Community & Connection
There could be many names for this section: Visioning Schools, School-Community Connection, Creating a Community of Care. Each of these overarching ideas fundamentally distill down to my personal strengths as a leader: Communication and Connection. Being a school leader is best achieved when we connect with all stakeholders, create a shared vision, and unify under a belief in collective efficacy. We each bring our strengths to create a web of support used to educate each whole child. Communication. Connection. Care.
Educational Platform.pptx
All children can learn, and in this school, they do.
If one is going to share a vision for a school, they must first visualize the end state, then use the staff, faculty, and community to build and grow it. Then they must create a supportive learning environment (ISSL 5) and finally adjust the what and how of teaching for the benefit of the students (ISSL 4). By writing my educational platform and sharing it with my staff, I can begin to foster the vision and mission for the school (ISSL 1).
As a student, I also had the opportunity to complete the academic exercise of revising the vision statement for our school (ISSL 1). I made it more specific and designed it to better communicate our particular vision and how we differ from other local school options (ISSL 10).
Interviews and Hiring as Establishment of Vision and Culture
HPSCAN_20210310235046665_2021-03-10_235323250.pdfInterview Questions - Enrichment Support.docx**Although this says "Scott County Catholic Schools" this paper was made up entirely by me, for an academic exercise in allowing current teacher candidates to practice interviewing for a job in a Catholic School, which is a different experience than for a public school. This paper is not affiliated with, created or officially endorsed by any of the actual Scott County Catholic Schools.
When I was a small business owner, I gained much experience interviewing, hiring, and developing my staff, but having the ability to do it as part of an interview team was a new and excellent experience. Taking the change of custodial staff as an opportunity to grow our school's mission and vision (ISSL 1 & 6) was formative as a building leader. Having the opportunity to write questions that will get to the heart of what is important to our school and climate and culture (ISSL 1 & 7) provided lessons I will always carry with me as I move into my own building.
Copy of Social Studies Teacher Job Description.docxCopy of Lunch Staff Induction Plan.docxThrough my Masters of Educational Leadership Program at St. Ambrose I had the opportunity to write a job description and induction plan for non-certified staff. I find it telling that in the new ISSL standards, principals are expected to treat all school personnel as professionals, and develop an environment that supports them as such, for the benefit of our students. I am confident in my ability to solicit, interview and hire diverse staff (ISSL 3) who not only will be developed professionally (ISSL 6 & 7), but will help drive the mission and vision of my school (ISSL 1) while building upon our Catholic values.
School Improvement: Student Support Team
Through my time as an Administrative Intern, I saw the opportunity for a whole school improvement (ISSL 10) where behaviors might indicate a Disability Suspect Special Education Inquiry (ISSL 3). My plan is to work with school administrators, our AEA representative, and classroom teachers, to create a Teacher Support Team (ISSL 6 & 7), so that all students have equal access to education (ISSL 3) and teachers can support one another for the education of every child in our building.
COVID19 : The World Stopped but Learning Continued
Communication with community and families is always important (ISSL 5 & 8), but never more than when the entire system of education changes (ISSL 1). In April 2020, I took the opportunity for leadership and combined them with my own strengths as a teacher-leader, and worked with school administrators and my middle school teachers to create a new system of instruction and grading (ISSL 4). We examined how we could equitably serve students (ISSL 3), families with multiple grades in a home, and still offer top-notch education (ISSL 4). I then facilitated commuication with families (ISSL 8) through letter, Google Classroom and example videos. I am proud that we were able to provide, even from a distance, rigorous education and a community of care for students and their families.
7A E-learning letter.docxRequired Work Grading System.docxClimate Survey
As Educational Leaders, we must practice self-reflection that includes the feedback of those with whom we work (ISSL 6, 7, 10). Best practices and prior experience are important, as is sometimes following our gut, but if we don't stop to ask how we are doing, we can quickly lose the commitment of our community.
Fall 2020 found our school the only school in Bettendorf that offered 100% in-person education, with COVID19 cases rising sharply in Scott County, and the decision to stay open still a strongly LEA decision. This provided another opportunity to reach out to the staff with a climate survey I designed, implemented, and analyzed. We then discussed the findings as a staff, presented them to the Church staff and School Board, all of which facilitated more two-way communication between the staff and administration.
COVID Climate Survey.docxCopy of Nov 2020 Staff Climate.pptxCommunity of Care and Support for Students
Having had multiple opportunities to serve as my building's principal for days and weeks at a time, I know for certain fostering and growing a positive connection with students is the most obvious yet often most difficult part of the job. Conducting morning prayer and announcements at our Catholic school, sharing birthdays, celebrations and wins is one small way I was able to connect with all students, and foster an environment of caring and establish the tone for the learning environment (ISSL5).
When COVID 19 was ramping up, one of the initiatives our health-aide had was to communicate an expectation of better handwashing. Working with her (ISSL 6), I created and administered a quick survey to students about their favorite hymns sung in Mass (supporting our mission and vision- ISSL 1) and created a poster to hang in front of each sink in the building (ISSL 5). When sung, each section is about 30 seconds of handwashing, making for a safer and cleaner school!
30 second Handwashing Hymns.docxWorking with Families
(Good to know: My students and parents call me "Profa".)
As an administrative intern, I worked with families, students, teachers and staff to identify and rectify safety issues during our school pick-up time. With an eye to laws and regulations (ISSL 2), I proposed a few changes, shared them with all stakeholders (ISSL 6, 7, 8), and then ensured the proposal was followed by being a "friendly face" in the parking lot each afternoon, until new norms were established (ISSL 9). The email above shows how pleased parents were with not only the changes, but my ability to navigate an uncomfortable situation for the betterment of all parties involved.
Communicating can be easy, fun even, when everyone is excited to hear what you have to say. In a school environment, however, there will always be dissenting voices who will bring their frustration to you. Fostering this type of open-door policy is imperative to the success of a school administrator, as we cannot have meaningful relationships when we only wish to hear what we do well (ISSL 8). Much like the Holy Trinity, education exists as one and three: School, Students, Family/Community. Knowing this, we must approach relationships in a similar way: we must be willing
While this letter represents my position as a teacher, it was written in response to a very frustrated parent on behalf of our middle-school team (ISSL 7). In the end, my principal commended me on my ability to remain level-headed, address the concerns, and stay focused on our goals- equitable education of the whole child (ISSL 3 & 5), which is at the heart of our mission and vision (ISSL 1).
Internship Hours - Communication & Connection.pdfEverything that I do, every choice I make, every system I create, every time I speak, my goal is a stronger community and system of support for the children who are entrusted to us.
The policies of education are like a pendulum, swinging from "basics" to "larger thinking", the backgrounds our students carry (and our understanding of them) are multiplying, but what has always been constant in my career is the demonstrable belief that when we focus on the people, building relationships and a safe environment where people are treated equitably and justly, growth occurs.
If you would like a more detailed accounting of time I spent building community, connections and care in the last two years, please click on my Internship log.