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Here are some random notes from our newest class, on our Saturday morning discussion.

Attendance is important!  Several students have conflicts, which we all have from time to time.  I’m thankful to be able to do this program relatively close to where I live.

Integrity:  We have several readings to work through, one of which is the Corporate Mystic.  We previously read this leadership book in another EDAD class, and it spoke a lot to the intangible issues of integrity.  How does this show up in the education setting?  Brad brought up the issue of trying to write grant proposals for programs that don’t necessarily fit the correct parameters.  Integrity is driven from within, not from without. 

“If you get an internal sense that something is wrong, check your integrity.  You can use that to gauge where you’re at.”

Integrity promotes a sense of predictability.  That is very important in an unpredictable field such as education.

Side note:  Eastern Oregon University, the campus where this class is being held, has apparently closed off their wireless internet connection to people who aren’t students or faculty.  That means no searching, tagging, etc… while we’re here.  I found a wall line to plug into in order to get on the internet, but that’s just during lunch time. 

Small group summary statement:  The predictability of a leader with integrity allows for schools and educational organizations to have something to anchor to in times of uncertainty.

How does integrity figure into your role as an educational leader?

My next class is quickly approaching this weekend: EDAD 612, Instructional Leadership. At the heart of school administration is teacher growth and development. A good, honest look at my own developmental needs as an administrator tells me that this topic, along with curriculum, are my two highest areas of needed growth. Certainly, my own learning in these two areas will take place both in this course and through my own educational pursuits.

I’ve already picked up and have begun reading through the two required books:

• Charlotte Danielson, Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework For Teaching, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Instruction, 1996.
• Sally J. Zepeda, The Principal As Instructional Leader, New York: Eye on Education, 2003.

I am quickly finding that the Danielson book especially is considered THE basis for effective teacher evaluation and retention in our schools today. And for good reason. She is able to break down the art/science of teaching into definable, empirically-derived components, and transform them into a practical, collaborative method of professional development. Good stuff.

A look through the syllabus tells me we’re going to be doing plenty of hands-on activities in order to achieve our course objectives. And that’s just fine by me. As I get older, I tend to learn less in the sit-and-get model, and more in the sit-and-discuss, stand-and-practice model. This is a 3-credit class, so I’m going to assume that the workload will be quite a bit more than our previous 1-credit classes.

My goal is to have both books read and digested, and have a good grasp of syllabus concepts before we hit our first session on Friday. I’ll post more as we go along.

Technorati tags: education, teaching, Instructional Leadership, school administration, teacher evaluation, professional growth, developement