Navigationhome Introduction to the Portfolio Philosophy Statement Mastery of Policy 5310 Mastery of ISLLC Standards Mastery of Praxis Elements Mastery of ISTE Standards Mastery of Leadership Dispositions Reflective Entries/Explanation Influence on Student Achievement/School Improvement Resume |
 The experiences that I have undergone this term with the guidance from Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU) are life changing to say the least.I have transformed in every sense of the word. In the beginning I viewed myself as a big brother to my students. By the end of the term I matured to the point of assuming “In Loco Parentis” and fulfilling my dream of becoming a parent myself. The world is a different place viewed from the eyes of a father. Residency II has provided the guidance and direction in my life to grow and mature into a top notch decision maker able to assess situations and opportunities to collaborate with professionals who are the best in their field.In my goals statement for this course, I focused on the history of “what makes a great leader” in order to study what has worked in the past. Now looking at my opportunities in working with the many great professionals this term including the staff at WJU, the Administration from Suncrest Middle School and the Monongalia County Board Office; I have gathered many of the necessary skills and experiences necessary to provide exceptional leadership to the school system. This past week I had finally met all of my goals originally set for this term. I performed teacher observations and evaluations with some of the teachers at my school. It was a great experience for me and the teachers who gained insight into their practice. Although many teachers are hesitant when they even hear that they may be evaluated, the evaluation process is not designed to be a negative experience. I found that reviewing the findings of the reports with the math, art, and health teachers was the beginning of a new relationship based on trust. Acting as an administrator allowed a new window to open into our relationship where I could view their practice and discuss findings of the positive and negative nature with them. I had no difficulty in the praise of each teacher for their great work in the classroom. The negative comments were worded in a manner to produce growth and not anger. For example: The art teacher was fully engaging the class with a pencil paper drawing this period, and I noted that a weekly “computer aided art project” may inspire students who are not excellent with paper pencil activities and allow the class to meet more technology CSOs. The art teacher agreed, and our school now has a more technology integrated art program due to this experience. I have served on the curriculum team, participated in a WV curriculum audit, lead book studies with my PLC team, supervised athletic events, and band performances. I devised a plan to monitor student activities in the hallways before school and implemented the system with great success. I was always there in support of our faculty members who experienced hard times this year, helping to organize fund raiser dinners, t-shirt sales, and just there for a leaning post or someone to talk to. I was involved in the discipline proceedings with students, and plans of improvement with the school staff with successful results. I attended local school board meetings, and familiarized myself with the scheduling process at Suncrest. I reached out in the community to build lasting bonds and seek partners in education for our programs. I was involved in IEP meetings, teacher nominations, and workshops for professional development and ELI (policy 5310). As the current Faculty Senate President I have led many meetings with great outcomes while demonstrating professional actions and building team relationships. Teaching technology opened the door for my assistance in the schools use of technology throughout the building. I have spent many hours this term helping teachers in other classrooms maintain their computer systems and save thousands of dollars for the school. I improved the atmosphere and relationships throughout my school by implementing a positive feedback experiment. I participated on the school safety team with training for emergency situations, AED (artificial electronic defibrillator), and school violence/lock-down procedures and prevention. I met with many parents along with a team of teachers to devise improvement plans to curb behaviors and improve achievement. I have mediated faculty discrepancies bringing the school back to a professional working atmosphere. The Law and Ethics course was a great help in my understanding of the school and the legal implications associated with all administrative decisions. Understanding the influence the legal system has on education is an ever evolving process, requiring constant research to maintain an “up to date” vision. I have delved myself into my work this term always with a focus on achievement. I have inspired others within my school, practiced my hand at becoming a great leader, and spread influence throughout my building, resulting in a better Suncrest Middle School. I am sure I will have another great experience in the future Residency I course. I feel this opportunity “is what you make it” meaning: I have given 110% of my effort and attention to the Residency II class and have gained back an equal amount of knowledge, tools, and skills as a result. I strive to be the best leader I can be! I look forward to my summer term where I will gain a great knowledge base in resource management, communications and negotiations, professional development design, and system thinking. I also look forward to working with Mr. John George director of the Monongalia Technical Center and the knowledgeable staff at WJU in the upcoming fall semester in order to gain experience at the system level. I have fully assumed the role of father and school leader. Leadership is easily defined by “one who promotes a vision, creating goals and monitoring the progress toward the vision.” My focus shall always begin with achievement, followed by conducting successful meetings which stress the importance of teamwork, assessment, and a whole vision for the school. Leadership is an ever evolving process; great leaders not only give their best each day, they continuously research and practice new methods and policy. The professional readings of Todd Whittaker this term were a great inspiration and have influenced and improved my situational analysis and empathy skills. The idea of community building stands out in most leadership readings as to place great importance upon the topic. The learning community is the scaffold education is founded around and must be maintained at all cost to promote a healthy student achievement facility and environment. This term has allowed me many great opportunities in which I have grown and evolved into a leader who is not a dictator, but rather a committee member responsible for leading and guiding the decision making process within my school. Goals and ObjectivesCareer and Technical Education is the key to West Virginia's economical future. West Virginia has been and always will be the backbone of labor and industry for the entire nation. The booming industry of the mountain state (particularly natural resources & energy) have kept the people who live here employed and able to carve out a great life for themselves and their families since the founding of our great state. I have chosen my career path due to a love of the educational process, technology, business, and valuable skills acquisition related to the job market. Throughout my life, if I wanted to learn a new skill, I sought out the best of the field and offered to apprentice, offering my time and help in exchange for the knowledge, skills and experiences they could offer. In Junior high school I assisted the art teacher after school learning painting techniques, pottery, and visual/art history. Through High School I found a love of cars, I then approached the head mechanic at a local dealership and offered to assist free of charge if he would teach me the trade. I am now able to fix anything from paint, to engines. In college I worked for minimum wage apprenticing a construction company, now I can build a house from scratch, blueprints, carpentry, roofing, plumbing, electrical, from foundation to chimney cap. I have worked with welders, electricians, forestry specialists, engineers, paramedics, technologists, scientists, and leaders of many fields. I completed my student teaching with great educators who instilled the desire to be the best teacher I can, each and every day. The moral of my story is the fact that knowledge is power, much more influential than the dollar, and the reason I have chosen to work with Mr. John George the Director of the Monongalia Technical Education Center (MTEC). Mr. George is a prime example of a leader among leaders, the best in the vocational director field. Mr. George agreed to be my system leader coach for this residency course as another great example of his true passion for learning, teaching and leading. Mr. George and I have maintained a positive working relationship for the past eight years helping each other meet goals and improve student achievement in the vocational curriculum. Mr. George is an inspiration to me and an excellent role model for my learning and future career path as a vocational administrator.After my meeting Tuesday, August 28th 2012 with Mr. George, I reflected upon our conversations and developed a few goals for our time together. First I was invited to attend a Vocational Directors conference in Morgantown on November 1st and 2nd. What a great opportunity for learning the ropes. Secondly the time I spend with Mr. George will be spent reviewing financial processes and policy, human resources, software and online curriculum programs, day to day decision making, Improvement plans for curriculum, work keys, performance assessments, student placements, and school profiles. As always I will also continue my best work as a vocational teacher at Suncrest Middle School alongside leading faculty meetings, and assuming the role of PLC team leader for the specialist/related arts department. My mission for this term is to gain the knowledge to assure implementation of West Virginia’s educational goals and ensure the supervision of the policy, curriculum, financial and human resources. Measurable goal #1- Upon completion of this term I will be able to evaluate vocational curriculum, assessing current needs and facilitating change to align educational practice with West Virginia state goals and objectives. This goal will be measured by curriculum analysis assessments we will perform and changes of practice implemented. Measurable goal #2- Through my apprenticeship this term I will gain the foundations of knowledge required to perform the many functions of a vocational school director from day to day decision making to long term analysis. This knowledge will be gained from a two day vocational director conference where I will have many opportunities to think from a director perspective with guidance from Mr. George. This goal is to be assessed by an evaluation from Mr. George and reflective journals reporting my progress. |
