"Good Leaders change organizations, Great Leaders change people."

A school cannot be successful if its people are not willing to work together with a leader who they can trust, who can nurture them and challenge them. Throughout the School Building Leadership experience the course work completed has provided for me the hands-on, collaborative and decisions making experiences that I will encounter when I become a principal.

Instructional Leadership

Individual and group activities were done around action planning to help all student achievement which involved analyzing school and more specifically subject data to identify areas of low student achievement. Work was also done around creating teams that involved teacher, parents and other constituents. Moreover, discussions were centered on the importance of meaningful professional development that targets the needs of teachers.

School Climate

Having a shared vision involved input from all. This can only happen when there are clear decision making opportunities and involves teachers, parents and again other stakeholders. Again there needs to be systems in place to guide these decisions. Ultimately as a principal one would want everyone to have a clear understanding about what constitutes a learning community.

Supporting and Retaining Quality Teachers and Staff

Teachers need to feel supported because it is know that once a school has quality teachers there is always the fear of losing them. It is important for a leader to identify the types of professional development and to make sure they are aligned to the needs of the teachers.

Teacher Evaluation

As a principal I should make sure that my role as an evaluator is know and that teachers are aware of the teacher evaluation process that I have. Also, the evaluation process should be clear to all teachers and it is important that principals provide support in areas that need developing. Most important however was balancing teacher due processes rights with the vision of the school and quality of instruction.

Foundation of Teaching and Learning

Two of the assignments that connect to this are the Technology Plan and the Diverse Professional Plan. A principal needs to be abreast innovation that is helping with teaching and learning and be able to allocate human, physical and budgetary resources for new plans. Moreover, there needs to be clear connections between these innovations and student learning.

Community Organization

Connecting to other organizations is important especially when shared vision is there. Therefore principals need to be able to communicate with all, all communication barriers should be eliminated.  Again, when these partnerships are created they should all connect to student learning.

Be part of an Educational Community

There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning. This quote says it all, principals need to network and share ideas. Most importantly always reflecting on his/her moral and ethical responsibilities.

Student Achievement

Across all classrooms learning goals should be clear. Working collaboratively with teachers and setting up space for teachers to collaborate should be provided; mentoring of new teachers, common planning time, planning camp and other systems should be created. Moreover, always reflecting back on data (monitoring) that represents student progress and identify strategies to help all students and teachers meet the goals.

Conclusion

These two years has helped me to be a well-rounded leader. A leader who knows the importance of listening and being fair, a leader who should nurture, support and challenge my teachers, a leader who need to invest and collaborate with all stakeholders a leader who needs to be innovative and have systems in place to create a safe environment for all. Finally, having a clear-shared vision for my school is of most importance.