EAD 881 School Internship - College of Education · 2011-01-28 · EAD 881 Syllabus Department of...

EAD 881

School Leadership Internship Experience

Laboratory experiences focused on common supervisory and administrative problems. (MSU Catalog, 2008) Course Instructor Dr. BetsAnn Smith, Associate Professor

EAD 881 Syllabus

Department of Educational Administration Michigan State University

EAD 881: School Leadership Internship Experience Lansing Leadership Academy

Summer 2009 Dr. BetsAnn Smith [email protected] 409 Erickson Hall, Office hours by appt (517) 353‐8646 (517) 353‐6393 fax Credits: 2 semester credits Day / Time: Wednesday 4:30pm – 7:30pm Location: Various locations EAD 881: Laboratory experiences focused on common supervisory and administrative problems. (MSU Catalog, 2008) Overview: EAD 881 is a school based internship experience. Participants will be matched with an elementary or high school principal (different from current and past Lansing building assignments) and assume leader responsibilities for the preparation, operation and quality of summer school programs. In addition to in‐school hours, participants with interact daily with MSU instructors and each other online. Course Requirements Intern‐Mentor Meeting. Once matches are organized by school district leaders, a meeting will be held during which interns and mentors meet as a group and in pairs to develop shared understandings and expectations of their work, roles and learning aspirations Preparation. Prior to the opening of summer school, interns will work online and with their assigned mentor to prepare. This is a time to review and assess recent leadership learning and to plan for how you might put into action values, ideas, and practices that you believe to be part of good leadership. Participants are encouraged to being learning as much as their can about their assigned school and its community, and to work or communicate with their mentors as often as possible to track how summer school staffing and programming is being developed. Internship days. Actual days at school leading as an intern will vary. They will be intense, so plan accordingly. In addition to on‐site, in‐school hours, you much commit 1‐hour each day to documenting and reflecting on your experience.

Each and every interning day you will complete a log of how you spent your time using a simple software tool loaded to Angel called TimeTracker (see TimeTracker learning guide on Angel)

You will also write and post a 1‐page reflection at the end of each interning day and post it to your online learning group. Post sites are open to all cohort members (you can read and

EAD 881 Syllabus

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respond to colleagues in other teams if you wish) but not district leaders or mentors. Your reflections should address your experiences as a leader who task is to secure high quality summer programs: what you observe, experience, think and feel in relation to this. (*Some of you may spend intern hours in administrative work outside of summer school settings. Your reflections may be different but you are expected to post them also.)

Mid session Read. June 20 – July 6 or so provides a window for us to have a good summer read and an online book discussion. We will read Better by Atul Guwande. Through a series of short chapters, Guwande observes and reflects on how professionals get better at what they do. His context is medicine, but the connections to the work of improving schools are numerous. As you read, please note observations that strike you and what they mean for you as an educational leader.

Final Portfolio and Reflection. Each of you will prepare a final portfolio of your activity logs and a 4‐5 page summative reflection that reviews, interprets and reflects on your collected data, reflections and experiences. Specific instruction and guidelines posted to Angel.

o Due July 20th for elementary interns o Due August 20th for middle and high school interns

Angel Course Platform We will use the Angle course platform regularly. (Be sure to have your basic work bio and contact information in your User Profile (found in the EAD Angel Course Roster) so that you can be reached if necessary by members of the class.) Required Texts for EAD 881 We will make continued use of readings and texts on leadership and school development from EAD 806. Additionally, we will use and discuss the following: Guwande, Atul (2007) Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance. Metropolitan Books.

EAD 881 Syllabus

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Calendar, Key Topics, ISLLC Standards, and Link to Lansing Needs

Knowledge, Skill Area Sample Texts, Activities

Link to Lansing Needs

Alignment to 2008 ISLLC

May 22‐ Jun 8 2009

Online work

developing ideas, tools and commitments – frequent (near daily) logging in to contribute and interact on Angel expected of everyone

A range of

possible ideas, tools and commitments to support issues identified at Intern‐ Principal meeting May 20th (see Angel posts)

Shared planning

between the university personnel and Lansing students

Frequent communications

ISLLC 1, 4

Jun 8 – 19

2009

EL School Interns In school

leadership hours for elementary interns

Middle & High School Interns Online

collaborative work to assist each other to complete ideas, tools and commitments particular to your assignment

Panera Fridays Open meet‐up at Panera in Frandor on designated Fridays for sharing and support‐ 1:00 – 2:30pm

TimeTracker log

of daily activity Posting brief

daily narrative reflection to Angel and replying to colleagues posts (in small teams that jig saw a bit)

A range of

possible ideas, tools and commitments to support issues identified at Intern‐ Principal meeting May 20th and for high school interns (see Angel posts )

Gathering data

from internship experience

Frequent communications regarding questions, issues, and comments about placement

ISLLC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

EAD 881 Syllabus

4




Jun 22 – Jul 6th 2009

Discussing online

Better by Atul Guwande

Panera Fridays Open meet‐up at Panera in Frandor on designated Fridays for sharing and support‐ 1:00 – 2:30pm

Online postings to group discussion forum.

[Elementary

Interns begin to assemble, analyze and reflect on TimeTrack Logs and reflections to form final Portfolio (instructions on Angel.)]

Gathering data

for final portfolio

ISLLC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6




Jul 6‐ onward (varied July summer school dates)

Middle & High School Interns In school

leadership hours for middle and high school interns

TimeTracker log of daily activity

Posting brief daily narrative reflection to Angel and replying to colleagues posts (in small teams that jig saw a bit)

Capitalize and document authentic learning experiences

ISLLC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Jul 20, 2009

DUE: ELEMENTARY INTERNS

SUBMIT FINAL PORTFOLIO to Angel Dropbox

Aug 10, 2009

DUE: MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL INTERNS SUBMIT FINAL PORTFOLIO to Angel Dropbox

EAD 881 Handout

EAD 881: Summer School Internships ARRANGING SUMMER SCHOOL INTERNSHIPS AND MENTORSHIPS (The core of EAD 881 was an internship in which cohort members acted as leaders of summer school programs in Lansing district schools. District leaders facilitated matches between interns and school principals willing to mentor them during the internship. Much of the literature on successful internship experiences underscores the value of clear expectations between interns and mentors. The following share activities organized for an afternoon meeting in which interns and mentors first met face to face and collaboratively explored what expectations they wanted to place on themselves, their intern or mentor partner and their summer school programs.) AFTERNOON FORMAT Opener: Meeting mentors, interns. Please form groups of 4. In round robin fashion please take a few minutes each to introduce yourself. Include in your sharing something about yourself that people who know you might be surprised to learn. Then, have a conversation in which as a group you discover 3 passions, inspirations and/or experiences you all have in common as educators. These might include beliefs, beloved books, people who inspired you, character strengths, good experiences, bad experiences, etc. Make suggestions in a round robin fashion. (20 minutes) Part 2: Developing clear expectations of ourselves and each other: We are going to first work by expressing our ideas using word walls. Around the rooms you will see poster boards with the following prompts. You are asked to move around the room freely and to add your thoughts to these poster boards. (25 minutes) WORD WALLS WHAT WE CAN OFFER AS SUPPORTERS, TEACHERS / MENTORS TO ASPIRING LEADERS WHAT WE WOULD LIKE FROM PRINCIPAL MENTORS WHAT WE WOULD USE AS EVIDENCE THAT SUMMER SCHOOL WAS FUN, EFFECTIVE AND REWARDING FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND FAMILIES. WHAT WE CAN DO BEFORE SUMMER SCHOOL BEGINS TO ASSURE IT IS FUN, EFFECTIVE AND REWARDING FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND FAMILIES. WHAT WE CAN DO EACH DAY OF SUMMER SCHOOL TO ASSURE IT IS FUN, EFFECTIVE AND REWARDING FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND FAMILIES.

EAD 881 Handout

Part 3: Synthesizing, reaching understandings. In groups of four (two pairs of interns & mentors) please synthesize what you see as key and common themes to your assigned poster board. (20 minutes) What three might serve as important guiding principles we could all agree on? Part 4: Personal Conversation The rest of the time is for you to have personal conversations with your mentor / intern. We encourage you to discuss the guiding principals and agreements we have just forged and also to share with each other your personal aspirations, strengths, concerns, etc. Also, this is a good time for thoughtful questions. LASTLY…. PLEASE LEAVE WITH A CLEAR CONTACT AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM ESTABLISHED BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PARTNER. Exchange cell phone numbers, email etc.

EAD 881 Communications #1

EAD 881 Overview

EAD 881 will involve school based internships and online learning community among cohort members and MSU instructors.

Dear Aspiring Leaders:

This memo provides an overview of how I see our work over this summer.

Prep days, today – June 8th (possibly a bit beyond for middle and high school interns) All of you have been assigned to a discussion and development team on Angel.

The purpose of these is to brainstorm and consider ways in which you could assure certain actions and experiences that are helpful to teachers, students and to you, the aspiring leader. You may decide you want to create a small tool for an observation, a conversation, a walk through, etc. You may want to seek out a certain experience. If so, share with your team what it is. This is a place to review your learning to consider how to place into action values, ideas, and practices that you believe to be part of good leadership.

It is also a prod for you to communicate with your mentor principal to begin to learn what you can about the school and to jump on in preparing for summer school

Internship days. Your actual days at school leading as an intern will vary. They are going to be intense, however, and you should plan on this. In addition to your on school hours, you will need to commit about 1 hour to documenting and reflection:

1. Each and every interning day (do not put it off!) you are to complete a log of how you spend your time using a simple software tool loaded to Angel called TimeTracker. I ask that you learn to use it (it took me about 15‐20 minutes‐ the secret is the ENTER NEW ITEM function in the top right). The software allows you to construct a daily log using activity items from a menu. Do not fret extensively if you are not sure how to categorize something you did. Make your best categorization and go with it. (All this will make sense once you see the software.)

2. You are also to write and post a 1‐page reflection at the end of each interning day and post it to an Angel discussion board that you will be assigned to. All the post sites are open to class mates (you can read and respond to colleagues in other teams. (*but the Angel site will not be open to outsiders at this time). Your reflections should be centrally concerned with processing your observations and experiences leading in a school setting focused on teaching and learning. (*Some of you may spend intern hours in administrative work outside of summer school sessions. Your reflections may be different but you are expected to post them also.)

Mid Session Read June 20nd – July 6th or so provides a window for us to have a good summer read and to engage in some online discussion.

We will read “Better” by Atul Guwande. Guwande shares, through a series of short chapters, observations and reflections on how people, professionals get better at what they do. His context is medicine, but the connections to the work of improving schools are there. As you read, please note observations that strike you and what they mean for you as an educational leader.


Final Portfolio and Reflection. Each of you will prepare a final portfolio of your activity logs and a 4‐5 page summative reflection that reviews, interprets and reflects on your collected data, reflections and experiences. Specific instruction and guidelines posted to Angel.

Due July 20th for elementary interns

Due August 20th for middle and high school interns


1 | P a g e

Dear Cohort Members All (including Dr. Printy) This is a collection of observations, thoughts and musings upon reviewing all of the portfolios (spring and summer) that the cohort has completed. I think there is much in these portfolios to build upon.

EAD 881

The postings and conversation archived in the Internship Reflection Posts on Angel offer another valuable source of data from which the cohort can learn about itself, leadership and the day to day challenges of leading a school

What do we learn from examining our posts?

What did we spend most of our time and energy on during our internship?

What most challenged us?

What did we most often talk about with teachers and leaders – how do these conversation align to ideas and authors we have studied (Holt? Donaldson? Knapp? Donaldson? )

How can we continue to integrate these experiences and insights into a framework for leadership for learning that help organize and develop our learning?

o How might cohort members who were not able to engage in internship serve as outside observers with particular insights to offer?

Your thoughts and contributions here. ……. On the matter of the Timetracker sheets. This was a learning experiment but most seemed to find a way to use it well. How might a gallery walk of printed out Timetracker data spur valuable, data driven discussion about the practical demands of time management etc. (If this occurs, it may take some time to be sure to ask for the same kind of printout from everyone, as Timetracker offer some options. Okay. I think that it is. If any questions, queries or concerns come up that I can assist withy, from you or the cohort, etc. just drop a line. I think you will all have a wonderful year together. BetsAnn


Group Letter (Group letters were supplements to daily postings made by the instructor to the cohorts ongoing electronic discussion board on Angel.) June 9, 2009 Hi Everyone: Now that I am back, I am able to read all of the discussion posts and have done so. My new problem is that I can not see the replies I have posted to you so I am not sure if you can as well or if they are going up. Tomorrow I meet for an overview of the new system with Angel folk here. So, here are just some thoughts and information: On the “Prep” discussion boards I was able to read these through this morning. Sound like many of you had some opportunity to meet with your principal and feel ready to go. I understand why there has not really been much time to “plan” for summer school. I will be quite interested to know your perceptions of the wisdom of having summer school so entirely attached to the end of school year. (For <<School district>>, it was, I believe, mostly the necessity of spending out funds before June 30th.) <<Student name>> (or someone) posted that teachers in her school felt that they had clear academic goals and objectives but had not had much time to think about other themes, such as “fun”. I think the reason why I thought about fun is that it will be difficult for the students to be kept in for two more weeks and again, teachers have not had much time to think about how they could bring a distinct sort of energy. But perhaps we can. For example, can there be a few games and prizes and awards arranged if they have not been already? Might some of you talk out any ideas about this for next week? On Starting Up Of course, I have really enjoyed your posts from Days 1 and 2. I am pleased to hear of situation where you are being quickly involved in important work (assessment, reports, covering busses, engaging walkthroughs) and am glad that teachers have welcomed you and even accepted your roles with some aplomb. By your reports, it sounds like <<School district>> has put some formal structures into summer school in terms of some pre‐ and post testing and perhaps also some formal planning or activity reports to be submitted? Are all of you encountering these routines and processes in your school? This will be an interesting element to discuss. I also find it interesting also that one of the most common observations is the importance of both leadership presence among the principals you are assigned to and their ability to delegate and keep track of what they have delegated. Meanwhile‐ have fun with that timetracker and please share this with your principal. They will find it interesting as well! For our High School and Middle School Interns. Regardless of what team you are on, you will all find it useful to read the posts from <<Student name>> in the PREPARING FOR SUMMER SCHOOL discussion board form the last two weeks, since <<Student name>> has both a coordinator role and an intern role. He mentioned a set of PD days at the end of


June for high school summer school. I have written to <<School district curriculum director>> and asked her if

assignments for all of you have been clarified and finalized if you all could attend some or all of this PD and how you can have an opportunity to meet with your mentor principal.

I assume she will reply within a day or so. LUNCH ON FRIDAY. There is an open invitation to come share your first week (or to listen in on others first week) this Friday at 1:00 (or beginning around 1:00) at the Frandor Panera. I know you will feel tired but please come if you can. It will be good to have a chance for open, in person talk and sharing. I will be there for sure and look forward to it. Let me know if you can join in. By tomorrow, you should see my responses to your discussion posts! Take care BetsAnn


Group Letter (Group letters were supplements to daily postings made by the instructor to the cohorts ongoing electronic discussion board on Angel.) June 18, 2009 Hello Everyone: I have enjoyed reading your posts and have been responding in small doses to each of you. Right now there is a bit of a pile up of posts so I want to send a more general note. First, thanks to all who responded to my query about staffing and teacher selection. The range of understandings and arrangements across your schools is a good illustration and artifact for us to consider. Though it is agreed that teaching and learning are about human capacities and relationships, we have very insensitive and mechanized staffing systems that view teaching as a fairly generic activity with teachers as cogs in the system that can be moved about easily. In a system with very strong technical, professional and social norms and routines, this might work, but it is a question if <<School district >> constitutes such a system. Some of you may have leader‐mentors that did as much as they could to motivate and secure the teachers they wanted and to de‐motivate the teachers they did not think would be optimal while others may be observing leaders that judge it not a good use of time because they feel little control and empowerment. The issue shines a light on leadership orientations, challenges and decision making. How do leaders strive to get the very best teachers in their schools and before their students? How do they do this through their professional commitments and their willingness to work the system as best they can – and their willingness to perhaps make waves. For some of you, today will be the end of this particular experience and I am sure it feels that it has come much too quickly. Please consider how you may be able to sustain some relationship with your mentor and let me know if this is something you would like to do, as Susan, <<School district curriculum director>> and I are mulling how best to support your mentoring over the next year. I did not schedule a lunch at the Frandor Panera tomorrow (the 19th) as I have conflicts (but any of you can meet!!). I do look forward to seeing any and all who can come next Friday, the 25th starting at about 1:00. Looking forward.. we are one week out from the start of our discussion of Better. (I know that some of you will still be interning but this was the best window, overall.) I would like us to begin our conversations by considering the matter of diligence ‐since it is central to the book and rather unique and compelling. (I cannot recall a school improvement book with a chapter on 'diligence' for example.) Are you struck by Guwande's examples and reflection on diligence? What are your observations about diligence as educators? Considering the schools and leaders you have worked with, can you see examples of diligence as

considered by Guwande? Can you imagine dispositions, actions and routines in a school that would support and

cultivate forms of diligence that would make important differences? Do you think we fail to reach important goals or aspirations from a failure to embrace and

cultivate diligence?


And how do we integrate the value of diligence with the notion of positive deviance? Finally, as mentioned, the guide to the development of your reflection portfolio has been posted. See you on the discussion boards! BetsAnn


Group Letter (Group letters were supplements to daily postings made by the instructor to the cohorts ongoing electronic discussion board on Angel.) June 29, 2009 Hello Everyone: A few topics: congratulations, Time‐tracker, preparing and depositing your final portfolios, and the text…Better Congratulations! Elementary interns (save for <<Student name>> who is still going!) finished up their internships. The range of initiative, wisdom, listening and learning all of you evidenced in your posts was impressive and thought provoking. Not only is each individual experience a significant source of insight and learning, but the range of observations and experiences across the group is a potent window into the challenges of leadership and school performance and improvement. These postings offer the basis of valuable group work and learning for the fall. I know the internships were in some ways painfully short, so we will look to continue these relationships and opportunities. Final Portfolios & Time‐tracker. Time‐tracker is a challenge and I thank all of you for sticking with it to figure it out. Please write to classmates for advice when stuck (<<List of students>> and others seem to have gotten the hang of it.) But, since all of us are having a hard time downloading the data (me included!), you do not need to include the Time‐tracker data in the Portfolio Appendix as first requested (since you will submit the portfolio electronically through the Angel drop box.) Your Time‐tracker data will be used, however, in the fall – we may organize a gallery walk of the printed Time‐tracker sheets and other data, for example. So, keep it safely archived. <<Student name>> wrote to share the her was finding the structure of the portfolio as I outlined it a bit difficult or ill fitting to the direction of his reflections. I understand that the themes do not easily segregate or isolate. I am open to modifications that feel more productive for you, as long as they meet the general spirit and standard of the assignment. I do ask they you attend to the key themes laid out. Discussing Better Many (but not all) of you have been engaging in a very stimulating discussion of Better. If you have not joined this conversation please do‐‐ it will extend a week or two more so that those who have not yet joined in can do so (if you have been very active, you can decide about when you want to sign off.) I hope you have enjoyed the text and found its insights as surprisingly stimulating where leadership and schools are concerned as I did. High and Middle School Interns I have asked <<School district curriculum director>> if all is arranged and have not heard, so I am concerned. I know that <<Student names>> have placements, but I am unclear about who else asked to be placed. I believe <<School district curriculum director>> is out this week, but I would encourage any of you without a clear placement to send her a note. I would also appreciate hearing how I can be helpful if I can. The Team C site for your daily reflection is up under the Intern Reflections folder and I look forward to reading your daily posts as of July 6th or so. NEXT PANERA FRIDAY, July 17th 1:00p.m. Frandor Panera

EAD 881 Assignment

Internship Refection Portfolio Final assignment for Wallace Aspiring Leaders in EAD 881

Professor BetsAnn Smith Summer, 2009

Introduction The final product of your summer internship is a reflection portfolio that speaks to the following core leadership capacities:

Developing and articulating through voice and actions a belief system that establishes a focus on learning

Engaging and developing faculty as individuals and as professional communities Assessing the quality of classroom instruction Facilitating and motivating a school climate geared towards learning and improvement Acting and managing strategically within the organization and outward to the larger

external environment. These broad areas align to key ideas in the Leading for Learning framework from Knapp et al. and in the work of Donaldson. They provide a perspective and a framework within which to accrue, develop and synthesize your leadership knowledge, skill and understanding. * In this assignment, your reflections are to be grounded in evidence and references to specific ideas and examples. By this I mean that you are to make thoughtful and explicit connections to the following in developing your reflections (indeed, returning to key ideas in these works will assist your reflections greatly):

Readings from EAD 806, (which, in addition to Knapp and Donaldson may also include ideas from Holt, Bennis, Delpit or Leithwood)

Your daily reflection posts Your Timetracker data

The quality of your reflection portfolio improves as you work to make connections between ideas you have studied and the lived experiences of your internships. Clarity of writing, use of specific evidence and examples, and reflective connections and interpretation all contribute to a valuable series of reflections. Reflections are expected to be roughly 1‐2 pages each (double‐spaced typed), though some may be shorter and others longer. The structure and content of your portfolio is as follows: Reflection 1 – Open, starter reflection Begin with an open reflection of your experiences. What most stands out to you, what most surprised you, what was most challenging for you, what was most uncomfortable for you, what you most enjoyed and what you feel most proud of? Reflection 2 – Developing, articulating through voice and actions a belief system that establishes a focus on learning What have you learned about how school leaders create vision, direction and a positive focus on learning? What did you see in your mentor that was instructive (as either a model for how to do or how not to do)? What did you learn about yourself in this regard?

EAD 881 Assignment

Reflection 3 ‐ Engaging and developing faculty as individuals and as professional communities Consider what you learned about how leaders model and support professional teacher inquiry, learning and responsibility. If you witnessed weak teacher norms, expectations or performance, did you mull how you might act to intervene? What responses did you see (or not see) in your mentor and/or in teachers that were instructive? Did you learn about your own reactions to weak (or strong) performance? Reflection 4 ‐ Assessing the quality of classroom instruction Looking hard at your evidence, what do you believe was the value of summer school for students? Do you think they experienced high quality teaching and learning? Did students gain solid understandings of new knowledge and skills? What insights does your experience bring to the critical question of student learning and performance in the Lansing schools? Reflection 5 ‐ Facilitating and motivating a school climate geared towards learning and improvement How do leaders and others create a positive school climate that serves academic goals but also recognizes students as individuals with many needs? How do leaders create trust and collaboration tied not to only the social, collegial world of teachers but to core work of teaching and learning? Share your efforts to contribute to any of these important qualities. Reflection 6 ‐ Acting and managing strategically within the organization and outward to the larger external environment Time management, paperwork, unwieldy regulations, support staff, parents, discipline disruptions, missing busses, lost documents, special programs, visitors from the Park District lost documents, etc. Share your reflections on the demands of managing schools as busy, multi layered organizations. Reflection 7 ‐ Plans for continued learning and development Consider and identify a few key experiences you want to follow through on for your continued professional learning. Consider what you might want to arrange for your own personal development and consider what may be important activities for the cohort to follow up on in the fall or spring. Appendix Any brief documents that seem important to the reflections (not required)

(Since Timetracker sheets are hard to deposit electronically – you do not need to attach them.).

EAD 881: School Leadership Internship Experience Lansing Leadership Academy

Summer 2009

Samples of Student Work

EAD 881 Sample Student Work

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<<Student name>> EAD 881 July 20, 2009 Internship Reflection Portfolio Contents Reflections #1‐7 Works Cited Appendices

TimeTrack Data

Daily Reflections for June 8‐12, 2009 Reflection #1: Overview

I’ve been a teacher for 10 years now, with experience at the middle school, high school, and

community college levels. Entering an elementary building was both terrifying and exciting, to say the

least. Even though the students are smaller and louder, I found that the procedures and problems

found in an elementary setting are nearly identical to those I encounter in my alternative high school.

After spending a week at <<School name>> Elementary School, I’m confident that I could handle an

administrative position in an elementary building. I would have to spend a great deal of time, though,

getting up to speed on curriculum and subject area content. A question that plagued me throughout the

week was, “At what grade level should a student learn (insert skill here)?” (<<Student name>>,

Internship Reflections, Day 1, 2009) A good elementary principal must be on top of her content

knowledge in order to really be an effective leader and make sure the teachers are following the

curricula. (Printy, 2008)

The most challenging aspect of the week was not jumping into the lessons and contributing to

the teaching that was going on. Helping out and interacting with students is my first instinct, but I knew

that I was supposed to take a more subtle role as an administrator. When I saw teachers interact with

students in ways I thought were wrong or inappropriate, I had to hold my tongue and hope I’d have an


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opportunity to discuss the incident with the principal later. I also found it was difficult to remain

objective, and I kept seeing things through the lens of my own teaching style and values instead of

coming from a more neutral place.

At the beginning of my internship, I felt very uncomfortable interacting with the elementary

students because I’m used to working with teenagers. I expressed this discomfort on the discussion

board, and one of my classmates responded that all kids are the same, no matter what their age, so I

should treat them just like any of my own students. (She mentioned that I might need to be a little

more patient and willing to endure hugs, though, in order to understand the younger ones!) I really

focused on this idea when speaking with the students and building relationships with them, and it

helped when I had to handle the behavior of a student who was being disruptive. It just comes down to

treating people with respect, regardless of age, and listening to what they have to say. Yep. [And in

some cases, kneeling down to eye level helps.]

Other significant challenges I faced were being thrust into an ambiguous role and having to

oversee the work of people with whom I had no previous relationship. Since I learned about this

internship possibility on a Friday afternoon and started work the following Monday, I had no time to

even get to meet the people with whom I’d be working. I spoke with the principal over the weekend for

about ten minutes and was told to show up at 7:45 am. I introduced myself to everyone I met that

morning, but I wasn’t sure how to explain my position or what I’d be doing over the course of the week

because my principal and I hadn’t had time to define my role. Fortunately, everyone in the program was

very nice and willing to help me learn the ropes of elementary school, and I am very grateful to have

been placed with such wonderful people. I can imagine that had I been in a different building with

resistant staff, my experience would not have been as pleasant.

I’m most proud of how I handled my only “solo” disciplinary issue. A girl named <<Child’s

name>> had a meltdown with one of the teachers and was sent to the office at a time when the

Comment [bas1]: I am not sure the goal is to come from a neutral place. I think a goal is to do much of what you did – to hold off final judgment until you have had a time to see more, learn more, listen more, reflect etc. As a leader, it is your job to have knowledge and standards that cannot be merely neutral.

Comment [bas2]: Yes, it’s possible. But I think your adaptability and positive views may have been a big help as well. Perhaps your confidence and flexibility helps those around you to feel and act the same.


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principal was out of the office. I spent nearly an hour working with <<Child’s name>>, finding out what

the problem was and coming up with a solution that worked for both <<Child’s name>> and the teacher

with whom she was having a problem. If I had really been the administrator in charge, I would have

addressed the teacher’s behavior as well because I believe it contributed greatly in a negative way to the

situation. Since that wouldn’t have been appropriate for my position, I concentrated my efforts on the

student’s behavior and saw a positive shift in her behavior for the rest of the week. Good for you! I also

mentioned to the principal that <<Child’s name>> had a speech impediment that should be addressed,

and the principal spoke with <<Child’s name>>’s mother about possible testing in the fall. I realized that

no matter what role I take in a school, whether it’s as a teacher or an administrator, the students are my

number one concern. (<<Student name>>, Internship Reflections, Day 4, 2009)

Reflection #2: Belief System Focused on Learning

Creating a vision for a school, or any organization, has to be linked to action. It’s not enough to

just state that learning is important in an announcement or in a sign on the wall. It has to be

demonstrated in all parts of the system – in the classrooms, at breakfast and lunch, in the hallways,

during recess, on field trips – and by all people who work within the system – teachers, students,

instructional assistants, principals, parents, interns, custodians, etc. Every part of my week at <<School

name>> was focused on learning, even during so‐called “downtimes” like lunch and walking down the

hall. All of the adults were expected to help students learn skills and knowledge that will help them be

successful in the future, be it how to use a ruler, how to ask an adult for help, or how to settle a conflict

without resorting to violence. There was definitely what Donaldson refers to as “action‐in‐common,”

where there was a “shared belief that the collective effects of individual actions are greater than their

sum.” (Donaldson, 2006)


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My principal made sure that the students were aware that learning is fun. She and I supervised

the lunch hours, and there was no time for students to sit around and do nothing. We initiated and

monitored “fun” activities that disguised the school part of things: Yahtzee lessons, chalk drawing

contests, story writing, etc. The students responded well to competitions, and they put forth extra

effort when they knew a prize was at stake. The day after our trip to the zoo, the principal told the

students that the best drawing of a favorite animal, with the most effort and detail involved, would win

a pick from the “treasure chest” in her office. The drawing contest took place outside with sidewalk

chalk, and the students could take up as much space as they wanted. She wasn’t able to choose just one

winner, so two students tied for first place. The treasure chest is filled with little toys and food items,

and, throughout the year, teachers can give students prizes based on academic performance and/or

behavior. Based on the student reactions I observed, the treasure chest is a great motivator for success

in the school.

The principal continually praised students throughout the day for academic success and good

behavior, and it reinforced a belief system centered on student effort, learning, and success. When

students weren’t behaving or performing up to expectations, she pointed that out, too, and offered

ways to assist the students to turn things around. I know I do a lot of praising and reinforcement of

success, but sometimes I fall into praise that is non‐specific enough to really make an impact. Maybe it’s

because she’s an elementary person and has to be ultra‐clear in order to get through to the younger

children, but my principal was always very precise in the messages she was conveying so they wouldn’t

be misunderstood. I know that’s something I need to work on as a teacher and as a future

administrator.

Earlier in the school year, I participated in some administrative training sessions that focused on

research‐based instructional strategies. Extensive research showed that “Reinforcing effort can help

teach students one of the most valuable lessons they can learn – the harder you try, the more successful

Comment [bas3]: Yes, I suppose the question in your usual context of alt ed is what works for these older students! I think simple rewards can work, but they are also not as open to budging for pencils, candy or pizza. In England, I learned that PROM TICKETS (for significant achievements) can really work for high school students – (but I am not sure your students would have the same connection.

Comment [bas4]: That is a great skill to be exposed to.


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you are. In addition, providing recognition for attainment of specific goals not only enhances

achievement, but it stimulates motivation.” (Marzano, 2001) I think elementary schools do a better job

of this than the secondary schools, maybe because adults think that kids get too old by high school to

have their names posted on a bulletin board or to pick a prize from a box of goodies. This year, though,

I think I’ll steal <<School name>>’s treasure chest idea and see how that kind of reward and recognition

system helps motivate my students. I know that many of them are externally‐motivated and can only

perform if there is an immediate reward. It’s tough for me to do this kind of thing because it’s so

contrary to how I am as a learner; I’m very much internally‐motivated.

Reflection #3: Engaging and Developing Faculty

Teachers, in general, can be a difficult bunch of professionals to work with. They work alone in

their rooms with the students and are given autonomy (for the most part) to do what they need to do to

teach students the appropriate content. When someone comes in and offers suggestions to improve

their connections with students, teachers can be very sensitive and often believe they are being

attacked. I think there’s a mixed message implied when you say, “Go do your thing!” and then “Hey,

you might want to try this so students learn more.” It’s easy to take things personally, especially if a

teacher is already lacking confidence in his or her abilities.

At <<School name>>’s summer school program, each teacher was paired up with an

instructional assistant who was supposed to be very hands‐on and involved in student learning. One of

the teachers kept sending her assistant to the computer lab because “she wasn’t needed” for this or

that activity. The principal was annoyed with this, yet she didn’t directly confront the teacher about

keeping the assistant around. Instead, she had me create a schedule of where instructional assistants

Comment [bas5]: Yes, I think you have to be careful. So, one question is what can we develop that is an intrinsic reward as well? Praise is a reward, so learning how to do it really well would be a great skill. I am in need of this skill

Comment [bas6]: Well put


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were supposed to be throughout the day and distribute it to the teachers. This strategy worked, but it

seems like a passive‐aggressive way to handle business. When I asked about why the principal handled

it this way, she said that the teacher was the kind of person who liked to “do her own thing” and

insinuated that there had been problems in the past. Even though I disagreed with this approach on

general principle, I see now that knowing who your teachers are as individuals can help you decide how

to act.

I noticed that one of the teachers had little patience with a few of the students, and she spoke

to them in a way I would describe as disrespectful. It was almost like she’d mock them if they were on

the verge of having a meltdown, which had the effect of pushing the kid further away from getting his or

her emotions under control. (<<Student name>>, Internship Reflections, Day 4, 2009) Working in

alternative education, I hear a lot of horror stories from students about teachers who are mean to kids,

and this teacher could certainly fall into that category. I thought a lot about this teacher and how I’d

deal with her if I were her principal. First of all, I’d have to get to know her first and find out how she

reacts to constructive criticism. I’d want to know why she treats the students so harshly and what she

hopes to accomplish with this approach. Then, I’d have to come up with a plan to work with her to

soften her tone and attitude toward disruptive students. My gut feeling is that she would have to be the

one to suggest re‐working her approach to behavior issues, not me. I think it would be a tough case, but

it would definitely be worth it to pursue. If the students would respond to her better, she’d get better

results in the classroom, and the students would receive more respect.

During this week, I learned that I have little tolerance for teachers who don’t treat kids well.

More importantly, I thought about different approaches for engaging and developing teachers to be

more effective and respectful in the classroom. I don’t have all the answers now, and I know that most

of the answers will come only after I get to know my colleagues on a personal level. It’s worth getting to

Comment [bas7]: Any chance to reviewing the outcomes in the classroom from the paper approach?

Comment [bas8]: Oh, that is terrible…! I would have a hard time seeing that. I would have real concerns about the mental health and maturity of a teacher who did that.

Comment [bas9]: I suppose you have to separate the feelings of the teacher and the student. It sounds like a situation where the teachers is angry and frustrated and the kids is having the experience of what it feels like to be spoken to this way. So, how do you get the teacher to agree, not only that she is angry, but that the words hurt, without condemning the angers merits (first off).


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know people I might disagree with if it’s going to help students gain more knowledge and self‐esteem in

the long run.

Reflection #4: Quality of Classroom Instruction

After looking at my TimeTrack data, I realized that more than half of the time during summer

school was spent on field trips (23 out of 40 hours). (<<Student name>>, TimeTrack Data, 2009) This is

great for hands‐on learning experiences, but it didn’t leave much time for teachers to reinforce the math

and language arts curricula (which is what the program was supposed to focus on). When the students

were in the classroom, they spent their time on writing practice and hands‐on work with math concepts,

such as measuring quantities and distances. The writing focused on making sense of all of their field trip

experiences, while the math instruction seemed a little disjointed and not as directly relevant to what

the students actually experienced.

Overall, the teaching staff did a wonderful job with the direct instruction part of the summer

school program. All three of the teachers were actively engaged with the students whenever I walked

through classrooms, and the instructional assistants were also very much involved in the learning. The

students were actively participating in the activities and genuinely seemed interested in what they were

doing. Two of the assistants were technology specialists, so they were able to help students with the

online learning components of instruction. If I had overseen the program, I think I would have

mandated less time on the computers and more direct instruction (each teacher had an hour in the

morning and an hour in the afternoon for the computer lab when we weren’t on field trips). The

teachers deferred to the instructional assistants in the lab, and it often looked like they were checking

email during the video portions instead of listening and answering questions.

Honestly, I think the instruction could have been more rigorous. I know the teachers did some

sort of pre‐testing at the beginning of the week, but the field trips got in the way of post‐testing and it

Comment [bas10]: I can imagine that at the end of a long school year it would be hard to attach a sense of intensity or urgency to 4 days of summer school. [If it were me, I think I might have chosen to study just 1 thing - one question- and just let the kids really wallow in it for 4 whole days from every angle. But that would require a lot of planning. A constant question for educators is how to work with time effectively. What can you do in 4 days? I do not think we have very real answers to such questions.


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didn’t get done. The goals of the program were to enrich the students’ writing and math skills, but that

seems too vague to me. They spent a lot of time on measurement skills, which aren’t tested very much

on the MEAP (according to my elementary teacher friends). As for teacher evaluation, my principal

never talked about monitoring teaching during this short summer school program, and I did not see any

evidence of evaluation happening. I have to question the value of summer school, then, when we have

no proof that the students learned anything new or that teachers did what they were supposed to in the

classrooms.

On a purely anecdotal level, I know the students had a great time and made positive

connections with adults and their peers. This is the problem I face during the year when the district

presses us to show how well we’re teaching kids. My school can provide plenty of individual case

studies, but the raw data is lacking and/or doesn’t show enough growth in student academic

achievement. The other three high schools are struggling, too, to show that they are providing quality

educations to all of their students. It comes down to the numbers, and the numbers aren’t behaving the

way we’d like them to. I think administrators need to collect more information to paint a clear picture

of what goes on in their schools and what the values of their programs are. Ideally, data would come in

many shapes and sizes: standardized test scores, student portfolios, teacher‐created common

assessments, case studies, etc.

Reflection #5: A School Climate Geared Toward Learning and Improvement

A positive school climate geared toward teaching and learning can only be created by a group of

people willing to set boundaries, think big, take action, reflect on what’s working and what isn’t, make

changes as needed, build relationships with everyone around them, and treat everyone with respect.

Without even one of these components, the school will struggle to succeed. When I read Gawande’s

description of hand washing in hospitals, I was reminded of schools. (Gawande, 2007) In a hospital, one

Comment [bas11]: Yes. How would it be measured or considered qualitatively?

Comment [bas12]: Yes, but numbers do not behave, only people behave. The question is why caring for people is seen as a distraction from rigorous learning or simply IS a distraction from learning. If we did have richer data systems and measures, do you believe the students who look bad by test score standards would look better on other assessments? Do you think they would be more accurate measures of instructional quality as well?


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person who doesn’t wash his hands can cause great damage, even though everyone else might be

following all the guidelines. One little lapse in diligence can infect the whole place. I feel like I work in

setting in which most of us are washing our hands, but one or two people aren’t, keeping us from

providing students the education to which they are entitled. Instead of washing hands, it is the poor job

of data collection and analysis that infects our progress.

At <<School name>>, there is a reward system in place that celebrates success inside and

outside the classroom. I think this is a great way to start building a climate that serves academic goals as

well as recognizes students as unique individuals. Having a team made up of teachers, instructional

assistants, special education teacher consultants, secretaries, lunch room supervisors, parent

volunteers, and the principal also helps contribute to the positive school climate. In the classrooms,

students are reminded that academic content is important. At recess or lunch, students are reminded

that manners and self‐control are positive attributes. When traveling down the hallways, safety is

reinforced. The secretary offers connections to students’ families, ensuring that parents can easily

contact their students. Students have many needs on top of academic ones, and having a team made up

of all of these different kinds of people shows them that more than just good grades matter.

The principal makes it clear at <<School name>> that professional development is a priority.

The staff lounge offers a quiet, clean haven from the noisy rituals of the school day, and it is also stocked

with reading materials and videos that showcase the latest in instructional research. There is a TV

available for staff to watch the videos, and they are allowed to borrow any materials that they want to

read. Staff meetings center on aspects of professional development, instead of just focusing on day‐to‐

day issues. By sitting down and learning about new approaches to try in the classroom, teachers are

given an opportunity to shape how curricula are delivered instead of waiting to be directed by the


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principal or central administration. Their involvement as leaders creates a stronger culture of learning.

(Knapp, Copland, & Talbert, 2003)

Reflection #6: Acting and Managing Strategically

The first strategic action any principal has to take is getting to know the people with whom he or

she works. Without having a handle on people’s strengths, weaknesses, personalities, quirks, etc., a

principal will not be able to delegate work in an efficient manner. Also, knowing how people work, what

motivates them, and what makes them angry or frustrated can help avoid conflicts that might get in the

way of student learning. Having good relationships with everyone in the building will be beneficial

when unexpected situations arise that require a principal to ask for help – knowing who to count on

when the pressure is on is critical. The principal also needs to encourage teachers to get to know one

another because teachers who work closely together “form working relationships with one another that

can be extraordinary influences on the school.” (Donaldson, 2006)

From what I could tell from spending a week in a pseudo‐administrative capacity, a principal has

to make delegation of tasks a priority. (<<Student name>>, Internship Reflections, Day 1, 2009)

Otherwise, she would be quickly buried in a sea of unfinished reports, phone messages, and data. A

principal cannot run a school without help. Like a sports coach, she needs to figure out the strengths

and weaknesses of her staff and learn who can handle certain tasks and who cannot.

Reflection #7: Plans for Continued Learning and Development

There were two main areas that stuck out in my mind throughout this internship experience,

and I would like to delve into both of them in the upcoming months.

First of all, I would like to know more about developing better teachers and improving

instruction. We have many great teachers in the district, but how can we make them better? I think the

Comment [bas13]: Yes, one opportunity lost when summer school comes crashing in the last minute is the option to use summer school as a learning lab for teachers. With some extra resources, you could try to have this be a time where teachers co-teach, peer review, try new methods for struggling learners, etc. The problem with summer school is that it is just for kids. Ideally, we would have summer school for teachers and even for parent too. That would be a way to be a real learning community...

Comment [bas14]: Yes. The principal trainer I worked with in my graduate school days had this big poster in his office DELEGATE OR DIE!

Comment [bas15]: Did you learn why <<School name>> decided on its summer school schedule. Do you think it had strategic merit or lacked it? I am curious. I understand it is hard to judge this from 4 days.


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main obstacle facing administrators is “teacher buy‐in,” making teachers see the value in pursuing

improvement and not thinking that they are being criticized or evaluated. As long as our high schools

are considered failing, administrators need to find ways to make their teachers do things differently in

their classrooms. (If everything was working well, scores would be up, attendance would be great, and

the schools would receive grades above a D.) The district has put all of its secondary administrators

through training that centers on research‐based instructional strategies that have been proven to work

in classrooms. I plan to look into making some of that training available to teachers, at least in my

building if not district‐wide.

I think Gawande’s “Suggestions for Becoming a Positive Deviant” might be a good place to start,

and it might even serve as a good framework for the year’s professional development approach.

(Gawande, 2007) I hope we’d be able to get through all five steps, and it makes sense to ask unscripted

questions to get us started; at least it would be productive to discuss change, even if it didn’t happen

right away.

Secondly, I’d like to look into the idea of making sure students’ needs are met on an individual

basis as much as possible. How do you ensure that all students are getting what they need

academically, socially, and emotionally? Is it possible to serve all students as individuals, or do some just

need to be lumped with others like themselves? Do we have to live with some students “falling through

the cracks?” I’d like to explore getting closer to the ideal, where all students reach their potential and

earn high school diplomas. This idea is tied into improving attendance rates and providing more services

that treat the social issues that traditionally get in the way of academic performance (poverty, child

abuse, substance abuse, etc.). I would like to read more about programs that show success, especially

alternative programs. An acquaintance of mine who works in education recommended William

Glasser’s work, especially his book The Quality School.

Comment [bas16]: My form of deviance would be to protest the concept of buy-in, which I find logical and important, but somehow not helpful. How about we get teachers to lead instead of buying in? How might we do that. That is what I have been thinking about.

Comment [bas17]: For kids like yours in the alt school, I think an interesting program that has been tested is called Check & Connect. If you Google it or visit the What Works Clearinghouse you can find out about it. It how to keep kids in school and learning through intense tracking and support. Not easy, but effective.


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Works Cited Donaldson, G. A. (2006). Cultivating Leadership in Schools. New York: Teachers College Press. Elmore, R. F. (2008). Improving the Instructional Core. Cambridge: Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Gawande, A. (2007). Better. New York: Metropolitan Books. Knapp, M. S., Copland, M. A., & Talbert, J. E. (2003). Leading for Learning: Reflective Tools for School and District Leaders. Seattle: Center for the Student of Teaching and Policy. Marzano, R. J. (2001). Classroom Instruction That Works. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Printy, S. P. (2008). Distributed Leadership: A Quick Tour of Theory and Practice. East Lansing: Michigan State University. <<Student name>> (2009, June). Internship Reflections. Lansing, MI, USA: Self. <<Student name>> (2009, June). TimeTrack Data. Lansing, MI, USA: Self.

<<Student name>>

It is also a pleasure to hear your thoughtful reflections and comments. I think the way you

jumped in and worked with this program was terrific. And you have worked to build lots of important

connections and insights from it. Well done!

And thanks for the time tracker sheets. I know this was an experiment and took some learning

and that the summer school context is a little odd and ill suited. (I am not sure all that field trip time

reduces only to student supervision – I suppose this is one of the weaknesses of such a system.) I think

these sheets are just very interesting artifacts. I have encouraged Susan to have a poster session when

each of you posters your logs and you all look them over to see what insights you gain. I think they

could provoke interesting conversations between interns and mentors also. One question is would is

just help the average administrator to have these on their wall as a reminder prod!


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I appreciate your efforts here to make connections between key ideas studied formally in class

and made by authors and your lived experience. I think putting both together can help us grow more.

And, I know that there will be important opportunities to consider putting all this together when the

cohort resumes in the fall. You bring a great voice to these conversations ‐

Meanwhile, I have shared other thoughts with you in the comments above.

I hope you have a good rest of summer.

I will try to connect in small ways to hear about the progress of the group over the year.

BetsAnn

Course grade 4.0

Appendix #1: TimeTrack Data – (school) Elementary School, June 8‐12


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Appendix #2: Daily Reflections

Day 1

My first day at an elementary school was exhausting, interesting, and kind of fun. I haven’t been around the little ones since I worked for two weeks at the Young Peoples College a few years ago, and I had forgotten how goofy elementary students can be. I’m at <<School name>>, which is running a week‐long summer academy with field trips and class work every day (8 am to 5 pm). Today, the students learned about measurement and then walked to <<Community park>> to measure each and every thing they came across. Our other trips include: Binder Park Zoo, Celebration Cinema to see “Earth,” MSU’s butterfly and children’s gardens, and <<School Building #2>> for a day‐long “camping” trip.

I learned that a principal often has little time to prepare, has to multitask at all times, and must make what seems like thousands of decisions in a typical work day. The principal learned last week who her teachers and instructional assistants were going to be, and they met on Friday to plan for the week. They settled on a safari theme and quickly made arrangements for all of the field trips.

When I walked in this morning, the principal was dealing with vandalism in several classrooms, setting up breakfast for the incoming students, delegating responsibilities to the instructional assistants, touching base with the teachers, greeting students and parents, and trying to figure out what to do with me. (She had learned on Friday afternoon that I was going to be onboard for the week.) After the students were put into groups and sent off with their respective teachers, I called the homes of students who hadn’t shown up and figured out which ones needed to be picked up by the principal. Eventually, we had a minute to sit and talk about her expectations for the week with regard to my internship. I’m going to be chaperoning several of the field trips as the “administrator,” working on parts of the staff manual, helping out with some budgetary paperwork, observing in classrooms, supervising students when teachers have breaks, interacting with parents, and filling in with whatever else comes up.

I’m excited that I’ll get a taste of many aspects of being an administrator. It’s a small program – 30 students, 3 teachers, 3 instructional assistants – so I will be able to talk with everyone involved and get a feel for working with all types of employees (including secretarial and custodial staff).

Even though my background is in secondary education, I could see that we all have the same issues: behavior, parent involvement, classroom management, working with curriculum guidelines, etc. The setting may look different, but at the core it seems more alike than different from my alternative high school. In fact, I think my high school should look closely at <<School name>>’s behavior management system, which involves a “three strikes” rule and yellow warning slips, red suspension tickets, and tangible rewards for good behavior.

One thing that we touched on in class last semester was the administrator as content expert, and I struggled with that as I tried to teach a group of first through fourth graders how to play Yahtzee. I realized that I had no idea what kind of math students should know at each of the grade levels. I was asking them to multiply, which didn’t go over so well. Then, as I observed in a few of the classrooms, I realized that I didn’t know when a student should know how to write a paragraph. One student at the end of the day received a prize for writing three paragraphs, which some of my high school students cannot even do easily. I asked the principal about what students should know in each grade level, and she was able to answer me quickly. I will have to remember to ask her about science and social studies, in addition to math and English. I bet she’s pretty well‐versed in those, too.


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The best thing about the day was that I got to use most of my “skill set.” I communicated with everyone in the building on some level, I wrote and proofread some documents, I taught students how to do something new, I helped planned curriculum for the week, I built relationships with the students, I spoke with parents, and I observed the instructional strategies being used in several classrooms. I got to do it all, which is something I find very appealing about becoming an administrator.

Day 2

Field Trip to Binder Park Zoo

My principal couldn’t go on the field trip today, so she sent me in her place. I got to carry the first aid kit, phone numbers of all the teachers, emergency cash, and a form to keep track of our lunches. The first part of my day involved getting everything ready to go and double‐checking that all the students had their permission slips turned in. The principal told me to float from group to group (there were three main groups, with one ad‐hoc group led by a parent who didn’t feel like meeting any of our timelines) and make sure everything was going smoothly.

Shortly after arriving, however, it became evident that there was one student who was going to require one‐on‐one attention all day to keep him from disappearing, having an accident, or running someone down on the paths. The other adults had the rest of their students to deal with, so <<Child’s name>> became my project. I followed him all day and tried to work with him on following directions, but he is literally unable to control himself (he’s only seven years old). At lunch, I was able to resume more administrative duties like distributing lunches, filling out paperwork, and communicating with teachers about the schedule for the rest of the day.

When it was finally time to leave the zoo, a parent volunteer chaperone was nowhere to be found, and she had four students with her. Word has it that she’s normally pretty nonchalant about things like departure times, so it was no surprise to anyone there that we had to wait for her for about 20 minutes. It stressed me about because I knew that we needed to get back in order for students to have snacks and catch the bus home, plus there was a student who needed to leave early for a recital. I felt responsible for getting us moving, as I’m sure the principal would have in that situation.

After arriving back at school, I made sure the bus was emptied of people, belongings, and trash, and then headed into the building to give the students their snacks and direct them to their classrooms for a debriefing of the day. The secretary told me I was in charge because the principal had run out of the building for an errand, but I think she was kidding. (There wasn’t much to do since there were only about 30 minutes left in the day.) When the principal returned, I debriefed her about the trip. She told me that my experience was atypical – the part about dealing with <<Child’s name>> all day – and most students are not that needy. I’m used to having students who require extra amounts of attention because that’s the kind of kid alternative education attracts.

We talked a little bit about how she had to reconfigure the summer school budget because one of the teachers backed out, so that’s what I get to go over tomorrow. It sounds a lot like the budget stuff I had to do for the school improvement plan, so I’m interested to see how the two compare. I also plan to ask her about what the teachers are responsible for during summer school in terms of pre‐ and post‐testing and goal‐setting.


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I did have an opportunity to take part in a conversation with <<Child’s name>>’s mother, who came to pick him up. The principal talked to <<Child’s name>> before his mother showed up about his inability to follow directions. One of the teachers asked if I thought <<Child’s name>> should go on our field trip on Friday, which is to <<School building #2>> and involves hiking, canoeing, and fishing. We decided that it would be too difficult to keep track of him, so we recommended to the principal that he stay home on that day. She agreed and spoke to his mother about it. During the conversation, I mentioned that I was worried about his safety. The mother was very receptive and understood, probably because her older son is about twice as bad in the behavior department as <<Child’s name>> is. The principal obviously had a good relationship with this parent and was easily able to start the conversation. She made sure to start the conversation with positive comments about <<Child’s name>>, and then moved into the concerns. I was impressed by the principal’s rapport with this parent in particular, and she also interacts very well with the other parents. They obviously respect her and trust her with their children.

Day 3

Field Trip to Celebration Cinema (Earth)

Today I finally had a solid block of time to speak with the principal one‐on‐one. We spent a good deal of time discussing and revising the summer school budget. Originally she had planned for four teachers, but the schedule had to change and only three of the teachers could work the program. The money that was saved by only having three teachers had to be distributed throughout the rest of the budget, but the numbers were all messed up. I could relate because the same thing happened when I worked on the school improvement plan. The numbers on the account sheet never quite manage to match the numbers on the budget sheet! She said that it was a constant challenge to make the amounts match up, especially since central administration often changes the amounts of money available.

The district’s chief academic officer just purchased sets of a new math resource for the elementary schools, which we had to go pick up today. It was supposed to be integrated into the summer school program, but ours ends in two days and the teachers never received any sort of training about how to use the resource. I looked at it and couldn’t really figure out what it was or how it could help teach math, but (again) I don’t know much about how to teach math to elementary students. It all goes back to knowing the expectations for content areas, which is critical for the principal to understand. The principal was upset that more district money was being wasted on a gimmicky program instead of putting it to better, more meaningful use.

I chaperoned the field trip to Celebration Cinema, then came back to finish up the day. I spoke with two technology‐oriented instructional assistants about how to better incorporate technology into the classrooms. After our discussion, I think we’ll take our Smart boards and make them mobile so many teachers can use them.

I walked through several classrooms today multiple times and saw that the teachers were working on the areas they planned to – writing skills (6 Traits), measurement. It was interesting to sit back and observe. All of the teachers welcomed me into their rooms and didn’t seem to mind when I asked the students what they were working on (all were able to tell me what they were supposed to be doing).


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Day 4

The principal had a meeting this morning, so I was on my own from 8:00 am to 10:30 am. I managed to feed all the students their breakfasts and keep them from destroying the cafeteria. I had them do wall sits until they complained about the pain, and then we had a “slow motion” race in which the last person to cross the finish line won.

I spent part of the morning analyzing third and fourth grade math MEAP scores, and I noticed a few interesting things. First of all, the majority of their third grade students scored a 1 or 2 on most of the GLCEs, meaning that they showed proficiency. In fourth grade, the scores started to drop. The kids who were borderline in third grade tended to score lower in fourth grade. I found this interesting because when we test our secondary students, their math gaps usually start showing up in the fourth grade expectations. I also noticed that students who scored at a high level of proficiency in third grade had a tendency to perform better on the fourth grade test. I compiled a list of students who were on the 2L (low end of a 2)/3H (high end of a 3) border, and they will receive extra help at the beginning of next year to get their scores up to a solid 2 or better.

The principal, when we discussed the test scores later in the morning, said she felt bad about leaving behind the students who scored lower, but they feel like the mid‐range students can more easily get caught up in the six weeks they have before the MEAP in the fall. The lower‐scoring students (who make up just a small percentage of the total number of students being tested) require more time and energy to get up to speed, so they will be taken care of after the test. I can understand that feeling of guilt about not being able to help all the kids at the same time – it happens all the time at a classroom level. I’ve just never really thought about it on a building level.

Since I was the only “administrator” in the building all morning, I had to deal with a discipline issue when a girl was kicked out of class. <<Child’s name>> came into the office, put her hands on her cheeks, and refused to answer any of my questions. After a few minutes of awkward silence and occasional questions, I figured out that she was frustrated with the writing they were doing in class. I gave her some paper to draw on and went down to talk to the teacher. The teacher said that <<Child’s name>> had had a “meltdown” and thrown her pencils during the editing process. She said, “<<Childs’ name>> always thinks her work is perfect and she ignores me when I tell her to make changes.” Honestly, I thought the teacher was lacking compassion for this student, but I don’t know how experiences in the past affected her treatment of <<Child’s name>>.

I went back to talk to <<Child’s name>> and found that she had drawn two diagrams of her dance routines for tonight’s recital. She explained them both to me, and then we started talking about her assignment. I quickly determined that she had a hard time spelling and often got letters mixed up. I went through and circled all the words that we needed to work on, and I realized that she’s actually a very good writer (which I told her). We fixed all the errors and she even added more to her writing. We then talked about what had happened in the room with her teacher, and she mentioned that she sometimes gets mad and frustrated to the point that she gets a headache. In her classroom last year, she had a sign worked out with her teacher that meant she needed a break from the room. I told her we’d use it for the rest of the week, and we’d make sure her teacher knew what to do if she got the “sign.” I took her back to class and spoke with the teacher, who agreed to abide by <<Child’s name>> signal.


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For the rest of the day, I watched closely how this teacher interacted with <<Child’s name>>, and it was obvious that <<Child’s name>> rubbed her the wrong way. She would pick on <<Child’s name>>, pushing her buttons, instead of giving her room to work through her frustrations. If I were her administrator, I would pull her aside and discuss her approach to <<Child’s name>>. It would have to be handled tactfully because it seemed like this teacher was bossy in general and wouldn’t be receptive to criticism.

It was great to be able to work one‐on‐one with a student, and it made me wish I could do more of that sort of thing. I feel like too many students get lost in the shuffle, and <<Child’s name>> is probably going to be one of those kids whose anger issues get in the way of their relationships with the adults at school.

Day 5

Today I came to the realization that I really don’t want to be a principal of a large school, like a middle or high school. A smaller school, like an elementary building, would be perfect for me because what I like best about teaching are the relationships I build with students. I don’t think you can build adequate relationships with students, as a principal, in a building that has a thousand students. The principal and I talked about this for awhile at the end of the day, and she said that she knows 99% of her students by name. She also knows something about most of them that doesn’t relate to what they’re doing in school. That just sounds really appealing to me, which is probably why I’m attracted to alternative education. I’ve been fortunate enough to work in smaller schools throughout my career, and I love the fact that I really get to know my students as people.

When I asked the principal why she wanted to be a principal, she said that she wanted to make a difference with more than just the students in her classroom. She wanted to help a whole building full of students. I like that answer, and I think it’s a great reason to be an administrator. I know many administrators who got out of teaching and into management because of the increases in power and paychecks, but <<School name>>’s principal seemed to genuinely love her job and her mission to make her school a better place for kids on every level – academically, personally, socially.

This week provided me with a great opportunity to see how a school operates, even if it was on a small scale. Even with a small number of students, there are thousands of details to deal with, from making sure teachers had all the supplies they needed to order the right amount of food to scheduling buses for field trips. The principal told me I was welcome to come visit for a day in the fall to see how the school works on a regular day, and I definitely plan to take her up on her offer. I assume that the tasks will be multiplied and moving at a faster pace.


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SAMPLE EVIDENCE OF LEARNING FROM EAD 881 SUMMER INTERNSHIPS….

Cohort members developed an extensive portfolio of reflections to boost their learning

during their internship experiences. Below is a small sample of reflection passages that

evidence the types of leadership learning and experiences cohort members had, and the

relationships they developed with mentors.

Student #1: During the summer program. I also attempted to create trust and collaboration tied to the core work of teaching and learning. I was in the classrooms frequently. On most days I performed walk‐throughs, and one brief observation, as well as spending time working with children. I also spent time each morning conversing with the teachers and going over their lesson plans. The teachers seemed to quickly trust in me, and frequently asked for feedback on lesson planning. Each time that I did an observation, I photocopied my form and gave them a copy, going over the results with them. Invariably, they were very positive notes as the teachers were very talented and passionate about their work. Aside from assisting small groups of students in the classroom, I took over the planning of the final day activities and they were very appreciative of my efforts. There was a strong school climate geared towards learning and academic improvement. The children did not have recess at any time during the summer program. Instead, they participated in fun and active instruction on a daily basis. There was a lot of movement and hands‐on activities. The summer school program proved to be a positive learning experience for both students and staff. Student #2: Our most productive conversations (between myself and my principal mentor) occurred during walk‐throughs. I wanted to get her perspective as to what she saw in classrooms, so we discussed outside of each classroom. She shared that she is really looking for kids being engaged and excited about learning and what she looks for in classrooms. I asked if she was able to do daily walkthroughs, and the reality, she said, is that she gets caught up in requirements and reports, etc. She doesn't spend the kind of time on student contact as she wishes she could. On the first day due to our lengthy conversation, we only made it to 3 classrooms. It was a very valuable discussion for me, (but it pulled her away from kids). Student #3: (One) uncomfortable situation I found myself in was a situation where the teachers were showing a movie on the second day of summer school. I was not aware of the fact they had started it the first day, but the principal entered the class that second day and openly challenged the teacher as to its appropriateness and connection to the curriculum. He was not intimidated by this woman’s brashness, and the teacher tried to explain how they would use it in coming lessons. I discussed it with him later as to his thinking about the movie and how an administrator can maintain a handle on the potential misuse of class time during the regular school year.

Student #4: What I feel I enjoyed the most and am most proud of is the incentive program that I initiated called Caught Being Good, which I had established at a previous school with great success.

Comment [bas1]: Humm,,,, It is worth thinking some about why that was. It may be part you, part their own culture etc. All of it is important. BA

Comment [bas2]: Were you or he able to learn what her lesson plans were and what sort of tasks students were being asked to engage in? Did you follow through. Did this teacher feel understood? BA


2

Student #5: I was very happy that the principal was willing to share some of the challenges she had as a new principal in her building. I think that aspiring leaders are often anxious about those initial months in a new position. People can sometimes be skeptical, or even hostile toward a new leader, depending on a variety of circumstances. My principal faced many challenges in the first year in her building, and she discussed some of the ways she overcame them. One thing she did was gain the support of some of the central administrators and board members. This way, when confronting staff, she was able to know that upper level administrators would support her decisions. The other important factor that allowed the principal to gain success was that she quickly showed that she “knew her stuff.” The decisions she made regarding instruction were supported by research and also helped to improve test scores. This helped her gain the trust of her staff. One area I am still uncomfortable with is the amount of time and the level of commitment involved in being a successful school leader. My principal confirmed my belief that you truly have to “live and breath” the principalship. Student #6: For the most part staff functioned to or above expectations. There was, however, a need for specific redirection with regards to an assistant that instead of supervising students … opted to check emails and do other personal tasks. <<Principal initials>> dealt with this by visiting computer labs and modeling for both teacher and assistant how they could be helping students while on the computers. She also scripted a positive and direct reminder on what they should be doing and how they should be following the lesson plans created for all of them. I would have been tempted to take a more direct approach and tell the assistant to get on task. I see that <<Principal>> approach does not embarrass or cause defensiveness and/or justifications. It addresses the problem. It shows people what needs to be done. It does not create discomfort for anyone involved. I am frequently confronted with my history and habit of a militaristic and draconian approach to resolve problems. Trying to change my practice I realize that the direct and confrontational approach may seem quick and effective but in the long run is not as powerful or curative as <<Principal>>. Where I would have relied on authority and power <<Principal>> uses empathy compassion. She stands beside the person in question and walks with them. I would stand in front of the person and told them where to go. Over the course of time and with reflection <<Principal>> way gets buy in at all levels and develops a better personal relationship with all. Student #7: I loved to see <<Principal>> in action, planning seeds of improvement while developing leadership in staff. She told me that a leader’s job is to develop leaders. A perfect example of her skill with this is when she approached the librarian about the empty shelves in the library. <<Principal>> wanted textbooks and other books from the storage room placed on shelves in the library so that they would be used more. When telling the librarian that she wanted the books on the shelves to “fill the shelves up to the ceiling with books, books, books”, the librarian looked as if she may think the principal didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Next <<Principal>> guided the librarian and a volunteer through a series of questions leading

Comment [B3]: Yes, and if I understand correctly, it also shows and models the work to be done and the behavior expected – which simply asking someone to get on task does not. BA

Comment [B4]: I know summer school is not a typical format, but was it used in some way to foster teacher learning in any way? Did you get much sense of how teachers interact and work with each other? BA

Comment [bas5]: A lovely framing of her work and mission… Probably effective too. (Perhaps this is one ways she recognizes some of her limitations too) BA

Deleted:


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into a discussion about possible options to get this task done. I loved it! The principal left with asking the librarian to please think about it some more because she is the “expert in books.” I am sure that if the books are not on the shelves this fall <<Principal>> will stop by the library again with her plan to reassess the situation. � Another valuable lesson to my leadership development I gained from <<Principal>> was her perspective on dealing with stressful or emotional situations. She was explaining to me how she works though issues with staff members that may be critical of her or negative interactions with staff that need redirection. After stressing the need for honest, direct conversation she concludes with an inflection and accent that I will not forget “It is in the minute. Then I move on.” I don’t always let go of things so this is one motto I am adopting today.

Comment [bas6]: Yes, and that is what makes the difference. If she does not do this, then, well, that may be why the librarian rolled her eyes. She knows that THIS is only “of the moment” too. BA

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EAD 881 School Internship - College of Education · 2011-01-28 · EAD 881 Syllabus Department of...

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