Embodying Visionary Leadership
The principal collaboratively involves the school community in creating and sustaining shared school values, vision, mission and goals.
Shared Mission and Vision
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Mission: Empowering Learners to be Extraordinary
Vision: At Iron Ridge Intermediate Campus, we develop compassionate leaders who realize their potential and enrich the world. These statements are so much more than two sentences on our home page or on our walls. These are the end result of many intense and emotional days with new staff. With the guidance of David Irvine, we went through a process of identifying what was most dear and important for each of us. I believe we have captured the best from each staff member in these sentences. I love that we can make decisions through the lens of our mission and vision statements and ask ourselves if our decision is the very best for our students. |
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Bringing Information to Staff
As part of my role of Instructional Coach, I have dis-aggregated the PAT scores each year for the staff. Putting the information into easily accessible sections, Iwas able to lead the staff through a reflection on their practices. We looked at successes, challenges and surprises each year in an attempt to grow our school capacity.
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As part of our Diamond Team's commitment to just in time learning, I have presented on the STAR data, CRM Software, IXL math, Role of the Instructional Coach, and Literacy strategies for grades 7-12.
Reflecting on Successes and Planning for Growth
Reflecting on past successes. As a coach I provided opportunities for staff to look back on previous years. We shared our thoughts and reflected on our successes. This was an activity we completed during the school start up week. A positive method to get our creative juices and a quick overview of our philosophy for our new staff.
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Professional Reading
As part of my commitment to developing my skills in all seven of the leadership dimensions, I am activly involved in professional reading.
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Reading to Lencioni is more informative and interesting than academic, or at least that's what it feels like in the moment. I have enjoyed the discussions that our new Assistant Principal Cohort group has engaged in as a result of studying this book. Looking at the Venn diagram of hungry, humble, and smart, and looking back at my own growth, I can see how easy it is to slip into one of the three secondary characters when only exercising two of these critical skills. I learned a lot from discussions of how to handle staff that are strong in two skill sets and lacking in a third. This has reinforced my belief that communication is necessary, even when it is uncomfortable. If I want to help my staff to grow and develop I need to find kind and honest ways to show them where they can grow and why it is important.
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Schmoker writes a compelling argument for improvements in teacher skills. Research shows that increasing teacher competency will increase student achievement. Schmoker asserts that teachers need to collaborate, observe each other and offer constructive criticism as a means of self reflection and improvement. PLTs that break down the barriers and walls between teachers will strengthen teacher skills.
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The Administrators' Association PLT group I am a part of chose to examine this book. It has provided us with content and questions that have lead to very fruitful conversations. As a group we have discussed how culture is formed in a school both purposefully and unconsciously.
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I picked this as my next leadership book, at the suggestion of a colleague near the end of April 2015. I was in the middle of the book when school restarted in the fall. We have been working with this and the LPI as an administration team. I am fortunate to have this book was the focus for district training. As a new administrator it has been an incredible resource.
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This book's fable format was incredibly accessible. I really liked Lencioni's method of explaining the five dysfunctions. My principal lead our school leadership team through a brief look at the five dysfunctions and how they hold teams back as a part of our team building. This was a very productive step in our team building. Having gone back and read the entire book, it has provided me with a new awareness and understanding of student interactions in my classroom.
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This book had great insights into the power of Emotional Intelligence. Working within a team of people is so much more than knowing the product and the market. Leaders must first know themselves and their staff.
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After watching Mike Mattos present at the Leading and Learning Conference in 2013 I was eager to learn more. The belief that RTI is more than an add-on and must be a part of school culture was an important shift in our school planning.
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When I first started in my role as a coach I knew I would need to work with difficult colleagues. This book helped me to have difficult conversations with others. This skill not only helped me improve my communication skills but strengthened relationships with colleagues as well.
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I was drawn to this book after reading on Dr. Sousa's blog. The manner in which children start to see patterns and make sense of our world in terms of numbers is a fascinating field of study.
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This book connects how students make meaning of patterns and number sense and how we can build on their intuitive math sense. The book does a great job of connecting the learning from elementary levels to the middle and high school outcomes.
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I read this book while involved in the Leadership 2000 supper sessions provided by Wolf Creek. This book was the catalyst for my "Ah-Ha" moment when I realized that I didn't need a title to begin leading. I needed to begin leading from within.
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Click on the logo to go to the website. Fascinating reading!
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