Competency Reflection

A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF EXPERIENCES IN PRINCIPAL INTERNSHIP

001- The principal knows how to shape the campus culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared by the school community.

Due to the fact that the development, articulation, implementation, and

stewardship model of task development is a recurring theme in principalship, I find that every task can be linked to competency 001.
Specifically, when working with my Accreditation Committee in

identifying the interest in a new accreditation entity, it was important for me to come up with a plan, discuss it with my committee, follow through, and analyze the outcome.
As a future principal honing this skill and focusing on the articulation

aspect will allow me to convey my vision with stakeholders in an effective way.

002- The principal knows how to communicate and collaborate with all members of the school community, respond to diverse interests and needs, and mobilize resources to promote student success.

In my internship I have been fortunate to witness the process my Head

of School (HOS) goes through to elicit feedback from teachers and roll out new instructional strategies. Specifically, after rigorous educational testing one of the students at our school was diagnosed with significant learning delays and it was suggested by the tester that the student start receiving Singapore Math instruction rather than the Everyday Mathematics the school currently deploys. We swiftly collaborated with the teachers and parents, ordered the necessary resources, and met for a 504 meeting so to meet the students needs immediately. As a future principal being able to communicate student goals in a way that will empower the teachers, rather than making them feel that this is one more initiative to follow will allow my students, regardless of interest or need, to have their educational objectives met and exceeded.

003- The principal knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical and legal manner.

Acting with integrity, fairness, and legality is of utmost importance,

regardless of your position within a school. Especially working in a Christian environment, this competency resonates in everything we do and say. Specifically, we had a student turn in recommendation forms for a school the student is considering going to next school year. The parent wanted the school to fill out the forms and return them to her so could see what the school said about the student prior to turning in the forms. Not only is this practice discouraged, the parents must sign an affidavit at the top stating that the recommendation forms are confidential and may not be shared with the parent. The parent became very upset to find that the school mailed the forms directly to the school without her review. As a future principal it is important to never allow special circumstances jeopardize protocol. When this is done, it is nearly impossible to stop more bend in a policy until eventually the integrity of the protocol is damaged.

004- The principal knows how to facilitate the design and implementation of curricula and strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning, ensure alignment of curriculum, instruction, resources, and assessment; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance.

In a small school with few teachers and little teacher turnover, it is easy

for curriculum and planning to become stagnant. Utilizing resources from various outlets, in addition to staying current in best practices is crucial for a school to continue to grow. Specifically, I have had the opportunity to work with our Head of School in selecting both new Bible and Literature curricula in order to increase the rigor for classroom instruction. Additionally, I have pushed for use of the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) in grades 1-5 as a diagnostic tool. The addition of both new curriculum and diagnostic tools will allow for growth in student performance. As a future principal, remembering that what gets measured gets done is fundamental in creating an environment focused on datadriven performance.

005- The principal knows how to advocate, nurture, and sustain an instructional program and a campus culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.

In order for students to continue to grow educationally, they must be

surrounded by adults who continue to grow themselves. Specifically, since Southminster is a private school, we are often unable to financially support staff development opportunities that only a few staff members are interested in. However, working with the HOS, I have become well-versed in the steps that the school must follow to receive staff development from the local school district through available Title II funds. With such funds, we were able to send gifted and talented teachers to get update hours for their certification, we sent a team of teachers, including myself, to a conference to gain information about our new testing program, and we purchased DRA kits for grades 1-5. As a future principal, creating an environment in which your students and staff want to grow educationally and professionally by being open and willing to new ideas and best practices is only a benefit to your program.

006- The principal knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system to improve the performance of all staff members, select and implement appropriate models for supervision and staff development, and apply the legal requirements for personnel management.

Conducting my internship at a private school as opposed to a

public school has made a few competencies a challenge to observe, as I have found that since certain functions are not mandated, they are often conducted far more informally. Specifically, I have been able to sit in on various teacher observations and take anecdotal observations of their lessons. However, since the staff members I observed are also my peers, I was unable to sit on on their summative meetings. As a teacher interested in principalship while working in public schools, I have a relatively solid understanding of how scheduling, conduction, and follow through with this protocol works through asking questions of my previous supervisor. As a future principal it is important that I continue to gain exposure and information in this area, as appraisal systems and criteria for effective teachers and instruction are always changing.

007- The principal knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problemsolving skills to ensure an effective learning environment.

Due to the fact that our school is considered shared space with the church

with which we are affiliated, it is paramount that we are organized, and that appropriate steps are followed to ensure availability of resources for both the church and school while also maintaining the integrity of the instructing occurring throughout the building. Specifically, we have started utilizing Google Apps in order to address various needs around the school. Each teacher is required to use a Google Site for keeping parents informed, keep an updated Google Calendar to book science lab times, parent conferences, and other schedule conflicts, and access a Google Doc for maintenance and technology issues that is viewed by all staff members and maintained by the Head Groundskeeper. As a future principal implementing effective organizational and problemsolving methods and hierarchies that are widely-known and accepted by all staff members will ensure that instructional time is valued and conflicts are dealt with swiftly and effectively.

008- The principal knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to campus budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management, and technology use.

Competency 008 is one in which I have only recently been

exposed. Being that Southminster is a private school, next years budget is a mere projection until late April-early May as parents enroll and put up commitment monies. Specifically, I have attended all School Committee (similar to a School Board) meetings as an observer and have had the opportunity to work with the HOS in preparing her reports for the committee, in addition to discussing how she addresses certain downfalls, such as a budget deficit, with the school committee. As a future principal, maintaining a working relationship with the School Committee, and utilizing instructional resources and technology equitably among all grade levels are paramount in ensuring effective leadership and management.

009- The principal knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to the campus physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment.

Southminster is a very safety-centered campus. In the past

the school has utilized an Active-Shooter training in order to prepare teachers in the event of a school invasion. Specifically, the administrative team and I have worked to ensure that all classrooms have emergency backpacks with classroom rosters, flashlights, and First Aid kits. We have devised monthly scheduled fire, lock down, and shelter in place drills with various routes to safety. Additionally, all teachers must be First Aid and CPR trained every two years. As a future principal maintaining working use of such plans is crucial. Routine use of such plans ensures that panic will not interrupt safety measures, and that students and staff members are always safe and confident.