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!
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I have always felt a little embarrassed that one of the key reasons I became a teacher was because I had a pair of junior high teachers I thought were awful. I watched them call my best friend a "dummy" and isolate her at a difficult time in her life. In some of my most difficult teaching moments I call this to mind and remember that the times when kids are at their worst is when they need the best from me.
ReplyDeleteI have worked with a variety of administrators--one that was a lot of fun, but left the education process to chance, a couple with very rigid standards who had the best interest of students in mind but a difficult time sharing the vision, and a few whom I would guess are among the top principals in the state. I used to just reflect on whether or not I liked working for each of these people, now my perspective has become more of an analysis of what qualities and behaviors made my past administrators effective or innefective. One thing that stands out to me is that as I reflect, I see myself as a better, more effective teacher under the stronger administrators. As a person who has always had internal motivation, this tells me that a strong leader really does have the capacity to improve instruction.