Internship Reflection

1. Internship Reflection Abigayl Flores University of St. Thomas Landrum Middle School Spring 2014

2. Competency 001: The principal knows how to shape campus culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community. Throughout the internship I spent most of my time in this competency by leading No Place for Hate, Landrum Lions Alumni Scholarship, Encouragement Committee, Kipp/LMS culture, and more. I have seen first hand how every decision made on the campus needs to be aligned with the campus vision and culture. My mentor repeated many times throughout the internship that culture can either make or break a school. In order to make culture and the campus vision effective there must be 100% faculty buy-in. Throughout the year there were times in which there was not complete buy-in, leading the objective to fail.

3. Competency 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. I was able to practice competency 002 through two of my projects. As a leader of the Landrum Lions Alumni Scholarship Committee, we had the huge task of planning the Fall Festival. During the planning process I had the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with many community members in order to make the event a success. Those members included teachers, families, businesses, news, and more. Also, being the new teacher mentor, I had to meet each teachers diverse needs and interests throughout the school year. Each teacher had strengths and weaknesses in which we had to cultivate throughout the year. I learned that being an administrator is truly an expansion of your classroom.

4. Competency 003: The principal knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical and legal manner. There were several instances this year in which I was able to witness what it means to act with “integrity, fairness, and in an ethical and legal manner.” One instance is when the scholarship committee was taking a college trip to the University of Texas. The administrators stated that legally we had to have an administrator on the trip. However, they proceeded to contact the district office to acquire more information on this legality, and I was able to attend as the administrator being an intern. Also, I learned about the unfairness of using hearsay as data for a teachers evaluation. One must always use their brain, books, and their heart as an administrator.

5. Competency 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. This competency was addressed through the new teacher mentoring project. I was able to help new teachers with backwards planning, alignment, and strategic plans. Also, I modeled to teachers how blended learning and project based learning could work in several classrooms. However, I feel that I need more assistance when it comes to aligning with STAAR testing. That will be an area of growth as an upcoming administrator.

6. Competency 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. First, I assisted in staff professional growth through new teacher meetings, campus “Energy Project” training, campus character strength training, PDAS training, and conduct/handbook training. Also, through new teacher mentoring I assisted in nurturing our teachers to grow as professionals and continue to nurture our students in return. By working with adults I have learned the similarities to working with students. Each adult has different needs and learning styles.

7. Competency 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. At the beginning of the year I had the opportunity to assist in administering the PDAS training to all teachers and later expanding upon with the new teachers. This allowed me to better understand the system, which will be extremely beneficial as an administrator. Also, through the action research project I created a teacher survey to evaluate the character program and new culture of the campus. This survey is now being used to reflect on how we can improve next year. Lastly, this year “lunch detention” was removed and “Positive Behavior Intervention” was the replacement. For PBI I also created a student survey to better understand the influence to behavior.

8. Competency 007: The principal knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills to ensure an effective learning environment. After administering surveys on character education, they were compared to the campus report cards. I had to use problem solving skills to analyze the data and find trends. Also, through the chaos of the internship and action research, ,it was necessary to use organizational skills to complete all assignments. I feel that largest challenge as an administrator will be time management. However, through great organization it can all be done.

9. Competency 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. Working on No Place for Hate and the Landrum Lions Alumni Scholarship has given me a small understanding of financial management. Specifically, how club accounts work and how finances work on a campus. Also, I have applied principals of technology use by discussing with new teachers. Technology training included types of technology, uses of technology, and safe use of technology. This is definitely the competency in which I feel less secure in and will need further support.

10. Competency 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. During the internship the only opportunity I had to participate in this competency was when a window was shattered during campus hours. When I reported it to our Assistant Principal he allowed me to see the process of reporting physical issues of the campus and how to keep students safe. I feel that as far as the process goes it is simple and straightforward. However, one must always remember the safety of the students first!