Colleen BerryTeacher/Mentor Promotion Presentation

EDL/500March 31st, 2014Cynthia Spicer

Personal Strengths of Colleen BerryFortmont Elementary Teacher Leader Candidate

Introduction Thank you for your consideration in my transitioning into a teacher mentor at Fortmont Elementary. This is a natural step for me in my journey as a teacher leader as I have had the amazing opportunity to collaborate with an outstanding group of teachers over the past five years. As a successful teacher mentor and leader , I encompasses many skills and abilities that enable me to guide others in their emotional and professional growth. In this position I can share my knowledge and have the opportunity to get to know new teachers on a personal level. This allows me to provide the guidance and support needed to help them grow and become future mentors and leaders of the school as well. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you what my personal strengths and leadership style are, and how these qualities and abilities make me the perfect candidate for the teacher mentor opportunity.

My Personal StrengthsDeveloper

My goal is to help others experience success through understanding of their potential. I can provide pathways for others to navigate in their journey as an educator.

Empathy I am a very intuitive individual and am tuned into others emotions and feelings. This allows me to understand their point of view as well as anticipate others needs who may not have the comfort level to speak up but need guidance, or just an outlet to vent.

Ideation Using my creativity, I excel at connecting with others through a sharing of ideas and perspectives. I love new concepts and believe in developing those.

Personal Strengths, continued

Positivity This strengths provides the basis for motivation through praise and positive reinforcement. I believe in celebrating achievements, big and small.

Strategic A successful teacher mentor/leader is able to look at the big picture and understand the goals of the administration. I encompass this strength and am able to break the big picture into smaller more manageable parts which provides colleagues with focus and better understanding. This strength also gives others the guidance needed to find answers or resolutions to problems.

My leadership style My ultimate goal is to guide. Through positive reinforcement, I invest my time and talent into developing an individuals career path. This is achieved by assessing their goals and aspirations , allowing me to provide them with tools to achieve those goals, such as reflection, self evaluation, and idea sharing. This environment breeds a higher quality of performance as the teacher has a better understanding of who they are, their position expectations, and career path opportunities

My leadership style is strictly guided by the rules and regulations of the school

district. It is my responsibility to provide guidance to others while ensuring proper policies and procedures are followed.

Colleen’s Leadership Abilities

VisionMotivationEmpathy

TrustworthyRisk TakingFocus/follow

throughHumor

Zimmerman, 2005

My leadership skills will enable me to:• Understand the overall goals/objectives of the

district and school administration, and be able to articulate how they will be achieved.

• Motivate others through praise, appreciation, and recognition

• Implement a collaborative environment to encourage others to develop leadership abilities.

• Empathy to understand others moods and feelings which will allow me to provide guidance

Leadership Skills continued……• Empower teachers through a collaborative

approach thus building an environment of confidence and mentoring

• Exhibit trustworthiness in accordance to my values and beliefs and be consistent in those

• Will Test new ideas and strategies of the teams (risk)

• Be flexible and open to continued learning and self improvement Adjust to change

• Be A lifelong learner and apply my past knowledge and thinking to new ideas and learned content

(Krisko ,2005)

Conclusion

My success as a classroom teacher, along with my personal strengths and leadership abilities have prepared me to be an effective teacher of teachers. I will guide my colleagues in the understanding of the curriculum, grade level objectives, and school policies. Through communication and collaboration, I relish the opportunity to share my knowledge as well as learn from those I am guiding.

ReferencesKrisko, M. (2001). Teacher leadership: A profile to identify the potential. From ERIC, 1-17. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED459147.pdf

Rath, T. (2007). Strengths Finder. New York: Gallup Press.

Zimmerman, R.M. (2005). Zimmerman-Lehman. Retrieved from http://www.zimmerman-jehman.com