Reflective Practice And Career Goals: Case Study

George Esposito is a Graduate of Saint Francis College in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in Social Studies. He has a Master’s Degree from Brooklyn College in Social Studies. He has taught at David A. Boody Junior High School for 4 years. George Esposito has been a Teacher Leader for two years where he led teams in analyzing student data, teaching practices, and common planning teams. Throughout his career, George has spoken at the Gates Foundation and Learning Forward Conferences on teacher leadership. George has presented at several locations around the country on Micro-Credentialing and Teacher Leadership.

Based on my experience in the classroom and my educational background, I want to pursue a certification as a K-12 administrator because I want to help and work with a larger population of students. My desire to enhance the culture and community in a school building has come from working with three amazing, passionate, and dedicated administrators (one principal and two vice principals) in my school building. Their drive to positively influence the lives of students, collaborate with parents, and enhance the teaching styles of all the faculty members in the building, has motivated me to want to do the same. A new challenge is presented every day in a school building, and I want to be part of an administrative team that will successfully work together to overcome each and every obstacle in order to better the educational experience of students.

Teacher leaders and administrators play a vital role in the overall organizational structure of a school. As discussed in Educational Leadership, there are ten roles that teacher leaders tend to gravitate towards. The roles of teacher leaders vary according to duties and responsibilities placed on the teacher leader, they include the following: resource provider, instructional specialist, curriculum specialist, classroom supporter, learning facilitator, mentor, school leader, data coach, catalyst for change, and learner (Harrison & Killion, 2007, pg. 74-77). As a teacher leadership at Lake Oconee Academy, I personally see my duties and responsibilities covering several of these roles. Since the beginning of my employment at Lake Oconee

Palmer Lake Elementary School refers to a public elementary school located in Brooklyn Park. The school has 678 students with majority being Whites and non-Hispanics. The teachers; population is between 40 and 50 teachers: 6 speech teacher, two reading teacher, 3 gym physical, two music teachers, 28 for regular classes, one media. Accordingly, the ratio of students to teachers is approximately 15:1. Each class has varying number of students ranging from 19 to 28 students. Approximately 54 percent of the students are male and 46 percent are female. The percentage of students eligible for subsidized lunch is 65. This essay examines the leadership skills and styles of Dr. Tim Brown after an interview in his office. Dr. Tim is the principal of Palmer Lake Elementary School and plays the following roles. First, he shapes the vision of academic success and instructional competence for all students and teachers respectively. Second, he plays the role of creating a climate and environment that is hospitable for learning. Third, he cultivates leadership in other teachers. Fourth, he is answerable to external stakeholders such as parents and state education authorities concerning the school’s performances and use of resources. Effective educational leadership is a continuous process that involves self-examination, learning from others, collaboration and sustainable use of resources to accomplish the goals and

Educational leadership has changed and evolved through the years as a result of dramatic changes in the school culture, student demographics, environment, science, technology, and economy. Given the complexity and unpredictability of the demanding challenges to educate all children, prospective school leaders may find it desirable to define their own beliefs about instructional supervision and evaluation as they prepare for the rigor of school leadership practice. While enacting supervision, a supervisor is guided by certain values, assumptions, beliefs, and opinions that support the purpose and process of supervision (Sergiovanni & Starratt, 2006). This can be described as the supervisor’s

The doctoral journey at American College of Education has been exciting, challenging, frustrating at times and more than anything else, a great learning experience that will have a lasting impact on me personally as well as professionally. The various courses from Introduction to Advanced Studies, Information Display Strategies, Strategic Operations Planning and Innovation, Management of Human Capital, Ethical Leadership and Social Justice, Grants Writing for Leaders, Global Perspectives, Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs, Doctoral Seminar I, II & III to Crafting a Dissertation have equipped me with new knowledge and skills that are employable to an array of circumstances and situations specifically on the professional level. The knowledge and concepts obtained from specific courses such as Strategic Operations Planning and Innovation, Management of Human Capital, Ethical Leadership and Social Justice, and Grants Writing for Leaders have provided a different view for developing school improvement and strategic plans, selecting and maintaining quality teachers, understanding and applying the code of ethics to various situations or circumstances, being a strong advocate for all students regardless of their academic ability, culture, ethnicity and gender, and the

Teaching is a career that always provides learning opportunities. There is a life-long opportunity to learn from your students and colleagues. As an administrator it is essential that I am able to provide guidance and instruction to my staff and students. However, there are always new and improved strategies and concepts introduced. This allows me to study and evaluate theories that have been introduced. This happens because it allows me to constantly stay informed and learn from others. After completing the evaluation, it allowed me to identify areas of improvement in my instructional leadership.

InTASC standard 10 is that the teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession. This artifact alligns with standard 10, becasue leadership needs constant development. The AP workshop gathered numerous experienced teacher that were able to pass along professional tools of the trade to younger more experienced educators. This interactive environment of experienced teachers from across the state allowed different perspectives from rural and urban schools, each suited with thier own problems and assests. Teachers are always learning and adapting new skills in order to transfer those skills to students; That process of professional

Every district has an appointed person that serves as a coach to the principals—the author calls them Instructional Leadership Directors (ILDs) which is a standard term used in the study, but every district can call them differently. The author implemented sociocultural learning theory and cognitive theories of learning as their conceptual framework. She specifically focused on the following patterns of interaction, or complementary ideas about assistance relationships, between ILDs and principals: focus on joint work, model, develop and use tools, and create and sustain social engagement. This theory would help define and distinguish the extent to which central office administrators engages or socializes principals in conceptualizing a leadership role. Honig (2012) concludes that not every ILD defines their job the same way and even though they work with different principals, in different locations and cities, they tried to personalize the support they provide. This on-going, intensive, job-embedded support is intended to develop a conceptual notion of “instructional leadership” within the principals as opposed to sending district instructional coaches to school sites. This idea can open the channels of cooperation between principals and staff to create “collegial” or “autonomous”

Whether you are a school principal, superintendent or area superintendent, there is a great deal of issues that you face as an educational leader. Some issues may be poverty, the lack of qualified teachers or teacher morale, finances, lack of organizational structure, parental and community involvement, technology, or simply time. I was provided with the gratifying opportunity of interviewing a prior Principal of mine, Dr. Angela Murphy-Osborne (Dr. O). In this interview, Dr. O shared her top three issues that she faced as an educational leader today. Selecting only the top three issues was a major challenge for her! As a result, she provided her top three, while also voicing other concerns. After in-depth consideration, Dr. O decided that the top three issues she faces on daily basis as an educational leader were testing, lack of time, and budget. She explained to me that each of these issues is significant because they not only impact her directly, but they also play a major role to the success of the school!

An effective, cotemporary superintendent not only has to be an instructional leader, he or she must also be a strong manager. As such, they are required to have knowledge and understanding of fiscal management, facility management, pupil transportation, and food services. According to the text, management and leadership are interdependent roles and are needed to for effective education. There are several challenges for superintendents as it relates to their ability to efficiently and effectively manage the organization.

After I earn my GED, my plan is to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree in Education. Once I’ve earned my degree, I intend to ultimately become an elementary school teacher at R.B. Hunt Elementary School in St. Augustine, Florida. This is my goal because through volunteering at Woodlawn Elementary School I have found my passion for helping children learn and grow.

Today, I am taking a vital step in the pursuit of a significant professional goal by submitting an application to the Graduate School at the University of Montana. I want to earn an Educational Doctorate in Educational Leadership. As a Montana educational leader since 1991, I have been privileged to serve as an elementary principal, middle school principal, curriculum director, a superintendent and an assistant superintendent. Serving in these leadership roles were met professional goals that I set for myself and have shaped who I am as a leader today. I feel blessed to have worked in five school districts in Western Montana – Class AA, A, B, and C, in part due to the quality colleagues I have worked with in our state. Prior to earning my Master of Education Degree in Educational Administration, I taught grades seven, three and six. Personally, I have always set new goals in my life and pursued worthy goals. Once I achieve one, I pursue another. I firmly believe that earning a doctorate will be a capstone experience for my life – personally and professionally.

My main career goal is to become a music educator and a marching band director for a high school with a geographic for low-income to lower middle class families. The reason I am striving to become a music teacher is because I have love and passion for good music and I believe I should pass my knowledge on toward others in the next generations up and coming. I also have life changing experiences and witness my peers’ life to be changed by being in music class and participating in extracurricular music activities, such as marching band and choir. These music program were so life changing that it has kept some individuals away from negative influences of the community and more focused on striving to better their lifestyles. I plan to receive my

Those who learn to be instructional leaders acquire many characteristics that are beneficial to their schools and communities. The writer concurs that Instructional leaders exhibit a clear sense of direction for their schools and prioritize and focus attention on the things that really