Almost 17 years ago, my first
principal shared a truth I still think about regularly. He told me that, as a classroom teacher, I
was limited on the number of students that I could impact. As I moved into administration, that number
would steadily increase. One of the main
reasons I have chosen to pursue administration is that I want to positively
impact as many young lives as possible. Once
I finish my degree and certification, it is my intention to seek a position as
an assistant principal. I believe that a
position at a high school would be the best place to start. The reason for this is that several high
school principals have shared that the duties of a high school assistant
principal are almost as diverse as those of a lower level principal. I would also
gain a clearer understanding of the knowledge and skills students need to bring
with them in order to be successful in high school. I feel that it is important to work as an
assistant principal under a strong leader before taking a full principalship
simply because the experience will allow me to make mistakes as well as learn
from the experience of the principal. After
serving for two years as an assistant principal, I would like to become a
principal of either an upper elementary or middle school. As an upper elementary principal, I would
already be familiar with the skills needed for middle school success, having taught
at this level for 15 years. After
serving as a principal for a period of time, I would then like to pursue either
a central office or region service center position, although I have not decided
in what specialty area. I do believe,
however, that this will allow me to impact even more lives either in one or
multiple districts. By this time, I will
be nearing retirement age and, since I have no intention of ever actually retiring
and also have an entrepreneurial spirit, I would like to become an educational
consultant, either for myself or as a contractor for an established company. This would allow me to continue to impact
students, but without the heavy workload of a full time administrator.
One of my main motivations for seeking a leadership
position has already been addressed, namely the desire to positively impact as
many lives as possible. As a school
leader, I will not only impact students, but also teachers, parents, and
community members. I actually started
the journey towards becoming an educational leader in 1998. I completed 12 hours towards a mid-management
degree, but then decided to put the process on hold to move overseas and serve two
years as an international missionary.
When I returned to the United States, money, a newborn, and a desire to
return overseas halted the journey for a while.
During this time, I still continued to teach and to hold leadership
positions in school, church, and in social organizations. All of these had a connection with kids. For a number of years, I did not consider
that I had what it took to lead others.
However, others would turn to me for direction and ask me to lead
them. These instances, along with the encouragement
of a leadership mentor helped me to see that, with development, I had what it
took to be a strong leader. It has been said that leaders do not look for
followers, but instead seek out other leaders.
In my case, I have found that not only do I seek out other leaders, but
am also sought out. This has been a
confirmation that leadership is a calling.
While I have never led a school, I have been in the classroom for 15
years and have been involved in numerous school improvement committees,
including serving on the Campus Action Teams for several districts as well as
being department chair for Science in Palestine. Through these experiences, I have observed
first hand both what works in schools as well as what doesn’t. While I definitely don’t have all of the
answers, I am willing to try new initiatives, make necessary adjustments, and
give these initiatives time to be effective.
As a school leader, I know that the ultimate goal is to educate and
improve the life of each individual student.
Anything that is done in the school must be done with this goal in mind. As a leader, I will keep that foremost in my
mind and in the minds of my staff as we seek to positively impact the lives of
children.
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