Reflections of 639

To look at the class as a whole, I feel my view toward Human Resources isn't so negative. I say that in all honesty as my experience with HR has been a very disconnected and not alway pleasant experience. The nuances of HR and why decisions are made aren't always made clear, even if there is a clear answer.

An example of something that I really look forward to take with me as I move on this journey of being an administrator one day is idea that when decisions are made, its based on a specifically policy or guideline. The more black and white a district policy is, the easier it is to standby decisions that are made. It also makes it very easy to be transparent. As administrator, I want to be consistent with the decisions I make with the staff I work with. Having a straightforward guidelines and educating the staff on those guidelines will make any hard decision just a bit easier in the future. By being transparent, clear and concise, the culture of my building would hopefully be improved and I also hope this would reflect that I act with fairness and integrity.

The other important take-away is the importance of understanding a budget. When working within a confined set of figures, how those resources are used can help not only my staff teach more efficiently but it can also build a relationship with taxpayers in which they understand we use every dollar as carefully and thoughtfully as possible. If the community trusts us, that will breed families staying, buying homes and telling their friends. I want the community I work in to be fully engaged in the process and part of that is through the trust of their taxpayer dollars.

These two major pieces blend the four major standards covered in this course in no particular order. As an administrator I look to be open and transparent with the community and my staff. That would hopefully lead to trust, open conversations and growing together toward the same goals, teaching and raising the leaders of the future.

Wisconsin Statute on Seclusion and Restraint

As a future administrator and a current special education teacher, I wanted to look deeper into Chapter 118 of General School Operations, specifically the portions regarding seclusion and restraint.  

Statute 118.164 regarding the removal of students from class is one I found very interesting. How often do teachers provide in writing why they are removing a student from a classroom? To what extent do we use this piece of law in schools? When we make decisions about removing a child from the legally obligated education we must provide, it should be a clear process in which we are looking to get the student back into class as soon as possible. Being in the situation of feeling "out of site, out of mind" is not only a legally bad place to be but it's also poor practice.  I believe it is important to go through the process the right way so we can reflect back on our own practices and decide if that was the best decision and to make sure that we are removing students as few times as possible for only the appropriate reasons, not the reasons that match our mood as teachers or administrators.  

Statute 118.305 Use of seclusion and physical restraint is an area I feel I understand a lot about as a teacher due to the nature of my current position and the daily impact this has on my job as a teacher and as a future administrator.  When I enter a situation, I am always thinking and drilling into my head the piece of law that says  is that the student’s behavior a clear and present danger to themselves or those around them.  Districts put their staff through a lot of training and some staff probably feel this is a waste of time or struggle to understand the importance of these trainings but when looking at these statutes it would be poor management of a district to not put these trainings in place. 

As PBIS and NVCI programs are used more and more along with restorative practices, I would hope that the situations where we are secluding, restraining or pulling kids out of the classroom would be reducing. If I notice there isn't a downward trend, as administrator I would need to start to look internally at why this is and not look outward at things we can't control. It's easy for teachers and staff to point to situations and things that go on beyond our control to excuse behaviors but we must always be looking to get better within our buildings. 

Teacher Job Description

When I looked around and asked for a job description, here is a teacher posting. They post these all pretty vague around the district to allow for flexibility in hiring and coming up with expectations as someone is hired. 

• Valid WI-DPI certification required; 
• Experience teaching at the elementary level preferred;
• Passion for teaching and working with all children;
• Working knowledge of current best practices in curriculum, instruction and assessment;
• Ability to collaborate with a team of teachers including other grade level teachers, special education, ELL, and gifted and talented resource teachers;
• Strong communication skills;
• Commitment to professional development and a love of learning;

·       Student centered and problem solving approach to instruction;

·       Desire to provide instruction in critical thinking and ability to support students in this type of work;

·       Comfort with differentiation of assessment, curriculum, and instruction and the use of data to inform differentiation;

·       Commitment to partnering with parents/guardians;

• Skill using technology as an instructional tool to enhance learning.

Experience or background knowledge in the following areas:

• Lucy Calkins’ Reading and Writing Workshop
• The Common Core State Standards in ELA and Math
• Instructional Technology
• Response to Intervention (RtI)

·       Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) and Restorative Practices

Principal Job Description

This is what McFarland School District posted last year for a principal job at the high school. An actual job description isn't really written and this is clearly written to be somewhat vague to allow for flexibility when hiring. 

 In addition to an unequivocal commitment to our McFarland HS community, our ideal candidate will bring: 

• Master’s Degree and amazingly successful teaching/administrative experience at the secondary level 

• A good listener, who can articulate a culturally responsive vision for/philosophy of educational leadership and the ways in which this vision has inspired and sustained the vision of a strong, smart, committed staff 

• Understanding of and experience with the range of current educational opportunities and conundrums, e.g., o differentiation and best practices in literacy, numeracy, technology integration, the related arts, and co-curriculars, how these are informed by standards, and the implications for professional development 

o strategies for and challenges to the use of data (both formative and standardized) to inform and improve school and student learning objectives (SLOs) for students across the learning spectrum 

o Response to Intervention (RtI) at the secondary level – including Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) and the intersection with the new Specific Learning Disability (SLD) requirements 

o the components and requirements of the Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness System (e.g., SLOs, Danielson model for teacher evaluation) and a willingness to both teach and learn from others 

• Attitudes, skills and dispositions including but by no means limited to: o A kind heart and spirit that embrace all learners and educators through a growth mindset lens 

o A personal style that is transparent, collaborative, creative, approachable, proactive, reasonable, and enthusiastic – a style that exemplifies a commitment to life-long learning and to social justice, and inspires a hopeful outlook that endures despite (or even because of) challenges 

o Commitment to the whole child, including an intentional and inclusive focus on the extraordinary possibilities and futures of all students, whether their next path is a career or further education 

o A vision for enhancing the collaboration that currently exists with Indian Mound Middle School 

o A restorative approach with students who experience behavioral challenges that simultaneously maintains clear and consistent behavioral expectations and supports staff 

o The ability to tackle, make, and follow through on tough decisions with compassion and confidence 

o An unbridled desire to be embedded in the community, known for high engagement with the students, families, and staff of the high school 

o And all the rest: Awesome written and oral communication skills, comfort with the applications of technology, a common-sense approach to the day-to-day pressures and delights of high school life