Week 3

          For reading the AMLE This We Believe Book this week, it talked a lot about the role of leaders in a school setting. There were quite a few things that stood out while reading. I particularly liked how the reading stated that good school leaders ask for input from parents and students about how to better the school and receive input. I thought that was a great idea. It seems so simple, yet, I do not think that is implemented enough. When I was in school, I or my peers were never asked about our opinions or what we would change or improve. Students were never incorporated into school decisions that were made. I am not certain if my parents were asked either. I am not necessarily blaming my school for that, but I think the school would have looked a lot different if student input was actually asked for. I was also shocked to read about how many roles that principals of school districts really have. The text talked a lot about how school principals determine the school culture, student achievement, and teacher effectiveness. That seems like a lot to handle for one person. In high school, I never particularly liked or admired my principal. I always felt that he treated the students as if they were inferior and child-like (which, I can’t blame him on that one). Although, I saw my principal interact often with students at specific events, such as sports or dances. I always appreciated how my principal never hid away from students, but rather interacted with them. I have seen some principal’s at placements of mine who never interact with the students and I just think that is so wrong and boring. Why become a principal if you don’t interact with the students?! I think a big difference in an effective principal is in the interactions he/she has with the students, teachers, and other staff. However, after learning more about the roles of a principal, I understand more now than I did in high school about what it means to be a leader of a school, whether as a teacher or as a principal. It must have been a lot for my principal to take on such a large role that I had no idea about at the time.

          I also found the text talking about interdisciplinary teams of teachers. This is similar to what the previous units have talked about. I thought this quote was cool. “Research indicated that effective interdisciplinary teams lead to improved student achievement, increased parental contacts, an enhanced school climate, and positive student attitudes” (AMLE 31). Now, as a student in a climate such as this, I would have a hard time believing that these teacher teams would have these outcomes. However, I did feel as if all my teachers in high school were working together for the students. I can’t say that about my middle school experience because I don’t remember that, nor did I pay attention. But I thought it was very cool that teams can have such an impact. This is something that I truly won’t understand until I am in a school with my own teacher team.

          As for the article, 5 Key Responsibilities, I thought that it was very insightful into what was being talked about. This article also talked about the responsibility of a principal, and yet again, I found that to be a lot for one person to handle. The principal has to make sure the students are achieving accurately, making sure the teachers are doing well and completing their job, and they have to collaborate with everyone. One thing in the article that really stood out was how a principal should cultivate leadership in others. Now that seems like one difficult thing to do. However, this makes a lot of sense. If a teacher in the classroom is not a leader, that shows to the students, parents, and co-workers. I find it incredibly important that a principal is someone that teachers can go to for anything. I also think it is critical that the principal shows what a true leader is through his/her actions. If the principal and teachers all work together, that will show in student success and I highly believe that it will. I have been in a few different placements by now. I have seen a majority of the teachers do a slight roll of the eye when they mention their principal’s name. That is obviously not good. I am not quite sure as to what causes that tension between principal and teacher, but if it's an eye roll, that's not a good sign for the experiences of the students. However, I have also seen teacher’s that absolutely love their principals. The attitude of teachers is vastly different and I think that shows the relationship between principal and teachers is very important in a school setting. Overall, both of these texts referred and mentioned to a lot of the responsibilities that principals have in a school. I never knew the vast amount of responsibility that principals had. In fact, I’m not even sure I knew what they did. These texts were helpful in understanding those responsibilities and giving me a new sense of respect for those with a whole lot of responsibility on their shoulders.