The readings provided for EDUL 6013 and 6014 have proven very inspirational in regards to my present educational setting. I am currently a special education teacher and a mentor to new teachers at my school. Although I am not considered a part of my school’s administrative team, I nevertheless serve in some leadership roles. As a requirement of my job, I often act as the Local Education Agency (LEA) during Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings and assist general education teachers in planning instructional and behavioral strategies for students with disabilities. Through the readings for this course I have reflected on the importance of the work that I do and the effectiveness of my leadership ability.
Almost two years ago, when I first began the admission process for the leadership L-5 add-on program, my perception of myself as a learner-educator led me to think about what avenues I wanted to pursue in my career. I wonder now if I will become a special education lead teacher in the central office as I originally planned. Or, will I instead become a school administrator? From past experience I find that administrators are frequently viewed as people who no longer teach others once they move from the classroom to the main office. This is not the path that I think I want to take. I also question if I will be able to stay current in my knowledge of special education or will I choose to give up my skills and adopt leadership as my field? For me, holding a leadership role is an individuality issue as well as one of perception, and through these readings, I am searching for how my identity will change when I leave the classroom for the special education central office.