A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by ensuring management of the organization, operations and resources for a safe, efficient and effective learning environment.
Promote and protect the welfare and safety of students and staff
When interviewed about the skills students need to be successful in the future, Donnie Lane, CEO of Enersolv commented, "The first thing I look at when hiring is skills. Skills get people in the door to be interviewed. But what gets them hired and what keeps them hired is character." Lane is certainly not alone in his sentiments. In fact, it seems that educational experts and researchers all over the world are affirming the importance of developing these habits of mind. In his book, The Leader in Me, Stephen Covey details how schools around the world are working to teach such character. A.B Combs, an exemplary elementary school featured in Covey's work, outlines some of the leading practices that have helped them to create a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment. One such area is "constancy of purpose." Leadership at A.B. Combs is very intentional in the messages that are being sent to students, staff, and all members of the school community.
One area that we have been working on at West is ensuring that we have consistent expectations for all students, and that students are aware of those expectations. This year, staff worked together to create instructional videos modeling examples and non-examples of behaviors in various school settings. After viewing a few sample videos from surrounding school districts, we used professional development time to create our own unique videos. We really wanted to create a deeper meaning for the "West Ways," so we decided to contrast the "West Way" and the "Wrong Way." Our vision was that next year, we might be able to further build upon this idea by creating street signs reminding students of the "West Way," an idea we borrowed from A.B. Combs Elementary. We had a lot of fun creating these videos for students. Although we have not shown all the videos yet, the ones we have shown have resulted in smiles, laughter, and more in depth conversation surrounding behavior in our school community.
One area that we have been working on at West is ensuring that we have consistent expectations for all students, and that students are aware of those expectations. This year, staff worked together to create instructional videos modeling examples and non-examples of behaviors in various school settings. After viewing a few sample videos from surrounding school districts, we used professional development time to create our own unique videos. We really wanted to create a deeper meaning for the "West Ways," so we decided to contrast the "West Way" and the "Wrong Way." Our vision was that next year, we might be able to further build upon this idea by creating street signs reminding students of the "West Way," an idea we borrowed from A.B. Combs Elementary. We had a lot of fun creating these videos for students. Although we have not shown all the videos yet, the ones we have shown have resulted in smiles, laughter, and more in depth conversation surrounding behavior in our school community.
While school-wide behavioral expectations establish norms of behavior for all students, individualized behavior supports also promote the welfare and safety of students. I approach discipline as a learning opportunity, creating specialized supports to teach skills for success, while maintaining high expectations and consistent boundaries. Our building support staff work together to conduct functional behavioral assessments and create behavioral intervention plans to support the success of individual students. As a special education teacher, I often work to gather data to support this process. However, a key component of tailoring supports for each student is getting to know each individual: their strengths, challenges, and motivations. Below are a few examples of personalized supports we have created to teach behaviors that will ensure the safety and success of each student.