Principal Internship Final Report - Career and Leadership Goals

PRINCIPAL INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT

Presented to

The Faculty of Educational Leadership

Lamar University

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Principal Internship program

in Educational Leadership

by

Karen O'Leary

September, 2011

Career and Leadership Goals

Upon completion of my administration certification, I would like to further my career in educational leadership by first becoming an active member in the district's Aspiring Administrator's Leadership Academy and by becoming more involved in the campus Site Based Improvement Committee. These opportunities will offer me increased insight into the daily responsibilities of the campus administrator as well as continued hands on experience with formulating goals and objectives to achieve the school's vision of academic excellence. If the opportunity arose, I would likely pursue a position serving an elementary campus as an Assistant Principal. However; my ultimate career goal is to earn a position as Special Education Coordinator or Director. Having been in the classroom as a Special Education teacher and currently serving students as an Educational Diagnostician, I feel I am on the right path towards achieving my goals. My experience in working with both the general education and special education population, I believe, will prove advantageous when seeking a district coordinator or other leadership position.

As a future educational leader, I hope to work collaboratively with staff members and parents to facilitate positive change within the school or district climate and culture. As one who does not settle for mediocrity, I desire to one day inspire teachers so that they may become intrinsically motivated to reach each and every student on some level. I want to be an integral part in contributing to a school's or district's greatness. I will facilitate this by gaining the trust of the faculty and by achieving an overall "buy in" with regards to the school and/or district vision and mission; one that lends itself to academic excellence and the philosophy that every student is capable of learning. "The goal of helping students acquire the self-motivation that leads to a perpetual desire to learn should be foremost in every educator's mind. If educational leaders can find ways to create an environment that motivates students to learn, it is logical to assume that improved academic performance will soon follow." (Renchler, 1992).

Multiple activities and experiences during my principal internship have better prepared me to lead school improvement. Both course embedded and campus supervised daily tasks have allowed me to engage, first hand, in the development of a school culture where academic success and the motivation to learn is expected, respected, and rewarded. I have had the opportunity to witness and take part in daily administrative duties as well as other critical stages that school principals face in their efforts to become more effective school leaders. These critical stages include the cultivation of good interpersonal relationships, the achievement of goals that stress educational achievement, and most importantly, becoming a problem solver who seeks out the most effective means for obtaining student achievement.

Summary of Reflective Practices

During my principal internship period, I had multiple opportunities to reflect upon experiences through discussion with colleagues as well as through weekly journal writing. Reflective writing entails the description of an event, memory, interaction, or incident which may evoke emotion and thoughtful insight rather than a mere statement of fact. Questions such as "What did I notice?", "How has this changed me?", or "What might I have done differently?" often guide the writer's thought process. Reflective writing is not meant to be simply descriptive, but detailed with emotion and revealing of additional opportunities for learning.

Through reflective writing, I have learned to analyze an experience or situation by giving serious thought to the particular experience and contemplating how knowledge I have gained will help me excel as a future administrator. I have learned to be more introspective and to be critical of areas where improvement is needed. Careful reflection of internship experiences has helped me to think more critically and to target future goals and objectives for career growth.

There are many benefits of reflective writing. By recording what happened or what was observed, one can develop new understanding. My own future professional journal writings may, in fact, provide an opportunity to make explicit my philosophy or position on a range of issues of personal significance. Reflective writing provides a record of events, results, and reactions to those results; data on which to base reflective discussion; and opportunity to challenge oneself to see things as they are and to do things differently and better, if necessary. By maintaining this practice of reflective writing, I will be able to track any future career progress I make as well as become more aware of any gaps in my existing knowledge base.

Over the past eight months, during the course of my principal internship, I have had numerous learning opportunities that have occurred through the practice of reflective writing. I found that my involvement in the Student Intervention Team meetings and consequent reflective analysis of student data assisted me in my position as an Educational Diagnostician. I would often reflect on student response to intervention and whether or not progress through tiered interventions was being made. I would also ask myself whether or not current intervention programs were effective and how the school, collectively, could further assist the lower performing sub-populations. By carefully analyzing and reflecting upon student intervention through the general education program, I was able to assist teachers in making more informed decisions with regards to students who were going to be referred for Special Education testing.

Another example of learning that occurred consistently through reflective practice was that of the careful consideration of communication techniques utilized during conflict / resolution situations. I frequently asked myself questions such