to situations we were familiar with.  We were able to see these situations from a different lens now that we have more knowledge situations like these.

Please let me know if you feel that my journal is missing anything.  I’ve heard you mention several times in the morning about reflecting in our journals and I just want to ensure that I am meeting the expectations.  Thanks so much for everything!

# data[].attributes.headline
The Case of a Dysfunctional Administrative Team

# data[].attributes.subject
The Case of a Dysfunctional Administrative Team

# data[].attributes.body
This was a well written case study about many of the same issues seen in small rural schools.  I see it too often when a teacher gets favoritism because of who she is in the community and who she knows on the school board.  I strongly believe that it causes a lot of morale issues and distrust among the staff.  They see how unfair it is that one teacher gets special treatment or gets away with doing subpar teaching.  Eventually, other teachers quit trying to go above and beyond too!  We have this exact case going on in our school right now.  Fortunately, we have had enough turn around and thing s are getting better; however, we still have one teacher who is causing a lot of problems.  It almost seems like our Superintendent is scared of her and so he lets her get away with a lot.  Simple things like turning in your classroom inventory at the end of the year, she hasn't done one in years.  She didn't input grades for the few students she has to teach and nothing was done about it.  She didn't do any online counseling during Covid and nothing was said to her.  The laundry list goes on and on.  She almost makes as much as our Superintendent and only taught one class last year. So she is a prime example of getting paid around $80,000 and not having to do anything.  She has taken on the Counselor role for 5 years now and has still to provide counsel to students who have it in the IEPs.  We finally got her to do a couple lessons with the elementary last year and that was all she did.  I don't understand it and I feel like it isn't my place to get involved too much.  I could go on and on, but I better stop.   I need to get back to the article we read.
I think that Superintendent Yearn should have held up the ISS of Emory and not let her play in the game.  I know he thought it was the right thing to do in the interest of the community because of the basketball game and the college coaches wanting to watch Emory play; but was it worth the cost of what it might have done to the trust others place in him.  He violated the rights and trust of people in the school and acted unethically as a superintendent.  I felt like he just reaffirmed the favoritism he displayed certain students and families.
Thanks so much for sharing this case study, I really gleaned a lot of great ideas from it.
I came across this assessment and thought it was worth sharing.

# data[].attributes.headline
 July 15th Reflection and P. Lencioni 5 Dysfunctions of a Team video Reflection

# data[].attributes.subject
 July 15th Reflection and P. Lencioni 5 Dysfunctions of a Team video Reflection

# data[].attributes.body
Within the first couple minutes of the video, I was able to completely associate with what Lencioni was describing.  I have the same problem and I am beginning to wonder if a lot of people in our cohort are similar.  Maybe this is a common trait found in leadership?  I am just as easily distracted as Lencioni describes he is.  I have a teacher who is aware that I struggle with this and so she keeps me on track.  I love it!  It's so bad that sometimes I catch my mouth talking to somebody and my mind is thinking about something else and I don't recall what I just said.  It's crazy and I don't like it. I have started to remind myself to take a breath and concentrate be attentive when I am speaking with someone.  I don't want anyone ever to feel that they don't have my full attention.
Lencioni describes about being vulnerable and that the leader needs to go first.  I agree, when we start to share our faults, it allows others to feel comfortable and open up to.  People need to feel like they can share and be accepted for who they are and not feel judged.  I do feel that is a strength of mine that I am very accepting of everyone and embrace the differences.
I love when he said you can't trust someone who doesn't know themselves.  I agree.  If you aren't aware of your strengths and weaknesses we have a made up vision of our self.  I am already planning on sharing a lot from this video and turn it into a PD lesson.  I think this will help us build more trust and deal with some of the conflict found at our school.  I would like our staff to learn that productive conflict is good and can lead to us becoming a great team.
I also like with his quote, "If people don't weigh in, they don't buy in."  We need to ensure that people contribute and have a say when we are discussing something.  They need to feel that they can contribute and feel comfortable doing it.  We need real commitment from everyone even if they disagree.  They will follow you if they feel that at least they were heard and had a say.
If you don't hold people accountable they won't know the consequences of their actions.  I agree so much, but it is a struggle for me sometimes.  I need to remember that when I do have to talk to a teacher and hold them accountable, that I am coming from a place of love and not being superior.
I love this image you added to our itinerary for today, so I added to my Padlet to remember it.  Thanks!

# data[].attributes.body
6.3 - The two highest scores I received were 29s on Implementer and Innovator.  I agreed with this questionnaire and the results I received.  I do see me as someone who likes to come up with ideas and see them to fruition.  The one that I received the lowest score was Mediator.  This did surprise me because I thought that I was someone who was good at, but now I know that I need to work on it.

5.3 - On this questionnaire my scores were quite evenly divided.  I received a 27 in administrative skills, 27 in interpersonal skills, and 25 in conceptual skills.  I was surprised that conceptual skills was my lowest score.

4.3 - On this questionnaire I scored a 39 on task orientation and a 43 on relationship orientation. As friendly as I am, I do agree that task orientation is my dominant style of leadership..

# data[].attributes.body
Before being accepted in the University of Mary, I was unaware that it was a Catholic College.  So I was thrilled when I started and learned that it not only was a Catholic College, but also about its history of Benedictine Values.  I am a practicing Catholic and have studied the Bible for years.  My beliefs strongly shape who I am.
One thing that also drew me to the small rural community and school I teach in is that it is a strong religious community.   I love that our school still sings Christmas carols like Away in the Manger, Silent Night, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.  We can also decorate with Angels if we want.  When my kids went to school in Larimore, it only took one parent to complain and they removed all Christmas songs with religious connotations in them.  Why sometimes does it only take one person to complain and then everyone else has to reform to their ideals?
The Benedictine Values don't just have to be Catholic, anyone can incorporate them into their daily lives.  They can model them for others to see.  Servant Leadership is another Value that they discussed and the importance of not only saying what we believe, but modeling it.
Sister Thomas really has a fun sense of humor, I loved listening to her wisdom that she shared.  When Sister talks about our calling, I reflected back to how I felt when I decided to join the U of Mary.  It just kind of fell into my lap when I was online looking into colleges.  I didn't finish applying, but the college must have seen that I was on and started to fill out an application.  They called me and told me about the Leadership School and I was in.  It was my calling, my passion and giftedness that the school and community was in need of.  It was meant to be and I cannot express enough how thrilled I am to be here.  I hope to be able to be on campus, in person, next year.
It is interesting that she too believes that everyone has the ability to be a great leader.  We have the capacity in us, we just need to grow, nurture, and develop it.  She stated that leadership is not part of our gene school.
A Servant Leader continually seeks the best for everyone they serve.  We should also desire to make life better for others.  The Servant Leader who I feel most impacted my choice to become a principal was my mentor, Kristine Dale.  She impacted my choice in a positive way because she modeled for me how to be a great leader.  When I subbed at Midway, I was so impressed with the Servant Leadership she displayed on a daily basis.    She is an awesome principal who goes above and beyond for everyone in the building.  She received the Principal of the Year award for our area.  She is who I strive to be like and model my principalship after.  I was so excited when I heard that she would be my mentor.
During one of the breakout sessions, we all shared how our choice to lead had been impacted by a negative principal.  We wanted to make a change from who they were and how they served.  Therefore, I believe that both  negative and positive leaders influence our decision to become a Servant Leader.
According to Greenleaf, a great leader, leads from the center.  Leaders don't stand over the community or demand from them.  Leaders model how to a be a great leader and doesn't just say it.
I liked the example she told about the missionaries and the Native Americans needing to wait for their souls to catch up with their bodies.  I tend to be at fault for not taking time out and just relaxing sometimes.  I need to be present and not so distracted at times.  When you take control you give up opportunity for collaboration and community.  People won't follow me if they don't believe in my message.  People do what people see.
This video really helped me understand Servant Leadership and how the Benedictine Values fit into it.  I loved this video and it has really helped me to stop worrying so much about my choice to become a leader.
I just can't say enough positive things about Sister Thomas. She did a great job explaining how everything about Servant Leadership ties together. I look forward to displaying these values in my principalship.  I also need to work on my listening skills. I need to focus on one thing at a time so I can be an active listener.  Thanks so much for sharing this outstanding learning video!

# data[].attributes.body
I agree with the statement in Chapter 7 that highly effective people begin with the end in mind.  To me this is similar to having goals in mind and knowing what you will do to reach these goals.
I don't have a full picture or vision yet as where I see our school in the next few years, but I have some ideas of positive changes that need to happen.
This past year our school has already gone through some much needed turn around.  We had too many people who were comfortable just doing status quo and it was being reflected in our students' test scores and parent complaints.  Now we have had almost a 50% turnaround in new teachers who are new to teaching and excited about teaching and making a difference in their students.  Part of my vision is to continue to foster their love and learning and help them be the best possible teacher they can be.
One value that I hold myself accountable for is to treat everyone equal and with respect.  I want them all to know how much I appreciate and value what they do.  You can already see how the morale of our school has changed this past year.  We still have a couple teachers who are really set in their ways and are reluctant to get on the bus, but hopefully, they too will see the difference it is making in our students and staff.  We need to find the write words and/or symbols to use so everyone will find instinsic value in wanting to excel.
Chapter 8 was talking about the importance of setting group norms and setting them to maximize group effectiveness.  This is something we also need to work on and ensure we are all on the same page.  Although our school is small and we have pre/k -12 n the same building, we are not a cohesive group quite yet.  Our PD and staff meetings are getting better and more people are getting excited about the changes, so we are getting there.
While reading about constructive criticism, I realized that I need to quilt being afraid to give honest and direct feedback.  I need to quit worrying about upsetting the other person and trying to smooth everything over.  This is going to be a goal I set for myself this upcoming year.  I read closely the tips to giving constructive feedback; next, I need to put them into action.
While reading chapter 9 about diversity, I was reminded of some staff members who are not very accepting of our migrant students.  This something I have not been able to understand.  We even had one teacher refuse to teach a migrant student a few years ago.  Do they not realize that we all have an innate need to belong and how detrimental that could have been if the student found out?  I know there are people out there like this, but I cannot understand it.
As an EL teacher, I have read many good books about equity and multiculturalism.  Last summer I read a really good book about whiteness and things we take for granted. One thing they mentioned that I had never thought about was the fact that all the shampoo bottles in hotels are only for whites.  Why don't they give you a choice when you check in?  It is hard to believe this is the year 2020 and we are still dealing with issues of ethnocentrism and prejudice.
I felt like I really learned a lot today during our virtual sessions. I did learn that I need to focus more and felt bad that I had read the wrong paper. I was distracted before lunch with a parent letting me know that their whole family had contracted the Corona Virus. I also really struggle to sit in one position for very long to begin with due to compression fractures. I know theses are excuses and I need to focus better if I am to get everything out of the schooling that I want. I am so thrilled to be getting al this knowledge so that I can apply it when school starts. Thanks again for all you do!!!

# data[].attributes.headline
EDU 545 School Administration: July 21, 2020 

# data[].attributes.subject
EDU 545 School Administration: July 21, 2020 

# data[].attributes.body
I agree with Whitaker’s statement about the difference between effective principals and ineffective principals is what they do, not what they know. As a leader, I feel that I am very self-aware, almost to the point where I am constantly analyzing how I am coming across as a leader. One essential quality of an effective principal is self-awareness.

I feel that you can learn a lot from observing what great principals do compared to less effective ones.  I observed my mentor principal in action and learned a lot from her on how to become an effective leader. I also knew exactly what kind of principal I didn't want to be.  I watched my previous principal for three years. She had to resign, then they asked me to take her place. Imagine being her and stepping down and now I am her principal.  It went extremely well! I treated her with respect, and we became a team and get along great. We had a lot of fun this past year.  I feel that she has learned from her mistakes and it has made her a better teacher. She has become that teacher who gives me honest feedback and I always remind her to tell me the truth.

Now, back to the topic in question in the book, “What do most effective principals do differently?” (Whitaker, 2013).  I strongly believe that if we have great teachers then the community and students will perceive the quality of our school in as positive way.  If we cannot help our teachers become successful, then we need to let them go. Great teachers create an inspiring school environment that fosters student learning. Principals need to invest in their staff not just programs. In keeping with improving our staff most of our professional development this year was individualized. The staff loved it so much, that we did it again. They liked the freedom to choose and work on the skills they needed the most.

I want to be the kind of principal who is constantly involved with the staff on a daily basis. I talked to them and check in on them. I want to nurture great relationships. I believe that I am very self-aware of how my staff views me.

One of our first-year teachers needed a lot of support and direction in order to get her class together. I was continually having to talk to her about the students running around the room and her room being so noisy. Other teachers were also complaining about the noise and said they struggled to teach. It was a slow process, but she did improve. I observed her confidence go up by the end of the year and this confidence will help her be a more effective teacher this year.

I will continue to build on the skills I've learned during Rural Leadership School. I will be self-aware and accept feedback on my performance. I will also strive to make sure my teachers are self-aware of their behavior and teaching skills and understand how their behavior impacts their classroom. Teachers need to accept responsibility for their classroom and except if their classroom is not effective. Do not put the blame elsewhere.

I also want to be the principal who is aware of everything in the building, without stepping on someone’s toes. I need to be aware of all aspects that pertain to our school and solve any problem I encounter along the way. I will ensure that I accept responsibility for anything that is my fault.

I need to set high expectations for myself so that my staff will also.  In addition, I will work with the teachers to come up with expectations they can set for themselves and their classrooms.  I am learning a lot from this book and look forward to the continued reading of it.  I can already tell that I will be referring back to it often.  Thanks for finding such an outstanding book.

References

Whitaker, T. (2013). What Great Principals Do Differently (2 nd ed.). Routledge.

# data[].attributes.headline
A Beginning Rural Principal's Toolkit Reflection

# data[].attributes.subject
A Beginning Rural Principal's Toolkit Reflection

# data[].attributes.body
What a great article!  I like how they specifically addressed the challenges rural leaders face.  Their entry plan or 'toolkit' for beginning principals is a great guide to help new rural principals.
It was interesting to read about scenarios that you can readily associate with.  A couple that stood out to me were the following:  Small rural schools have the same accountability standards as larger schools and some people have to wear many hats which can make it difficult to do one job to your full potential.
I know that one trait I need to work on is dealing with multiple tasks at the same time and learning how best to manage my time and priorities.  I just spoke to my superintendent about this last week and he suggested a class that he took.  As stated in the article, I need to develop priorities or else I have the potential to be everywhere, but nowhere.
Another trait that I will continue to work on that was discussed in the article was resilience.  I do tend to take things to personally and I need to develop a capacity to deal with stress and adversity.  I currently walk as much as I can in order to deal with stress.
I did have a great mentor throughout this past year, so I didn't really feel isolated.  I also had my superintendent in the same building so I could go to him for guidance when needed.
Thanks so much for finding this article. I will refer back to it many times. I am also going to look into some of the articles they referenced.

# data[].attributes.body
I found the leadership questionnaires very informative because they made me aware of some traits and styles of leadership I wasn't aware I was demonstrating.  I would be very curious to handout the questionnaires later on to several colleagues and see how they rate me.
On one of the questionnaires I scored the highest on skill emphasis and behavior emphasis. I would agree with these scores because I too feel that these are my stronger traits.
On the Leadership Orientation self-assessment that we did online, I scored quite evenly across the structural, HR, and symbolic frames.  The frame that I scored lower in was the political frame.
I am really enjoying taking all these leadership quizzes and see that we have more to take for tonight's assignments. Although we are self-aware and see ourselves in a certain way, these quizzes allow us to reevaluate some of these beliefs. It is a great activity to help us grow and find out strengths and weaknesses.

# data[].attributes.body
After reading Chapter 4,
I reflected back on the importance of being self-aware.  I think that sometimes I tend to be so self-aware that I worry to much about what others think of me and upsetting them.  I believe that a lot of this is so deep rooted in my beliefs and upbringing.  I know that this is something I will continue to work on.
Chapter 4 also spoke about being task orientated or relationship orientate, I would fall almost in the middle.  I do feel that I am just a little bit more relationship orientated because I really do have the "gift of gab".  I struggle with always staying on task and get easily distracted at school.  Now that I am more aware of it, I make myself complete one task before starting another.
I have read a lot about interpersonal skills this past week.  I agree that people skills are an essential component of being an effective leader.  You need to be socially aware, have emotional intelligence, and know hot to handle interpersonal conflicts.  I believe that having great interpersonal skills is at the top of the list of traits an effective leader will need to already have or develop.
One insight that I have that will help me become a better leader is that fact that I am still a teacher too.  I get to see things from two different viewpoints.  The challenging part to that is knowing where to draw the line between colleague and supervisor.
I enjoyed reading chapter 6 and reflecting on what I consider some of my strengths and weaknesses.  I look forward to putting forth the work so I can further develop my weaknesses.  Like they stated in the chapter, talent times investment is what it takes to develop your skills.
I was very impressed with the first day.  I was nervous because of the unknown and how everything was going to work.  I thought it went great and felt engaged with the other members.
I am so excited to get the knowledge and skill set to become a great principal.  I look forward to getting to each and every member of our group and learn from them.  I love the diversity of the group.
Thanks for a great first day!

# data[].attributes.body
I liked: How Ashley addressed many of the same concerns that I have seen and experienced during my first year as Elementary Principal.

I wish: I would have taken these classes before accepting the position.  Although your life skills and previous leader skills will help, there are so many other aspects and skills necessary to become a great Principal.

I wonder: What the long term outcome of rural schools will be with all the budget cuts. Will they ever be able to develop policy that will suit everyone.