School Leadership Reflection

In preparing for the course, The School and Its Instructional Purpose and reading the textbook, Leaders of Learning, it became clear this course would inspire me and provide direction for what nature of leader I desire to become and would guide me to the tools to equip me for the journey into education administration. Schools are all very distinctive and serve unique communities, but all schools exist to educate children. The academic success of each student should be a priority for all school staff and, as a leader of learners, regardless of what area of administration I am in, my pursuit should be the same, to educate children. The textbook, speakers, articles, and discussions all centered on building an environment that is conducive

Becoming a leader in a school community requires the willingness to step out with confidence, having developed the skills and knowledge necessary to lead others. Throughout this summer, my knowledge base regarding school leadership has grown tremendously. The course in school law taught me why schools operate the way they do, I came to understand that, although I had extensive knowledge and experience in schools, I have much to understand and develop in. As a school leader, I must acknowledge the validity of assessment and evaluations and how to use those to develop my campus and educators, in order to educate the children I am charged with educating. Choosing to lead in education, I must recognize that I am responsible for developing a culture that encourages and celebrates learning among adults and students, collaboration, servant leadership, respect, and community. This summer I am developing SMART goals to assist me in my internship, graduate classes, and classroom teaching so that my efforts are focused and specific, but also so that I may focus on the goal of influencing others. “May you choose to be a servant leader, and in making that choice, may you develop the capacity of those you serve to carry on your legacy by becoming servant leaders themselves” (Dufour & Marzano,

Putting it into effect is another” (Mendels, 2012, p. 58). The administrative aspect of school leadership requires the knowledge and skills to develop a culture conducive to student learning, but it also demands the willingness to step out and lead in often difficult administrative areas such as hiring, addressing personnel issues, setting the school schedule, and methodically planning budgets. David Dominquez, made it clear in his presentation, that you cannot neglect the business end of school (Dominquez, 2015). Without proper leadership in the administrative arena, a school is unable to educate children. As our speakers shared, educational leaders deal with many difficult situations regarding personnel, budgets, logistics, and school culture. As a leader of learners, the difficult situations will cause many headaches, but I am looking forward to guiding a school staff through those difficult waters, and yet still maintaining the servant leadership and enthusiasm for people that first called me to a career with students. I have the ability to influence many people based on the way I handle administrative and tense