My name is Deana Ferreira.  After eleven years of educating as a teacher and as a Dean of Discipline in an urban school district, I have come to understand and appreciate not only the needs of children, but also the obstacles faced by students, parents, educators, and administrators. I have successfully worked with students, teachers, parents, and administrators to help reach the goals they have set for themselves and for each other. The professional relationships I have formed with those I have taught and with those who have taught me have given me a better understanding of the importance of strong leadership in our schools.

For the past seven years I have worked at The David A. Stein Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy (MS/HS 141). RKA 141, is a public secondary school that serves students in grades six through twelve from the Riverdale and Kingsbridge areas of the Bronx. There are currently 1,420 students enrolled and has a staff of 80 teachers.  The school reflects and celebrates the diversity of the community it serves.  It provides Honor programs for students to accelerate, and support programs for English Language Learners and students in Special Education.  The Parents’ Association is a very active group, whose executive board is comprised of individuals with a wide range of professions and talents.  The Executive Board oversees committees which include fundraising, newsletter, School Leadership Team, Health and Safety, mini-grants and Principal Partnership.

To be a leader in schools today, one must first have an understanding of what their particular definition of leadership is.  The one word that comes to mind when I think of why I have chosen to pursue an educational leadership program is “inspirational”.  I want to be an inspiration to teachers in the educational field and students in the classroom.  I want to be able to identify the strengths of my team and be able to bring that out in each of them.  I want to establish an environment or feeling that is inspirational to my students.

I do not know what the future will bring, but I do know that by being enrolled in classes at Lehman College, I am on the right path in becoming an educational leader.  I have experienced a variety of situations that have let me grow as a person and taught me what a great leader should look like.

I thank you for taking the time to look at my electronic portfolio.  I hope that you found it interesting and can take something you have learned with you.