Module 2

I had the opportunity to observe a group of teachers initiating change in their school during my student teaching last semester.  During my placement, the eight kindergarten teachers at Nutter Fort Primary were working towards making the math instruction in kindergarten completely hands on; that meant no worksheets at all.  The idea is that the tools used to teach math were all objects the kids could touch and manipulate.  This included technology integration, such as classroom IPads and IPods.

Their idea is great, and research has proven that this is a more effective way for students to learn math skills.  The problem with this change is the lack of supplies that the teachers have.  A couple of the kindergarten teachers this year are first year teachers, and don’t have many materials yet.  The teachers that have been teaching awhile, a lot of the time spend their own money on supplies for their students.  In order to implement this change, the teachers would need support to buy the math manipulatives necessary.

While I was there, the kindergarten teachers met weekly to do research and work on writing the grant for the project.  They also went out into the community to tell local businesses of their plan and the benefits it would have on their students, and asked them to help.

The grant was still in the works when I left, but they had already acquired sponsors from the community.  These teachers were successful because they were very passionate and proactive in their leadership.  The saw a need and they worked hard to get that need met.  They had the best interest of their students at heart, and people could tell that, and I think that is why people were so eager to help.

On my leadership assessment I got 78 out of 90.  My developing leadership was as follows:

Assessing the environment: 50/70
Creating Clarity:  59/70
Building Trust: 65/70
Sharing Power and Influence: 64/70
Developing People: 61/70
Reflection: 55/70

My biggest leadership strengths are having a positive attitude and outlook, emotional intelligence, and being a good role model.  I agree with this assessment; I am not a negative person, even when things aren’t going well.  I try to always be positive and know that things will get better.  I think this is important for a leader because your team needs to know that you are someone who can turn a negative around, and that you won’t become frustrated and quit when things get rough.

The leadership skills that I need to work on is self confidence and motivating others for change.   I am confident in myself and my abilities, but when it comes to presenting my ideas to others I lack confidence.  I begin to doubt myself and worry that others will not like my ideas.  I need to work on putting myself out there and knowing that my ideas are worth exploring.  My leadership aspiration is to be a leader that inspires others and works towards developing a successful team.