Week 5 of 565

As we begin to finish up our coursework for this class, discussing the completion of our latest project definitely seems like a great way to segue into our current tasks.  Our groups were to complete years two and three of our simulations, and it went much better this time around!  We started figuring out that in order to effectively make change happen, there had to be buy-in, especially at the highest level.  This transitions well into the other work for the week, which focused on how change occurs at our individual place of employment.  At my particular school district, even though change usually comes from the top, we benefit from being at a small district.  Because we don't have hundreds of faculty members, it is much easier for us to compromise with our school board and other leaders (superintendent, principal, etc.).  Another aspect of our individual work was discussing how standardized testing can be the catalyst for change.  Our district uses MAPS and WKCE.  This data helps us determine not only how well we compare to other similar schools; but what kind of progress are students are making throughout the year.  I personally feel that MAPS data is more beneficial, but WKCE is undeniably more important to funding.

All of the aforementioned information affects me on a professional level.  As a secondary educator, understanding the chain of command, along with using test data is an everyday part of my work life.  I've found that the source of change doesn't matter; what does is that a person adamantly tries to embrace the change.  It is all too easy to write off an initiative as insignificant, without ever giving it a chance.  After all, if it doesn't work, odds are a new initiative will be right around the corner to take its place.

Week 4 of 565

This week was rather interesting, as our class began with a leadership simulation.  Despite the fact that our group didn't do the best, it was certainly eye-opening to see how provoking change needs to be done in a certain order.  Upon looking back our early mistakes, we came to the realization that we wanted to create some type of change organization without a purpose in mind.  This allowed us to go back to the beginning and try to figure out what the actual problem was that we needed to solve.  When we resume the game on Tuesday, I think we'll be much better apt to deal with any difficulties.  As far as the work for this was concerned, the change process worksheet, climate, and moral forums all were excellent supplements for our simulation, helping us see how to deal with change in different situations.

Week 3 of 565

Despite having an extremely long break (much appreciated though), there was plenty of work to keep us busy and focused on improving our leadership abilities.  Our first assignment was to watch the short video entitled "Who Moved My Cheese?"  Although the film had a childish feel to it, the message was anything but.  I especially liked the phrase, "What would you do if you weren't afraid?"  This profound statement has merit in both my personal and professional lives, as I often make choices that are swayed by fear.  By asking myself what I would if I wasn't afraid, I can now make a compromise between my usual choices and my ideal choice, given the parameters of my situation.

We also continued our readings in "How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader."  This chapter had us examining conflict resolution.  As a teacher and coach, it was nice to get some ideas on how to properly deal with conflict, essentially making sure that you don't make a situation worse.  As I found this to be the primary thesis of this chapter, I try to constantly remember that students/parents are often set in their version of the truth; being accusatory or blatantly contradicting them will not improve matters.

The remaining work involved viewing videos on change, examining how to use data, and magnifying the strengths and weaknesses of the newest population generation, the Millennial.  Whereas using data and thinking about how to change the status quo directly relate to my profession, I took the most away from the Millennial descriptions.  As I am a member of this particular generation, it was most interesting to see how we are largely viewed as cooperative, always on the move, and in need of praise.  Whereas I view myself as having some of these qualities (but not all); it is most beneficial to see how my elders view me (or at least my work habits).