Sunday's class was interesting the IIRC stuff is cool and coming up with a job placement was interesting and useful.

Top-Notch Teachers

This being my eighth year in education I feel I have a pretty good idea of what teachers around me are highly qualified and which ones aren't. To me, the ones that are highly qualified have more than content knowledge in the area they are teaching and tons of college credits. Highly qulified to me means they are also willing to change with the times. In my building, we have a poor mentoring system because we have so-called highly qualified teachers doing the mentoring, but just because they have a master's degree or they've been doing it for twenty years should not make them highly-qualified. I feel our new teachers have really been done a disservice because they come in with so much energy and enthusiasm for teaching and I have already noticed with a few of them they've lost that because they are so overwhelmed and don't have the support there that they needed in order to start them off on the right foot. As a future administrator, I feel this is a very important program and see what an important role it can play in a building so I plan to spend a lot of time with the program so that it's effective.

Sunday

I really appreciate the examples that Dr. Closen gave in class that will help all of us avoid some legal issues in the future. I know we discussed some of these issues in law, but not nearly as in-depth as we have in this class. I know personally, one of my biggest worries is about all of the legal issues we will be facing as administrators. It's good to know what questions I can/cannot answer and how to answer them when giving a reference. Even if there is proof that someone committed a crime, I now know that it's not my responsibility to tell ther person calling all about that individual, that some of that the potential hiring district needs to find some of that on their own or I could be in a lot of trouble. I think this is to bad, but like Dr. Closen said...it won't matter what they've done to some districts they'll still hire them anyway.

2nd Sunday

Today's work with the case studies was beneficial. I always find it valuable to put myself in these situations and think about what decision I would make. The thoughts and ideas of others always force me to think more deeply about the issues involved and perhaps arrive at a different decision than initially derived.

I continued to find the information about the hiring process interesting and highly relevant. It was a good weekend!

Sunday

Sunday class always feels so long, but I took quite a bit away. The group activities are beneficial because it gives me a place to begin to put the puzzle together. Collaboration is invaluable but when you are given a specific action to complete and allowed enough time to do so, it means much more. I enjoyed the case studies in class today and the discussions that my group had.

One area that I picked a tip up on was the observations and how to schedule them. I liked the idea of creating a calendar and having the staff take charge of scheduling their own observations. This also falls into one of the essential functions of a principal, accurate record keeping.

Saturday

It only makes sense that Top Notch teachers would affect their peers which in turn affects student achievement. The possibilities are endless when it comes to merit pay in regards to these teachers and more importantly the impact these teachers would have on students and other teachers alike. A plan like this may impact the burnt out veteran and create an atmosphere far more conducive to the learning process for both students and younger teachers.

The class discussions from Saturday were interesting to me because I suppose I was naive to a degree when it came to the work involved in hiring. The three deep reference check is a policy I think a district may be silly not to implement. As I reflect on the conversation I can think of two teachers who were let go that this policy could have saved everyone involved a lot of time.

I thought the discussion of what is to be said when being called for a reference was very good. I thought the case study was interesting in that the person who quit had people calling to see what kind of reference was being given by the principal. I remember Dr. DeSpain recommending if you have nothing good to say, make the following statement “I have no reference to or for this individual”. And I thought the books response for the question “Would you hire this person back” and the response is “We take all of our candidates seriously”. It’s a very good response that gets you off the hook. I also enjoyed the group work, with the IIRC. There is lots of information there to try and digest. And next weekend should be interesting to see who will be the 6 big winners to go on the island. Remember to vote for Bill!

The article on the Top Notch Teacher makes some good points. The authors make the statement that scores rise when a high-quality teacher comes on board. What does high-quality mean? We know teachers who are experts in the content area, but can not relate the material to the students. I think you have to have someone who is “excited” about whatever they are teaching. That comes across to the students, and then you have a chance for them to pay attention and hope they learn something.
If a beginning teacher comes in and wants to learn the “craft” from other teachers, they will be able to pick up ideas. But they have to want to learn. Mentoring can only go so far.

Top Notch Article

Before reading this article I was convinced that when I became a principal, one of the first things I would do is put a mentoring program in place if the school didn't have one. I was never a part of a mentoring program, and always felt like it would have been beneficial. Instead as a new teacher, I sought out who I believed were exemplary teachers, and I asked them questions constantly. This article made me question mentoring programs. Is that required time taking away planning time? Could new teachers be more successful by seeking out advice when needed, and have the support of outstanding teachers in that way?
I also wondered about Mr. Jackson's statement about whether or not teachers would compete rather than collaborate with each other. I believe that if you can set a good building climate then this can be avoided. Team types of activities should be in place to foster the environment of learning from each other, and increasing student achievement.

Chapter six

This chapter really answers a lot of questions for me, and provided information that I had never been aware of. Good, practical stuff - this book's a "keeper"!!!

In these times of budget-trimming, the position analysis is more important than ever. Identifying all aspects of the job to not only fit the mission of the school, but also the bottom-line needs must be considered. The case study of the computer lab para was a good illustration of the mess that can be created (and the money that can be wasted) when this identification is not done properly. A good lesson to learn here!

The design of the questions was also a great eye-opener. I have been on a few interview teams recently, but was not involved in writing the questions. Now I can see how they fit into the four categories detailed on p. 121 (situational, position knowledge, etc.). That's a pretty great list of "tough" questions to refer to on p. 122, too. "Always seek to ask the tough questions..." - good advice.

Hiring is a huge responsibility. This chapter clearly outlines the steps to take to make a good "go" of it - worthy of a great big bookmark!

Sunday 2: comment and question

I enjoyed the group work and hearing other people's perspectives. The concensus exercise is an interesting one. I have used similar exercises with my classes and found that I saw a different side of my students during the exercise - many strengths surfaced. I thought that I was familiar with the IIRC, but seem to find more information everytime I log in. Is there anything at all in Iowa that allows school, prospective employees and the public to view similar information?

My second question deals with the principal's test. A friend going through Bradley's program was told that there would be changes to the exam in 2010 and that it would be to her advantage to take the test this year. Has anyone heard about that?

Questioning and Job Decision

I think using stock questions from the internet or other sources is good as a model but crafting your own questions can help you prevent filling the position with the wrong person. Questions should be open ended but serve as a means to and end of your choosing. I also did not really consider, prior to today, the intimidating aspect of the interview process and how putting the interviewee at ease can lead to further explanation.
There is also a lot of information and data to consider before choosing an administrative job. I think too many people don't consider all of this information before taking the job, they just want a job and find themselves in a no win situation.

Sunday- Weekend 2

A lot of information to digest the last two days on personnel issues. The skills of an effective leader make you realize what is important traits for a great educational leader. I still don't understand how come women who are assertive are considered a b&^$%!! But then gentlemen who are assertive are just being a professional in the work place.

The Brave New World III activity was worthwhile, hearing other people's rational on whether someone should be included or dismissed from the roster. I can hardly wait for the "group" consensus.

Sunday

I enjoyed our discussion on interviewing today. There were a lot of "what if" questions/ answers brought up by the class which I found helpful. I have been on several interview committees, but the role is very different as a principal. The guidelines shared will be helpful in the future.
I also found the "Skills of effective leaders" discussion very good. I believe it will help when it comes time to start job searching. I know I possess some of these traits, but also realize that I have several to improve!! Good discussions all around today :)

Top-Notch Teacher

I think this article states the obvious…teachers work hard/better when they have something to prove. The idea of merit-pay I think needs to have a roll in how teachers gain tenure (if at all) and how schools gain academic excellence. Having a worked in the business sector prior to entering the teaching field, the reality of learning from and growing from the best around you is a simple idea that if finally being looked at in education.
If you can pair a good new teacher and a good veteran, the student achievement should go through the roof. If you pair an average new teacher and a good veteran, you should see the teacher and the students grow academically. Veteran teachers with burnout can become invigorated by good new teachers.
I disagree with the statement about mentoring not being effective. Mentoring programs can help new teachers in more than one way. If you are only looking at numbers, you’re not going to find anything. You have to look at the bigger picture…who was the mentor, was this a reason the new teacher left, did they have the full support needed? So many factors are involved in why new teachers leave and how they affect student learning that you can’t pass out a survey and get a correct response.
I believe that merit pay, induction programs, and mentoring should all be factors in creating top-notch teachers. Each plays an important role in increasing student achievement, teacher growth, and successful schools.

Sunday

Sunday: Our discussions about interviewing was valuable. I was involved in several interview committees at the end of last school year and the material in our text would have been an asset to me. While reflecting on the "dos" and "don'ts" of the interviewing process, I would have changed some of the techniques we employed. It was interesting to note that one of the "dos" is to make the applicant feel comfortable. While I was interviewing applicants, I became very uncomfortable when the applicant was uncomfortable. I think this would be an area of weakness for me as an administrator, not the actual decision making, but the physical interview.
Jennifer Caldwell

2nd Sunday!

I found today’s discussion about reference checks and the legality issues that can arise based on what you say to be extremely beneficial. I feel like there are so many hidden items not discussed in the world of leadership, which eventually leads to one getting them in trouble. I have also made sure that I have highlighted those in the text for future reference.

merit pay

I agree with the point given by Mr. Jackson, the assistant professor at Cornell University, that school level merit pay will build team work rather than it based individually which may have a negative effect. I never thought about merit pay this way. I like this idea better than individual incentives. Of course, then you take the risk that some teachers will slide along and not do their part of the work but still receive the pay.

Weekend 2 Day 2 Martin

The thing that sticks out for me today is the interviewing process and things to be cautious of in that process. Categorizing questions into certain categories is a helpful tool that I would definitely use. I think giving those categories to the teachers on the committee and asking them to come up with a question for each category might also give them more of a stake in the process. Another interesting thing is the references you have to take into account. Not only giving a negative feedback but also giving a positive feedback can create issues if you do not follow the protocol. Not offering a lot of info that is not asked is a good rule to follow.

Personnel

The one issue I was hoping we would discuss more indepth today is how to "fire a problem." How do you deal with a tenured employee who does nothing but bring down morale and possibly undermines your authority as an administrator. I know that is what policy is for, but it doesn't take into account "the way it's always been done." Even worse, what if this person is your assistant principal or other administrative staff. Something I think eventually we will have to deal with and handle with the utmost professionalism.

Saturday

I do believe that teachers raise their game when the quality of teachers improve. This has actually been happening at my school over the past few years. We have had retirements, some of which were burning out and a staff member leave who was thought to be very negative. The new staff that has some in are highly qualified, as well as motivated. In turn, it has "breathed new life" into our school. When the authors were discussing merit pay, I agreed with them about the problem of individual merit pay. I believe this would foster too much competition and teamwork would become nonexistent. I do like the idea of merit pay by school, however. I think that would be a great team building motivator!!

Saturday:Top Notch Teachers; Jennifer Caldwell
I found the conversation about mentors in the article very interesting. the author suggests that a highly structured mentoring program may cause issues for new teachers. A highly structured program would require a specified amount of time with all new teachers to meet with their mentors. This would take time from planning lessons and such. However, this required time could be spent as a team effort in planning lessons. We have a formal mentoring program in our district and I find that the "informal" mentoring relationships have as much as value as the formal relationships.

Dohse,Aimee/Brave New World 3

I truly enjoyed the group work today. It was fun working with the group and gaining the different perspectives of the team and their rationale for who they would, and would not take.

Okay, here is my next thought for the day. I'm new to IIRC and really need to go home and soak this up. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where I could go and get some of my questions answered on this website? I know it may seem a little more self-explanatory if you are from Illinois.

Higbee-2nd Sunday

I'm sure all of us can think of at least one example where a colleague has inspired us through example to "up our game" and become better teachers. From a principal's perspective, I would want at least one teacher in each subject area that would serve as a peer leader for others in their core subject. As far as incorporating an incentive system to reward these "top-notch teachers" would be a difficult and controversial program to set up and maintain. There would be way to much criteria to take into account.
Of the Essential Functions of a Principal, I really don't believe there can be anything lacking in order for the principal to be the true leader of their respective building. This, of course, is a difficult proposition since as noted in class today that many of our own principals aren't 100% proficient with all of these functions.

Lana Wolf Sunday Class

The frustrations I have with teacher recommendations are the same frustrations I have with student discipline. It is hard to hold people accountable for their actions because of fear of litigation. With the rash of educators in the news for bad behavior, it is difficult to convince me that many of these cases weren't "bad apples" being passed from district to district. This makes me sick and I don't know what to do about it.

Sunday

In my humble opinion, the only thing that is certain about personnel issues is that nothing is certain or concrete. If principals use common sense when commenting on employees or enforcing regulations, there should be no problems. Unfortunately, as often proven, this is not often the case. If we follow the simple of rule of thinking before we speak, we should be fine. I do like the list of 10 guidelines in the book concerning what to do during reference checks. These lists prove to be the most helpful and something that I can see myself referring to when I am a principal.

Sunday October 25th- Article Reflection

We clearly learn from our peers.There is a mentoring program at my school and most of the time a master teacher is the mentor. Although sometimes this does not happen. Therefore like it says in the article good things might not happen if a new teacher is set up with a teacher that is lacking in teaching skills.In the article it talks more about this in regards to urban and suburban schools. The new teacher starts off in the inner-city teaching and there are mostly new teachers because they are not staying very long. The problem they found is that highly-qualified are not in the inner-city schools so that new teacher do not have mentors leading them to success. It is mentioned in the artiicle that mentoring maybe a waste of time in some cases. But I believe for the most part it is a positive thing to have. There might be a teacher that is more-skilled but there are always things to learn when you are the new person in the school. Having a mentor will be beneficial.

Sunday, October 25th

Today's class raised good discussion on the questions we were answering as a group. There are a lot of things that can be overlooked during the interview process that if you wrote everything down for the next time, your interviews can last for a very long time. In other words, if you try to cover EVERY point that could potentially turn into an issue a few months down the road from hiring a person then you would have a lot of ground to cover. On the flip-side, if you are a good potential hire, you should automatically assume there will be additional activities that you should perform in order to make an impact and propel yourself above the rest. If you don't have this type of attitude and basically come in with the thought that you are only going to do what your contract says, it may be tough to get a good job!

Weekend 2 Sunday: Why are personnel policies so ambiguous?

This was a question I struggled with as I completed the policy assignment. Policies are written in ambiguous terms so they can be applied to a broad range of situations. Vague policies result in debate and are open to different interpretations. When policies are too specific this creates additional administrative burdens in terms of application. Working in a district where policies are too specific would require constant revisions and adding more stipulations and/or exceptions to existing policies. Take for example inappropriate dress. As an administrator, I’d want a vague or general policy, such as “instructors should dress in a professional and appropriate manner during contract hours.” In this scenario, I could set the precedence for building specific guidelines. I could tell my staff that Fridays are “Casual” days or the only weekday when jeans and gym shoes are acceptable for instructional staff. A policy that was specific or gave a precise structure, would not allow for deviation or application to novel situations. If the policy concerning dress code read “Instructors cannot wear jeans, gym shoes, shorts, tee-shirts etc….” my job would be that of a manager, policing agent, and/or policy enforcer. In addition, if an instructor was wearing something that was clearly inappropriate but not mentioned on the list, then what?

Alternative Reflection for 10/4/09

Life Safety Walk Through
After telling my superintendent that I had received my internship packet, she informed me that she had my first official assignment! I was to walk “Mr. Smith”, the county Life Safety Inspector though the building and answer any questions that he may have. I quickly informed her that I had no idea what he would be looking for, nor had I ever completed anything like this before. Her reply was: “There’s no better time to learn than the present!” At ten o’clock I arrived back in her office to find “Mr. Smith” late. When he arrived at 10:15 my superintendent introduced me and explained I was starting my internship and I would be completing the walk through. Our maintenance man would assist me in unlocking cabinets and doors. “Mr. Smith” explained that he doesn’t check everything on his list because, that would take weeks. He performs “spot checks” on selected items that would pose the most harm. We walked though the whole building. Here are the areas he discussed concern with:
One of our trophy cases didn’t have safety glass in it and could sever an arm if a student would be shoved into it.
In the elementary wing, posters and papers should be at least two feet from the ceiling, because fire will climb walls. Once fire gets into a drop ceiling, it spreads very fast.
In the high school wing, he noted that all classrooms should be kept locked while unattended. If a fire were to break out and a student would wander into an unattended classroom, nobody would know where that student is.
Toward the end of our walk though we met up with the superintendent. He said that this wasn’t a site violation, but he noticed that most of the classrooms had mini refrigerators in them and that removing them could cut electricity costs by 10-20%. She informed him that she had bigger fish to fry, but thanked him for his suggestion.
I asked if our school was going to be “wrote up” for these violations? “Mr. Smith” said no. He was a principal for twenty years and knew how inspections went. ??? He would make some recommendations to our superintendent and let her take it from there.
This wasn’t anything that I expected! I thought the Life Safety guy was someone we should “fear”. Not this one! I respected the way he showed concern about certain things, but then provided WHY there was a concern. He appeared intelligent and generally impressed with our school and our life safety habits.

Alternative Reflection for 10/3/09

George Batsche Seminar
I had the opportunity to hear George Batsche speak in Bloomington, IL on October 21st. He is from the University of Southern Florida and has a PhD in Psychology. He’s known for his research on Response to Intervention and its effectiveness. He turns educating students into a pure science. The best thing about Dr. Batsche is the fact that he doesn’t sugar coat anything! The topic of his seminar was Response to Intervention: Advanced Implementation Issues. He discussed how important the PRINCIPAL and internal coaches were to implementation. Considering RtI is supposed to be up and running in every district by the 2010-2011 school year, I felt like there should have been more administrators there. Unfortunately, many school districts around me have hired RtI coaches. This is a good start, but the coaches A.) aren’t trained well and B.) they don’t have the power to make the decisions of a principal. Critical decisions like scheduling, funding and reallocating personnel need to be made by a principal or superintendent in order for RtI to work well. One of the best key points he made was for teachers to Teach…Review…Modify…Instruct! This is a new concept for many teachers, even those coming out of universities within the last few years. Many teachers are stuck in the rut of Teach & Grade, those students who get it, good! Those who didn’t, we can always call them learning disabled! Disclaimer: ALL teachers MUST be given time in order to reflect on their teaching and analyze their data.

10/24/09 Top Notch Teachers....

The idea of implanting good teachers in a building and hoping that their knowledge, attitude, and experience will rub off is a wonderful idea. Our RtI team was very keyed up about this new initiative and wanted everyone “on board”. I’d like to think that our enthusiasm helped build excitement. We were trained in every aspect of the RtI process and we disseminated the information to the rest of the school. Teachers would ask questions and want more ideas to use within their classroom after the team would come back from seminars. I think there would be many variables that would affect this type of research though. It would be nice to see another similar study completed just for comparison.

dave martin

The article "Top Notch Teachers" made some interesting points. In some ways it seemed to be common sense. Working with quality professionals will increase effectiveness. To me this seems to be true of most professions. I think most of us have experience working with someone who inspires and motivates you to be better at what you do. People you don't want to let down. In many ways it is contagious. The facts about urban schools was interesting as well. Staffing those schools with people who are less experienced decreases the chance for positive spillover effects. This all just emphasizes the importance of hiring the right people and making good staffing decisions.

Dohse,Aimee Top-Notch Teachers

Top-notch teachers do have a positive influence on the staff! In this article they discussed mentors. I have noticed that in our mentoring program teachers are assigned a mentor; however, teachers often find their own mentor in addition to the one they have been assigned. The author of this article suggested that; perhaps, formal mentoring programs don't offer employees all of the skills they need. As a principal, I will look for good matches between mentors and new teachers. We could even review the rigidity of our program and see how we could make it fit individuals needs.

Top notch teachers

Teachers that are not afraid of innovation tend to try new things that lead to greater student engagement. I enjoy working with these teachers as there is a different energy in their classrooms that the students relate to. It is important as an administrator to give these teachers what they need and then quickly get out of their way. Some teachers are resistant and dismissive to these new teachers, but if we are always talking about the new successes happening in the building, maybe the resistant ones will start to take notice and ask questions. Some of the best teaching strategies that I have ever used were stolen from one of the effective teachers that I have worked with.

Saturday Weekend 2

If I was to send out a written note that I need to see a staff member, I would word it as follows: “ Mr. Smith, Please stop by office sometime today. This is regarding …….” This way the person knows what it is about. I myself have been in the situation of reading the note “Stop by and see me today”. And you wonder what it is about, or what the heck did I do?

Thinking about the interview questions ahead of time is a great strategy to use. I know the interviews I have been able to sit in on, a list of questions where handed to me, and it was a standard list. The people interviewing just picked questions. There was no strategy involved in the questioning. If candidates are very close, proper questions can be the difference of picking the correct candidate.

Randy Lee Says Good Saturday

I was glad we went through the steps involved in hiring someone, I have run several businesses and have had to hire many people but I have never taken the number of steps that Dr. Closen suggested today. I usually just posted an ad, again not really thinking much about what the post said other than to keep the info somewhat to a minimum due to costs, then had interviews having them fill out an application. Every once in a while I did a follow up interview, but usually I went on experience, the results from their background checks, references, their persona and finally just gut feeling. Dr. Closen mentioned he had a spreadsheet set up while being an administrator which alerted him to upcoming openings and he would start the search process sometimes upwards of 2 years before the opening presented itself. I think given today's hiring climate will require us to be just as proactive. In certain geographic areas of Iowa you will be hardpressed to find people who want to work in that district given its limited social sites, night life, etc...so to get quality people you need to start the search early and use every available network contact you have.
Tying in with that, looking at the article, the key piece to the puzzle is getting those quality teachers into your district and you can do that through networking. As Joe mentioned in his blog, we have a staff that is fairly common here in rural Iowa I believe; a majority of the teachers are older and are on the verge of retirement and then we are bringing in new younger teachers to replace those individuals so the demographics of our school is slowly changing. Along with this demographic change is coming changes in teaching styles and methods. It is tough to get old dogs to learn new tricks but I am seeing some small evidence supporting the article from our math department. As Joe said, there are two people who rarely ever use technology and yet now they are at least experimenting with it. Now whether the results are going to be seen in the student's test scores is yet to be seen but if the article has any validity to it, we should.

Saturday Oct. 24

I thought the work we did today with the recruitment and hiring process was excellent. All of the topics discussed will be quite valuable in the future.

The Top-Notch article was interesting. I find myself in agreement with what the studies appear to show. When quality teachers enter the building or even different wings of the building the productivity level seems to increase. I have noticed this in our professional development this year as teachers become better at the work we are doing everyone else on the team seems to want to become better. I am also intrigued by the hints about the small impact that structured mentor programs have. I would like to see the research on this topic.

job posting

I thought the creating of the job posting description was very beneficial. It is just one more job of an administrator that I hadn't really thought about. The way you post a job, can really have an affect on the kinds of people you get to apply for the position. People want to know what they are getting themselves into, and whether or not they actually qualify for the job. Having an interview with someone who does not actually want the job, but applied because the didn't understand what the position was, is a waste of everyone's time.

Second Saturday

I agree with the top notch teachers article. We have had new teachers and an older student teacher in the math department - this individuals created a new enery and dynamic. There was just 'a way' about the teacher that was contagious. I wanted to try new things... and not be left behind. We often wished there was more collaboration time.

Weekend 2 Sat. Blog: Article “Spillover Effects”

I have witnessed spillover effects in my school. We, as administrators, need to be careful because “spillover” can work positively but it can also work negatively. Two years ago, we had two new instructors join our department. One was a new teacher, entering the profession after a successful career in another field. This individual was an optimistic and dynamic instructor. His philosophy and pedagogy were student-centered and his practice was built on research-based strategies. He was always reading journal articles about helping at-risk kids succeed, differentiating instruction and researching strategies for literacy in content areas. Instead of looking at problems, he looked for solutions. The second individual was the exact opposite. This instructor was extremely negative, had many years of teaching experience and had a master’s degree in education (I cannot recall the exact area). This instructor viewed students that struggled as “problems.” The structure of this instructor’s class involved lectures, daily homework, a 50% late policy (regardless of extenuating circumstances), and weekly progress reports. All of us taught 9th grade biology, half of our classes were higher level biology and the other half consisted of the lower level biology classes. The spillover occurred that following year when the first instructor remained a 9th grade biology instructor, but the second instructor was placed in the upper level sciences with the “better” students. It seemed as though our biology planning sessions (weekly meetings with the 9th grade biology teachers) were more positive and we began to share more information concerning research and the latest findings in our area. We became more innovative and willing to “take risks” in the classroom to help kids understand. There was another group that planned for the upper level sciences. The second instructor joined this group. I noticed that the members of that group became negative and narrow in their focus, lingering on problems. There was a lot of finger pointing at “the kids.” Morale began to sink in that group and it had a negative effect on the professional practices of individual members. Many of my colleagues stated that the students “seemed worse off” in terms of behavior and skill in that particular year than in any other. I could not help but question if their new colleague’s attitude and approach had affected their philosophies and practices. As administrators, we need to hire with caution because the “spillover effect” can help or hinder our mission and our vision.

Filling positions and ariticle

I had really not given the idea of how much thought should go into filling a vacated or new position much thought prior to this class. I have seen vague job descriptions but had not really thought much about it I just knew that if I was looking for a job that the vague description is something I would be wary of and now thinking as an administrator I would want the description and responsibilities to be specific to help narrow the field and get the candidates I really want to apply for the job.
The article is very similar to what happened in our school. We have two teachers in the same curricular area who were very resistent to use technology. Two younger teachers were hired roughly four years apart who were comfortable with technology and the latest hire is gung ho about technology and is very willing to experiment to make his instruction better. Because of these hires at least one of the two veterans is now more willing to use technology and try some new things to improve his instruction. Both veterans are more open to the changes they need to make for Iowa Core Curriculum and differentiated instruction. It is very possible that hiring quality people and giving them support can help teachers around them improve what they do. The key words here however, are quality people and support.

Reflection on Education Week Article

Reflection to the Education Week article entitled “Top-Notch Teachers Found to Affect Peers”. I was not surprised that staff makes an important factor on student achievement. I believe that high-quality teachers will make their colleagues work harder. If you are surrounded by colleagues who are working very hard, most people in society would not want to be considered the “slacker” of the group. I believe surrounding beginning teachers with high-quality teachers early in the career will help in the overall development of the new teacher.

I was shocked that the formal mentor model seems to only affect student achievement in the area of math and reading, but had no real affect on teacher absences and/or teacher retention. I wasn’t surprised about informal mentor models not really working. I was subjected to an informal mentor model during my first and second year of teacher. I thought it was the biggest wasted of time. The mentor teacher wanted to chit-chat about school gossip and not help me develop as a teacher. Did anyone else have a mentor experience that was worthwhile? If so, what did they do?

Top Notch

Hiring and firing - the most important jobs of an administrator. This article illustrates all the more how important it is to hire the right people. The effect of the new teacher, provided they are of high quality, is a positive catalyst for excellence in instruction in the community of teachers that they work with. How exciting is that?!

I'm wondering about this concept as related merit pay. The article discusses how an individual reward might not have the same positive impact as a group (building) reward. I'm wondering, though, if there would be competition between buildings within a large school district if the merit pay funds were limited - and if this would be a good or bad thing.

Regarding the failure of formal teacher-induction programs vs. the success of informal influence from the more-effective colleagues: to me, this statement justifies the importance of teacher collaboration time. What a shame if schools streamline their workforce due to budget cuts, and the time that is provided now for teacher collaboration is eliminated.

Higbee-2nd Saturday,

I really related to our conversation this morning on the use of humor and how it can be used in our daily conversation. This is a "tool" that I use on a frequent basis and feel that 99% of the time I use it appropriately. The "Peace Primer" really disects what would be useful in conflict situations. The case study tied with the 8 platforms painted a very clear picture with a real-life scenario for each platform. Finally, I enjoyed the discussions today on the establishment of position analysis and the amount of headaches it eliminates in the long run. This is a main point that I have included in my main topic for this class of "Establishing and Maintaining a Productive Working Relationship between the Principal and Support Staff".

Saturday

I found the article about top-notch teachers extremely interesting. I completely agree that "raising the bar" by hiring top-notch teachers has a positive impact on any school. When I have someone that I can look up to and learn new things from, that will only make me better in the long run. I do have an issue with the second part of the article that questioned the effectiveness of formal mentoring programs. I covered this topic for my research paper and every piece of information that I found pointed to the fact that mentoring programs help in almost every situation. How can we deny the fact that helping someone through that potentially traumatic first year does not help? I look forward to hearing others' point of view.

Top Notch Teachers Lana Wolf

I think any time you can help teachers gain a fresh perspective they will look to improve. By hiring excellent teachers, you invite new ideas into the environment without having to specifically design and implement these ideas. There may also be a more receptive attitude as there will naturally be a mutual sharing. I liked the analogy about berry pickers. I think it is true that people will naturally perform at approximately the same productivity as the people around them, although if there is something threatening or competitive about the environment, the opposite effect might be the result.

October 24th, 2009

After reading the article on top notch teachers, I have to admit I definitely agree. One prime example in our building has been with the implementation of teaming last year. One team works extremely hard to provide interdisciplinary units, and therefore has raised the bar and standard for the other teams. They now want to be able to provide the same opportunities for thier students, which in turn is creating more opportunities for our whole building.

Week 2 Saturday

Top-notch teachers found to affect peers intrigued me. The spill over effect made me think of teahers who are innovative and try new things. They seem to bring new life into the building. Now teachers are around an exceptional teacher and feel that they need to raise thier teaching. I think this is true and wonder if you could identify this person and use them in a district to raise teacher performance and overall student scores.

Convincing great teachers to go to the inner cities is going to be hard. Being around a great teacher can make you a better teacher if you have time to collaborate and ask questions. Getting pay raises based on test scores is a scary process that might be coming down the pipe.

Managing School Personnel

I absolute LOVED the book selected for this class. I finished reading it and realized although I thought I understood all that went into running a school, I still have a LOT to learn. The ideas of what an excellent administrator should look like is something I have really taken to heart and even tried to implement some of the strategies in my classroom as a teacher. The ideas and philosophy presented are important for everyone striving to become leaders in the educational field.

On another note, the chapter on communication is exactly what I teach in my class now. Funny how this pertains to every aspect of life, not just education.

Saturday, October 24

I completely agree with the article on Top-Notch Teachers. I have found that a lot of teachers look up to those teachers who have reached Master Teacher levels. These teachers are looked to for advice and ideas. From my experience, I have seen scores increase from having instruction by a teacher who has gained higher education or National Board status. I think a lot of teachers who feel confident in their teaching abilities would not mind going to a performance-based salary. I would not, however, align the performance-based criteria on NCLB standards, but on individual student achievement, or classroom achievement. Otherwise, you are looking at too many snaffoos with having EVERY student on the same level. I also the discussions on the school policies.

Conflict

I believe that handling conflict will be one of the hardest task as an adminstrator. "The truth be told, the effective school leader needs conflict" (Closen) With conflict you are going to have change. The people that you work with need to share their ideas and beliefs therefore you are going to have conflict. Many times the ideas that others have might have caused a lot of the ocnflict ends up being a positive things. Many times in the school day things will come up that need to be taken care of right away. This can give you a feeling that there is conflict because you are not exactly sure how you are going to handle the situation.

Policy Review Conversation

The review of the personnel policies was an interesting task. As you stated, we had some common language in our board policies but had several viewpoints on each. I believe our experiences, our school's traditions, and our community's values all should be considered. The conversation changed some of my original views. . .I continue to learn!

Sunday class, Oct 4th

The IIRC project was fun, and I think that it shows the million different ways to interpret data. Maybe the IIRC should include a history piece that shows when major changes to the school or town has occurred.

Curtis - Anti Bully program

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to Olweus training. This is an anti-bullying program that my school is adopting to help change the climate in our building. I was wondering if any of you have implemented this or something similar and wanted to know your thoughts.

Thanks for your responses in advance.

Jason Curtis
Physical Education
Washington Elementary

J Cox Sunday

I enjoyed the work on the ISLLC Standards Graphic Organizer. Although parts of the worksheet were challenging in thought, it was great to discuss different aspects with classmates. As a teacher who does not work in a diverse school district, the subject and ideas shared were refreshing.
On a lighter note I enjoyed the conversation on blue jeans. There seems to be someone pushing the envelope in my district on a daily basis not only with the blue jeans but with the Old Navy rubber flip flops!

Climate, Culture, and a Challenge

I loved talking about the variable that go into creating the climate and culture of a school. I also found it interesting that although we all want to be administrators, not all of us were in for a challenge. The case study covering "Combes Public School" created a good conversation and made me do some serious soul searching. I realized that I would much rather working a school like this than a school that appears to have it all together. The only thing I thought about was how much fun it would be to get into this school to work with this amazing staff and create a school that could help repair a broken community. I know, I know, a little too bleeding heart.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

The 11 top strategies for culture change really stood out for me today. I tried posting this blog once and then it said there was an edit conflict; so therefore, this post will not be near in length as the original!!! I would first take some sort of a culture survey when I entered the building or during the summer. This will help me in knowing whether or not it will be wise to make even small changes such as the wall color in the entry way, or what-have-you. Some person or some group may have a special attachment to even the smallest of changes we think about when we enter our own building. With the survey results, I'll be able to approach change quickly or slowly, depending on my building!

Culture Survey

I thought it was interesting to hear the different examples given for the School Culture Survey. It seems that each district has areas of concentration. For us, I rated our district high for "experimentation", "tangible supports", and "high expectations". While other districts were rated high for "appreciation & recognition", "caring-celebration-humor" & "honest, open communication". I rated ours as 3s for those. Can a district do it all? That's the challenge that I see as an administrator. Highly Qualified Personnel (support staff, included) would be very helpful in keeping up!

Characteristics of an Effective Leader

Thinking about what was discussed in class as well as what Roberts had to say in chapter two I began to think about the book Lincoln on Leadership. Lincoln made decisions that not everyone agreed with, but yet they still respected him because of the characteristics he displayed on a regular basis. It didn’t matter who the person was or what problem he was trying to resolve, he still treated everyone with respect and trusted the people he put in charge to make decisions. If the person making that decision made the wrong one, he helped that person learn from their mistakes so they could grow as a leader. Those are characteristics of a true leader. This is a great book and if you haven't read it, I would highly recommend doing so.

Weekend 1 {sunday}

I found the discussion on dress interesting. It is interesting to know where the line is drawn between professional and unprofessional. Is it a jacket and tie, shirt and tie, nice dress shirt and pants, or t shirt and jeans? It seems like it is going to vary from district and from school to school. The administrator just needs to let everyone know what the Board Policy says, the contract, or what he/she expects in regards to dress. In the 70’s the dress code was a hot topic here at KHS. The administrators where trying to require neck ties, and some male teachers where challenging that issue. Teachers where even sent home to get a neck tie on. My understanding of this issue was that things got pretty heated between teachers and administrators during this time. Dress is now addressed in the Kewanee contract because of the neck tie issue in the 1970’s.

Dave Martin Day 2

Day two had a great deal of information I found useful. The discussion about culture versus climate was interesting. I feel like the culture is the surrounding feelings and ideals outside the building and the climate is the feeling in the building that is unique to each individual school. The 11 top ten strategies for shaping culture was also interesting. Although many are common sense, they don't always get done, and often times we get so busy wrapped up in our own stuff that we forget to take the time to pay attention to those things. I believe that modeling trust and respect are the cornerstones to the top 11. Finally the use of the IIRC web site was useful. Each time I go to that site I find something new.

School Culture Survey

I liked the opportunity to discuss the school culture survey with a small group. I came away with some good concrete examples. My group had some great examples of how learning communities are used in their districts to promote experimentation, foster collegiality, and reach out to the knowledge base.
Plus--the small group breakouts help me maintain focus better throughout the day!

Class Discussion

It was interesting to hear the different views on the topic of dress code in the work place. I didn't add to the topic at the time, but felt a little like an outsider since I wear khaki shorts mostly. I teach K-5 Physical Education and often hear from my colleagues how nice it would be to wear shorts everyday. I thought many of the people in our class had good ideas on how to raise money from staff that want to wear jeans. I do believe that dress is the first item people notice when they see you. You can leave quite an impression on viewers by not even saying a word, but how you look.

Post #2 Week-end 1

The school culture survey would be great to share with your team or entire school. It could be a survey tool as a principal. Give one to everyone on your staff and have them hand them back into you. It would be very enlightening to get a better idea of how the rest of your staff feels about these things.

Very helpful

Today in class I was able to appreciate that many of the discussion items, while common sense, are well worth bringing to the forefront in the context of this class. I also appreciated hearing other students relate their personal school experiences to the various items on the School Culture Survey. All good info.

Thanks to everyone for being so open and willing to share!

11 Top 10

I enjoyed reading the section of the book on the 11 top 10 for shaping school culture and our discussion today on the same topic. I think the school principal who pays attention to that list can establish a positive culture in which students and staff can perform at their best.

I thought the work we did with Sandoval Elementary School was interesting work. Working through the questions and data can certainly raise some questions. Again, I find myself wishing that Iowa had a web site comparable to IIRC.

Dohse,Aimee Day 2

I have been thinking about our conversations from class, over the past 2 days, and a quote comes to mind. I think it was from Covey..., but I'm not 100% positive. The quote stated that "Fast is slow and slow is fast." I think of how often, in the education world and other professions, decisions are made too quickly. When we rush others to "Get to the point," often the point is never heard. Listening and patience are two critical factors for our success!! 

Character Traits of a Leader

I think that evaluating the characteristics of high quality leaders is essential for anyone who may want to take on a leadership role. That reflection and introspection is not always easy, but it is necessary to be a successful leader. In doing that with the lists that we examined today, I was reminded about my own strengths and weaknesses. If I want to be a successful administrator, I need to know, understand, and accept my own limitations. The next step in that process is to try to overcome those limitations and, along with that, ask for help when I am falling short of the goal.

Involvement of Stakeholders in the Decision-Making Process

One of the items on the school culture survey that I reflected on was the involvement of stakeholders in the decision-making process, especially in regards to second order change. It is obvious that as school administrators, we need to include our staff. However, I think it is equally important to include students, parents, and community groups. While designing our 9th grade academy at WHS, we surveyed our soon to be 10th graders on what could be done to increase the overall success rate and smooth the transition for incoming ninth graders. The insights from the students acted as an additional dimension in the 9th grade academy vision. Most of the kids were brutally honest about the lack of student accountability and district policies that allow for this to occur. I wish we, as a team, would have solicited parents for input. The most challenging group of stakeholders to target would be the uninvolved parents and the parents who do not recognize or acknowledge the value of an education. Even though they choose not to be part of daily school events, they contribute to school culture and climate through their students. Finally, what about community partners and senior citizens? Both groups can be politically, economically and socially influential. Senior citizens and local business owners can provide a dose of reality to the decision-making process involved with second order change.

Reflection

I agree with Randy in that all of this reflection on good principals, and thinking about the kind of principal I would like to be, really has you analyzing the things that happen in your own building. You try to look at things from the teacher's perspective as well as the administrators. Unfortunately, in the same respect I think its hard to not be critical of situations that are not handled well. It reminds me of student teaching, and constantly thinking about what types of teachers we wanted to be. The whole process makes me even more anxious to finish my degree and start experiencing new and exciting things as a building administrator!

Day 2 - Anne Johnson

Discussing school culture and climate is always very interesting to me, and in thinking about my future role as a principal as I will be in a position to effect both of these either negatively or positively. I want to make a positive impact, so I will need to make sure my personal vision, personal skills and school vision intersect. I think a poster of this intersection posted in my office could serve as a constant reminder!

The 11 Ten Most Wanted Strategies for Shaping School Culture sections of the text was also very interesting to think about. These strategies seem like common sense, but I definitely know administrators who have moved away from many of them. I think the strategy of listening is of utmost importance. Administrators need to listen to the students, parents, teachers, other administrators, other school personnel, because that is key to forming relationships and building a climate of trust. Listening gives one a great deal of insight.

Good communication skills are important. The prinicpal of the school that I left communicated -- when he wanted to. He acted, at times, as if things were big secrets and wouldn't answer teacher questions. This resulted in a very uneasy, distrustful feeling in the building.

R Lee's Sunday's View

Well first off, I hate having class on sunday until 1:30. By the time I drive home (like the rest of you) it is usually close to 3:30, then have to sit down and blog and probably do an assignment and by that time it is 5 or even later. If I'm going there on sunday I would rather stay until 4, then on the following saturday when we come, we get out at 1:30 and the Sunday at 1:30. I don't know, just seems like the days are shot for doing anything other than class the way it is.

Oh well, on to the subject at hand, blogging about sunday's class material. Overall I thought it was a productive day (even though we were somewhat brain dead by the end of the day - an argument against my idea), I liked the fact we "debated" the merits of the Personnel Model and Leadership Traits, which ones we have, what should you look for in future staff. To a degree alot of what we looked at today just seemed like common sense but that is where life throws us curves. It does seem obvious but I believe when you get into the position you become blinded by the responsibilites and do lose sight of the obvious. That is why I liked Dr. Closen's idea of writing things down in a journal. I do that with my yardage book for the courses I play, I pull them out when I have a "new" shot to make and review the pros and cons of past experiences deciding on an outcome that is best. I find myself evaluating my principal and vice principal when we go over this material, seeing how they stack up. So far I would say I have a pretty good administration, always room for improvement though - never forget that.

Randy Lee

Respect

I agree with our conversation of the principles model that respect is the most important characteristic and from that we can build trust, honesty, and expectations. Respect is something you must give in order to receive.

Saturday, October 3rd

I enjoyed the class discussion on the correlation between school vision, personal vision, and personal skills. I especially liked how we cared that conversation out to discuss what experiences we all had with teachers lacking in the skills to be able to do the job successfully.

Traits

I agree with the book and the traits needed by a principal in order to be successful, I will just have to keep this list in my desk to look at every once and a while to remind myself that there are things about myself I need to continually develop to be successful. The principled model was also good and is a further reminder there are a lot of ways to mess this job up. The examples of ineffective principals and what not to do are a good start and again proof that nothing is black or white, right or wrong, but in most of these instances common sense is the missing factor and I believe most people who are ineffective should have taken the time to truely self-reflect and decide if they really want or should be an administrator.

Day 2

Yesterday we all contributed to the board on qualities we feel are important in an administrator,and I think those leadership traits are important to reflect on from time to time during your career. Do I exhibit these traits? If not, what do I need to do? And no doubt the most important trait is respect. If you don't have respect from your staff, students, and parents you will get nothing accomplished!!!

1st Sunday - Higbee

Despite the shortcomings of the state of Illinois and, more specifically, its recent track record with education, the IIRC is a very beneficial tool that can be used to find quite a bit of information. The fact that it is so user-friendly and easy to maneuver through allows anyone to gather a lot of information in a short amount of time. This has come to be a tool that I seem to be using in many of the classes.
Beyond the IIRC analysis today, I was really impressed with the principled personnel model for Effective leader-follower relationships. Not only are the 6 Principles noteworthy, but I also appreciate the numerous descriptive words found below each example. I could easily see this full-circle model posted in my office as a visual reminder. I'm sure this model could be modified and applied with other relationships.

I was particulary interested in idea that, despite the fact that principals are supposed to be instructional leaders, what often gets them into trouble is poor management skills. The most important thing an administrator can do is hire the right people for the building/classroom. I have heard that, every time you hire a teacher, you are making a millions dollar investment in this person, by the time you consider a 34 years of salary and benefits. This drives home the point that we don't have an employee to waste.

oct 3rd

I enjoyed the group discussion about the fish bowl and cookie lady. Also the ISLLC assignment was very interesting and made me think. I am looking forward to working with the IIRC website some more


Lance Hawkins

The many shades of gray......

Illinois & Iowa!!! Although the two states share a common border, a common goal (student achievement) and worry over a common federal law (NCLB), they differ so drastically. In Illinois, teachers have the security of tenure and unions that can make a “sharp” point (strike) if they so desire. In Iowa there is no tenure nor is it legal to strike. The public posting of tax funded compensation for teachers and administrators is a common practice in Iowa. In fact, it happens every year through the Quad City Times (newspaper) in my area. This is a novel phenomenon in Illinois. Both states wrestle with common issues; student achievement, funding, professional development, standards and “climate control”. However approaches, philosophies, perspectives, and strategies for finding solutions are extremely different. RTI & PBIS vs. Solution Focus plans, ROEs vs. AEAs, etc… Nothing in education is ever black and white. The differences between Illinois and Iowa serve as reminders of the many shades of gray that exist in education.

Weekend 1 (Sat)

One of the items that stood out for me was the idea that just being nice. It really is a simply, but a lot people have issues with this concept. And the benefits that can come from this as was talked about can be huge. This something that a principal should and has do, but I also think the entire staff, certified and non-certified, should be doing the same thing. So professional development could be how to be a "Wal-mart Greeter". This is a little funny, but it is really important in how we treat the public. And every school could use good PR, and what an easy and simple way to go about getting it.

David Martin Post

Saturday's class left me with a number of things to think about. The one thing I want to focus on is the statement Dr. Closen made about hiring. It comes down to the fact that hiring people may be the most important thing that you will do as a principal. If you believe that decisions need to be made with the students in mind then I think you would have to agree with this statement. The teachers in the classroom are the people who are going to most affect students and their learning. Getting the right people into those classrooms is a big responsibility. I think contacting references and doing a thorough check of the applicants is probably a time consuming affair but one that can definitely save headaches in the future. I think it would be difficult to decide between someone you think is very qualified as a teacher but not quite as strong with management and someone who is strong with management but not quite as well versed in content knowledge. Looking forward to Sunday's class.

Day 1 - Jeremy Mosier

Saturday held many quality moments. The detailed time spent with the standards was beneficial, especially the graphic organizer, asking us to think about how these standards interact with one another; certainly something we will need to be cognizant of as administrators. For me, a teacher from Iowa, the refresher on the IIRC web site was very helpful. In addition to those two items, the anecdotes "from the trenches" were good. They allow us to put ourselves in those spots and think about how we would respond.

Personnel Vision/Skills

The 3 circles for analyzing why a staff member is not performing well is a good visual. Using the 3 circles, it was easy to understand where the staff members in the scenarios had problems: personnel vision, school vision or personnel skills. As I said in class, I believe it would be easier to release a staff member due to lack in personnel skills than in vision. Of course, these staff members are usually well liked, which makes the task more difficult for other staff members and public to understand. Managing personnel (hiring/firing) will not be an easy task as principal.

ISLLC Standards

I found the assigned reading interesting. I never really stopped to think about the standards. I think I had an idea of what they were, but never really thought about what they meant or the true impact they have. The biggest was the way personal vision, personal skills, and school values inter-mixed. Again something we all knew, but never really stopped to think about it. I think if teachers were forced into a self-examination for where they fell within this diagram, several would have a big wake-up call. I think as future administrators, the challenge we will all face is ensuring the entire staff falls in the middle and those who are missing all three parts are given ample opportunity to correct the situation or leave.

Day 1 - Anne Johnson

I was already familiar with the IIRC prior to this class due to the necessity of accessing it when writing our district technology plan, but I had never looked at it in as much depth as exposed to today. I did not realize all of the information that is available and the different formats for presenting the information. I was especially interested in the scatter plots, which provide a visually quick way of comparing schools. I can see the value of using this site when applying for principalships, because one can learn a lot about a district. As a principal, this site will prove useful in analyzing trends and implementing data-driven decision making.

Another thing I really thought about today was the suggestion of writing down all the things I like that my principal does and then doing those when I am a principal, and writing down all the things I don't like and not doing those. Writing these things down from this point forward could definitely benefit me in the future!

Teachers are most important

One important point I wrote in my notes today was that the teacher is the key to student learning. This is so important for principals to remember. Students are our most important priority, and the teachers in the classroom are their most frequent and important contact. As a principal, it is our job to hire the right people, facilitate their professional development, and motivate them to continue being the most important part in the students lives.

Day 1, J. Cox

Although the first day of a new class always seems long, one thing I took from class was the ISLLC standards graphic organizer. Reading a list of standards, rules or "laws" has never meant much to me. Using the graphic organizer and applying it to real situations makes "much" more sense to me. Another thing that made sense was the IIRC website. Although I have viewed the site before, reviewing school data, critically and thinking through what it means, will help me as I an administrator and as a teacher.

Day 1 -- experience and education

We talked about experience and education of teachers and the impact that would have on student learning. My principal and I recently had a discussion about marketability of a person with experience, degrees and time outside of education. He felt that people who had worked outside of education would be at the top of the interview pile. I agree that colleagues that I have known who have worked in private industry and returned to education are more committed and view the education process differently.

Site Based Management

The topic of SBM interests me. I think the list of positives and negatives that we reviewed in class today confirmed for me that my school follows this management style. In my head, the pros outweigh the cons. But I have to wonder if that is because I'm either used to it, or because it might suit my personality.

If the data was available, would I find that more schools have SBM than don't? It appears to be in the best interest of the students, but does involve more work on everyone's part. Central office must be willing to yield to the site manager - that may be the initial hurdle. Then the principal must manage the situation in such a way as to hold teachers accountable for high quality instruction (which comes at the cost of extra work for them) while coordinating collaboration and communication across the board. That's a tall order, requiring strong leadership and determination, but I think it has a big payoff.

Black and White

Being slightly anal, compulsive, and hyper-organized makes me lean more towards the idea that many things in the world are black and white. The discussion today has forced me to step out of that comfort zone and look at the world as being shades of black, white, and grey. It is really not easy for me to do this, but I know that it is something I need to do. As a principal, not only do I have to manage other people, but I also need to realize that they are human and not mere cogs in my well-oiled machine. I realize that it will be difficult for me, but I believe that as long as I keep reminding myself of that, I'll get there.

Lee, Standards and Matrix

One of my biggest weaknesses is that I don't always see the big picture, today when Dr. Closen was going over the standards I really enjoyed the real life scenarios he posed for the class as he went through the standards. That type of instructional information gives some of the content a relevance for me, I begin to understand its importance in the administrative world. It was especially helpful for me to do the matrix exercise with those standards. Coming up with ways in which you could display the overlapping standards was highly informational. As I stated at the beginning, I don't always see the big picture but doing that activity allowed me to see how those 5 standards are highly connected; a key point for an administrator to understand.

Randy Lee

Standards and Personnel Success

I found the discussion about the standards to be informational. It is one thing to read about the standards and how they fit into the personnel success zone and another to talk about them and come up with some real-life examples. I also found it interesting that the Iowa standards of ethics for educators was so narrow in scope, just when you think you can't truely define ethics the Iowa BOEE goes and does it. I look forward to talking to the student teachers and asking some questions that I would ask of a potential new hire. I have been in on hirings but the questions were never mine, I think the practice will be good.

Day One

Probably the most important fact I learned for the day....hire quality staff!! The hiring of your staff is the most important function of a principal. I learned more but my brain is on overload and I have to have time to digest it all.

1st Saturday - Higbee

We have all seen the evidence backing the point this morning that it is so important to hire quality staff. Even in the smaller district that I have been a part of the last ten years, there have been a handful of hires that you knew were questionable from the beginning, so it was no surprise that two years later (or less) these questionable hires were gone. Much like the aquarium analogy, "preventative maintainance", i.e. hiring quality personnel, will in the long run save the administration so much time in not having to deal with the typical time consuming issues related to these select faculty and staff members. This valuable time could be devoted to other, more pressing issues. Another way I would look at the aquarium analogy that ties with the hiring of personnel is to not wait until the water gets green before you do something. BUT, inevitably, I would guess if you're in administration long enough, your intuition will fail you in the hiring process and there will be plenty of headaches to address with various personnel.

Principal Role

We decided that a principal's main job is the instructional leader, but realized that being a manager is really their main role. You wear so many different hats and you are the face of your building. I like the one students statement that their principal was successful because they give staff opportunities to lead and still have a hand in everything. Nothing is black/white is very true, but most people in the community won't take the time to look deeper. They read the paper and watch the local news to get their facts.

Dohse, Aimee 10/3

The more classes that I take from WIU the more I see the interconnectedness of the classes, and reoccurring themes.  I love the aquarium analogy. This reminds me that it is better to be proactive than reactive. The same can be said for the hiring process it is better to spend the time up front hiring quality employees than spending time trying to fix situations. 

Week 1

A couple of things I got from this week were that everything is not black and white. Every decison has to be looked at from every angle and anaylzed so the best solution can be attained. The bottom line however is that you have to do what is best for kids and be able to live with your decision because it will always come back to you. Another thing I got was that even though you may busy with school and it seems like there is no time for anything else, you have to make time for your community. You have to be a memeber of the community and show interest in the community. Those are the people that you will turn to for help in tough times and if they know you and your values it is hard to say no or place blame. I liked the discusion about school vision, personal vision, and person skills. Sometimes personal skills are just not there and might not be able to develop them, so in that case you have to make tough decisions and eliminate good people who are not good teachers. Tough thing to do, but the right thing to do.

Day 1

I believe that the personnel success model could be a very good tool. As an adminstrator you could talk with a teacher about the school vision, their vision, and their skill. Then you can talk to the teacher and use this model as a guide.This model can be used to get a clear picture of what is going on with a teacher and can be used to determine what the next step needs to be in regards to keeping a teacher on staff.

Saturday - 10/3/09

I really like the class discussion portion of these classes. You can learn a lot from other schools and sometimes it makes you feel like at least you are not the only one! I think the School Vision/Personal Vision/Personal Skill graphic makes so much sense. There are too many teachers whose personal visions are not that of the school vision. They have their own agenda and come to work each day to do what they HAVE to do and then leave, not because they WANT to do it, but because they HAVE to do it. - tbahnks - saturday 10/3/09