Culture Creator

As I look back on my goals as I entered the program and how they have changed as I am completing my masters program with a concentration in P-12 School and Post-Secondary Leadership, there are some similarities and differences. My original goal was to complete my masters degree and pursue a job in educational administration. Over the past three years, that goal has fluctuated many times. There were times  when I had decided that I was perfectly happy teaching and wanted to do that for the rest of my career and there were also times that I wanted to be done so badly just to get out of teaching. 

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As I moved through my coursework and took different classes in educational leadership, I did settle back on wanting to go into administration after completing my masters. The nice thing is now I have a more defined role in which I would like to serve. Initially administration to me meant working as an assistant principal or a principal, that was my goal. Over the past few years in observing those positions, I know that I have zero interest in becoming a principal, at least not at this stage in my life. What drew me to teaching in the first place was my love of kids and wanting to help kids in any way that I can. I realize now that as a principal you are pulled in many different directions and do not always get to spend as much time with kids as you would like. As an assistant principal, you seem to spend most of your time dealing with disciplinary issues and may or may not be regulated by the principal in how you handle those situations.

 

I now know that the role I would really like to serve in is a behavior specialist. Although you are still dealing with discipline, the approach is different in my opinion than what you would take as an assistant principal. When I envision this role, I look at it as the stop before you have to go see the assistant principal. In this role, you are trying to get kids to replace their behaviors before they become too extreme and lead to suspension or expulsion. I think this role is more about creating a positive school climate and improving the culture of the school more than just discipling kids. 

I believe that my coursework over the past few years as well as my teaching experience in a self-contained classroom for the past seven years has prepared me for this role. I love building relationships and making my classroom a welcoming place for my students and would love to use those skills to make a building feel more inclusive and welcoming. Making students know I care about them is what I am really passionate about and in a leadership role that is what I would continue to strive to do.