Dr. Victoria Pettis
Summer Cohort 2006
EDUL 6013 & 6014/ Joseph Blase, Ph.D.
July 24, 2006
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EDUL 6013:Basic Theories of
Educational Administration (1 hour) Objectives
of the course include: · Understanding theory and theory construction precedes the systematic study of classical administration theorists, including Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill. · Theoretical developments in educational administration include organizational theorists, human relations theorists, behavioral science theorists, and systems theorists. · Theories are historically linked with practical applications emphasized. |
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EDUL
6014: Shared Governance in Schools (1 hour) Objectives of the course include: · Informs school leaders of political and practical issues in shared decision-making in schools · Roles of school-based councils will be explored in light of recent educational policy.
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NOTE:
For both classes, I had to write a reflective paper titled “My Reflections on
School Leadership.” Below is a short excerpt of that paper, which also
includes references. |
My Reflections on School Leadership
As an English teacher, I usually find writing my reflections easy. I follow certain prescribed steps: writing the introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion. For me, this process was a messy, disorganized process. There was no method to my madness, which made it even more maddening. I found that the subject matter that most mattered to me – developing a community of leaders, school principals and teacher stress, and conflict – were the most difficult ones to write about. You may find my views contradictory or hard to follow. I think my reflections reflect exactly where I am – a work-in-progress.
Leadership is an invisible strand
As mysterious as it is powerful. It pulls and it bonds.
It is a catalyst that creates unity out of disorder.
Yet it defies definition. No combination
of talents can guarantee it. No process or training
can create it where the spark does not exist.
Empowering
Teachers
Ever read a book that rings so true to your spirit that you swear you could have written the work? That was my reader’s response to Blase and Blase’s (2001) work on empowering teachers. I could have written a similar text, which I would have aptly entitled Empowering Students: What Successful Teachers Do. The suggestions made by the authors for what principals do to bring out the best qualities in their teachers can be applied to students and staff.
One nugget of wisdom I gleamed from my reading is a roadmap for behaviors I need to exhibit in order to build and maintain trust. I need to be the type of administrator who listens with respect, models trust, helps others to communicate effectively, clarifies expectations, celebrates experimentation and supports risk, and exhibits personal integrity (Blase and Blase, 2001).
If I am to implement empowerment at every level, I should include the parents as one of the stakeholders. As a parent, one of my daughter’s principals has been great at making me feel included in her education – even when I had problems, issues, or questions about what was going on at school. Some of the strategies she has used with me illustrate points made by Blase and Blase (2001) as they give advice and warnings for working with parents. As a principal, I need to carefully listen to parent concerns and issues. I cannot afford to listen to certain parents while ignoring others. I must respect all
REFERENCES
Blasé, J. (1984). School principals and teacher: A qualitative analysis. The National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision, 1 (32), 35-43.
Blase,
J., & Blase, J. (2001). Empowering
teachers: What successful principals do (2nd ed).
Maiden,
R. (1987). Conflict! A conversation about
managing differences.
Roberts,
S.M., & Pruitt, E.Z. (2003). Schools as professional learning communities:
Collaborative activities and strategies for professional development.
Sergiovanni,
T.J. (2001). The principalship: A reflective practice perspective (4th
ed.).