Competency Reflections by Jennifer Woods

1. Competency ReflectionsbyJennifer Woods

2. Domain I : School community leadershipCompetency 001 I have attended several Parent Teacher Other (PTO), Shared Decision Making Committee (SDMC), and town-hall meetings on my campus. I have been given an opportunity to collaborate with stakeholder’s ideas and help develop procedures to improve our school culture. I have also encouraged other parents to get involved on our campus to become informed of what is occurring on our campus and community. My school was hosted several town-hall meetings where I helped greet parents and community leaders to our campus. Sharing the campus vision and goals with parents helps the teachers, staff, and administrators with reinforce the expectations that have been set. I have implemented strategies in my classroom to help our campus meet the goals on our improvement plan for standardize testing. If a student is failing or has not mastered a math objective/concept he is subject to attend an after school tutorial session. I learned that it is very important that your stakeholders feel welcomed and wanted on your campus. I understand that by creating a positive family-like environment removes some of the anxiety parents may have for visiting and getting involved at school. My goal is to become a member of the SDMC on my campus next year.

3. Domain I : School community leadershipCompetency 002 Competency 002 states that a principal must know how to communicate and collaborate with all stakeholders, respond to diverse interests and needs, and mobilize resources to promote student success. I communicate regular basis with my student’s parents by hosting parent/teacher/ student conferences to discuss academic and behavioral concerns. In some cases I have parents who have specified that email or text message was the best way to contact them instead of letters/paper notification. We hosted our third annual Math/Science Night where I was the chairperson for the event to build parental awareness of what is being taught in math and science. I built a partnership with Teach Houston of the University of Houston and invited their students who are in the education program to set a booth to help build awareness. I have learned to not to overlook the neighboring colleges and universities to help build a positive campus culture and parent awareness. My goal is to build a strong network with valued stakeholders to help inform parents and students about other educational opportunities in multiple innovative ways.

4. Domain I : School community leadershipCompetency 003 I strongly believe that a principal must obtain the integrity and fairness in an ethical and legal manner. In order for a principal to build trust s/he must be fair to everyone inspite the situation, their position, or who they are. One year I was voted cluster leader and I had to exhibit a level integrity when collecting money from the students for field trips. I could have easily taken money out of the field trip fund and spent in on myself. As an aspiring principal I knew that upholding a certain level of integrity must be practiced in order to build trust. As a member of the testing committee I am constantly remember of the integrity in ethical and legal manners. One of my duties is to secure all students’ standardized testing items and prepare them to be shipped to Austin, Texas. I am made aware that falsifying or changing any of the students’ response on the scantrons is in violation with The Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators and will suffer very extinguishing consequences. As an educator I am an advocate for all children despite of their disabilities, race, and /or economic status. It is my professional duty to ensure that each child receives fair and yet equal education. I have learned it is my duty to share with administration any unethical events or mistreatment of children in the educational setting. My goal is to have a deeper understanding of students’ rights and to inform other educators

5. Domain II : Instructional leadershipCompetency 004 Competency 004 states that a principal must know how to facilitate effective campus planning based on emerging issues, occupational and economic trends, demographic and student learning data, teaching and learning theories , curriculum design and legal requirements. I have experienced effective planning and following the student learning trends on my sixth grade team. As the new TEKS and learning objectives are being implemented in the State of Texas the math department on my campus attends professional developments. As a math teacher I have experienced strategic planning for curriculum and instruction in the summer of each year. We identify the strengths and weakness of the incoming sixth graders. After analyzing the student learning data we set reachable goals for our students and grade level. As a grade level team we dissect the district’s curriculum and scope and sequence and decide how to implement it. One of my projects as an intern was facilitating and coordinating our campus annual STAAR Lock-In. I was in charge of creating the sixth grade rotation schedule for tutorials, planning the event, and facilitating fun activities, the dance, naptime and departure. I had to coordinate rotation schedules and all activities with the seventh and eighth grade chairpersons to ensure that there were not any conflicts or overlapping of grade levels. I learned if you over plan and asses every detail there is no room for failure. My goal is to learn how to become effective facilitator and attend professional developments in other subject areas as it pertains to curriculum and instruction.

6. Domain II : Instructional leadershipCompetency 005 Competency V expresses that the principal should know how to advocate, nurture, and sustain an instructional program and a campus culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth. Our principal had the staff participate in a book study for best instructional practices for teachers. He assigned the chapters that needed to be read and informed us that he has chosen teacher leaders to present a fifteen to twenty minute presentation. Of course I was one of the presenters. I had to present how I exhibit best instructional practices mentioned in the book everyday in my classroom. I am also a mentor teacher for first year teachers on my campus. My duties as a mentor are to help my mentee develop and implement research-based instructional strategies, provide support and create conditions so that the campus vision is achieved. I modeled for my teacher mentee how to use formative and summative student data to analyze student’s strengths and weaknesses, improve instructional strategies, and implement re-teaching. As an educational leader I have learned that I must continue to conduct research on best instructional practices. I also need to learn how create conditions and situations that encourage stakeholders and students to strive to achieve the campus vision.

7. Domain II : Instructional leadershipCompetency 006 I have the pleasure of serving on the Teacher of the Month committee. It is amazing how this committee has spiced up the teacher morale on our campus. The teacher and students get excited when they announce the teacher of the month. This committee was created to improve organizational health and campus morale. The committee selects a subject area /department and the staff votes. The winner receives a $50 gift card, VIP parking for an entire month, five jean day passes, and recognition on the campus website. Administrators work collaboratively with campus personnel to develop, implement, evaluate, and revise a comprehensive campus professional development plan. In order to accomplish this goal, staff members were assigned a book to read entitled The Energy Bus. In addition, teachers who attended specialized trainings/professional developments and are required to bring the information back to campus and present to their departments and/or at faculty meetings. This competency has taught me that creating positive campus morale and organizational health of the campus is very important because it affects teacher’s instructional practices and student learning. I would like to expand my knowledge in this area, and I will also research the literature that the district has adapted concerning implementing, evaluation, and developing systems to improve the performance of all staff members.

8. Domain II : Instructional leadershipCompetency 007 An effective learning environment is the key to success on every campus. Research is in virtually every area of organizational leadership points to the importance of culture and climate to productivity. An effective principal must learn the art of how to facilitate discussions and collaborate, not dictate it (Wilmore 2003). However implementing major changes on campus can be a nightmare. I encountered the scary ghost of change when my principal decided to shake and wake up some teachers who had gotten to comfortable with their teaching assignment and were at risk of being put on a growth plan. He enlisted the collaboration of all the teachers, listened to their objections and suggestions, gathered the teacher’s data from observations and teacher’s student growth and made his decision. Our principal made some drastic changes with a few teachers. He presented the new teacher assignments to the staff and explained that the changes were made after great deliberations to hold everyone accountable for achieving campus growth. To help comfort the assignment changes that were made we did a book study entitled, Who Moved My Cheese.” I have learned that as a principal you will have to make decisions based upon data that may not be popular but needed. It is a good idea that you collaborate with your staff about important changes in order to gain their support. My goal as a leader is to be firm with the changes that I make and provide research based evidence that supports my decisions.

9. Domain III : Administrative LeadershipCompetency 008 I was given the task of writing an Algebra Readiness Grant that would award my campus of $300,000. It was an overwhelming task but I endured to the end. After many sleepless nights I informed my principal that it was finished. We submitted it and within a matter of two days it was returned to me to make revisions to the to the budget portion of the grant. I need to allocate certain funds to different sections on the grant. I allotted monies for professional development, supplies, and technology. The granted allowed the math department to spend $150,000 each year to the next two years. Texas Education Agency and Houston ISD helped manage the account. The math teachers at Marshall Middle School must adhere to all policies and procedures set forth by the TEA. If all the guidelines were not met Marshall Middle School would have to repay the funds spent from the grant. I have learned that money management skills are essential in order to be an effective leader and manager as it relates to campus budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, and financial management. In order to stay in compliance and not exceeding my budget I will seek the advice for my mentor and Houston ISD accounting/budget personnel. I will ask questions of how to reallocate funds legally and not tarnishing my integrity and ethical responsibilities.

10. Domain III : Administrative LeadershipCompetency 009 I have had the great pleasure of interviewing the eighth grade administrator who is over the Campus Safety Committee Marshall Middle School. The eight grade administrator is responsible for campus fire drills, exit routes, and lock down procedures to name a few. Obstructed and unobstructed fire drills are planned to ensure that students, faculty, and staff are utilizing alternate evacuation routes efficiently. During an obstructed fire drill that I was not aware of I lead my class right into the fire. Later that day I was called into her office to discuss why I had not used the alternate fire route. I was highly embarrassed and was give a warning. We had a soft lockdown last week. The soft lock down drill consisted of having the drug dog and officer walk the campus for drugs, weapons, or gang paraphernalia which is a safety concern. Last year our campus was on high alert due to the event of a shooting that occurred two blocks from the school. The principal was notified by local authorities that the gunman was headed towards our school and he immediately enforced a hard lockdown. In order to ensure the safety of all staff members and visitors the front doors remain locked until the front desk receptionist allows entry through a new system using employee identification cards for faculty and staff. In addition, a campus police officer is available during school hours and another officer is available during the after-school program. This competency has taught me to take the safety drills serious. The educational leader is responsible and accountable for everyone that is in the building at the time of the drill. In order to continue support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment would like to become an active member of the safety committee.