My Philosophy of Educational Leadership

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Critical Element #1 Paper Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership and Postsecondary Education University of Northern Iowa

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In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts in Education or Advanced Studies Certificate

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By Joe Malsam West Waterloo High School Waterloo, Ia December 2011 Timothy W. Gilson, Ed. D.

2 As I stated in my Philosophy of Education Overview presentation, I am a self proclaimed pragmatic person who sees things for how they really are and I try to deal with matters in a practical and sensible manner. I do not consider myself philosophical or intellectual. So, when it came time to reflect on this assignment, I began to ask myself many questions regarding my philosophy in education. Being a pragmatic person, I began to feel some stress and anxiety regarding the question and the simplicity of what I wanted my response to be. Understanding that many of my classmates and people in education are intellectual and philosophical people and that transfers into their views on education, I want to continue to try to be as genuine as possible and have my personality honestly represented through this paper and everything that I do, even in my pursuit of higher education. With that being said, as I worried over my thoughts on the question of my philosophy of education, I realized that I just needed to represent me, regardless of how simple my ideas may be. Through my personality, years of experience teaching, and current coursework I have begun to see things from a different perspective and, as always, I have been evaluating myself as a person, a teacher, and a potential leader. I continue to think of ways I can improve to be more effective at helping kids. Through my reflections, I keep coming back to something simple, teaching and learning. Everyone, teachers, administrators, superintendents, downtown office personnel, must always keep in mind what is best for kids and always focus on the students. As a classroom teacher, this is the driving force for me and I often go above and beyond to help kids. Todd Whitaker (2003), in his book What Great Principals Do Differently, addressed the question of what really makes a difference in a school and in a classroom. Whitaker states, the answer is simple.the main variable in a classroom is not the students. The main variable is the teacher (p.13). Is this a contradiction of my above statement? Well, it may sound like a

3 contradiction, but as an effective teacher presenting the material, building relationships, and making connections to the students real world, teachers are doing what is best for students. Whitaker goes on to state, if principals know this, and teachers know this, we ought to talk about it. I have always believed that if there is an elephant in the room, its important to acknowledge its presence not just tiptoe around it, pretending it isnt there (pp.13-14). The elephant in the room is the teachers who dont give 100% all day and everyday to help kids. As a teacher, I come to school every day and do my job. I teach my heart out from the first bell to the last bell. It is sad to think about the handful of teachers in a school building that would not be able to honestly say that same thing. Granted, I have made my fair share of mistakes, but I cannot say that I was lazy and took days off. There are professions throughout the world that employees can take a day off or slack during the day and the effect will be minimal to them and the company; teaching is not one of those professions. Teachers must look at the bigger picture and see the larger purpose of their impact. It is a complete disservice to not give 100% to our students all the time. Whitaker (2003) states, Effective principals work to help all staff members understand the impact they have in their classrooms (p. 14). Keeping with the focus on teachers, Whitaker states, There are really two ways to improve school significantly: (1) Get better teachers, and (2) Improve the teachers you have (pp. 7-8) Due to many factors, schools look to a variety of ways to improve. A large amount of time, energy, and money are spent looking for programs to solve the problems. In many instances, the programs do not solve the problems. We must focus on what really matters. Its never about the programs; it is always about the people (Whitaker, 2003). It is about the teachers in the building, teachers who teach with their heart; use a variety of strategies to work with all types of students, teachers who make connections to students through relevant lesson planning,

4 and the teachers who build relationships with their students. Too often, we expect programs to solve all of our problems. When they dont, we see them as the problem. We must keep in mind that the programs are never the solution, and they are never the problem. Effective principals never forget: It is the people, not programs, that determine the quality of a school. In my seven years as a special educator, teaching some of the more difficult students from Waterloo and probably the state of Iowa all together, I have gained experience in so many areas, educationally and life. It is because of these experiences and the instincts that I have developed through teaching and learning that has driven me to pursue educational leadership. The human qualities that I have shown to be able to exhibit in all kinds of situations have set me apart from other teachers and because of my experiences, some fairly difficult experiences; I have been able to survive on the sense of a greater purpose. I spend the entire school day building and maintaining relationships with students, faculty, and staff. I believe that the single most important quality for teachers and administrators, along with curriculum, effective teaching strategies, and intelligence; its how we build relationships with all of the kids and all of the people in the building. There is no price tag on an effective teacher building relationships with their students in the classrooms and an administrator who is seen as approachable, personable, and human. Effective teachers and educational leaders must, above all, in my opinion, be able to work with people and communicate with them. At an urban school district, which is where I have gained my educational experiences, there is a great exposure to a variety of people from all walks of life and it is how teachers and leaders interact with individuals and groups of people in school and out in the community that will build a positive image of the school and the people that work there. Pam Robbins and Harvey Alvy (2009), in their book The Principals

5 Companion, addressed the art of human relations and its importance for school leaders. According to Robbins and Alvy: Displaying effective and ethical human relations is key to leadership on every level. It is the thread that runs throughout the organization and affects culture, climate, personnel practices, and every individual who has contact with the school. When positive human relationship skills are manifested, people feel comfortable taking risks, experimenting, collaborating, and communicating ideas and feelings. (p. 40) Elaine Wilmore (2002), in her book Principal Leadership: Applying the New Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) Standards, discusses the importance for educational leaders to communicate with all stakeholders. The leader must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills such as conflict resolution, consensus building, and group processes that are particularly necessary when divergent thinking is encouraged and nurtured (p.52). Wilmore continues: Communication inside and outside the school is imperative to the accomplishment of the schools goals as well as to the public image and perception of the school.The attitudes and persona displayed by the principal has a direct effect on how the school is viewed, perceived, and responded to in the community. (p.56) The personality of great leaders is infectious. Their attitude displayed and genuine human relationship skills set the tone for the school and will either build the positive image of the school or break it down. All people in the building are important and significant and should be treated as such; the everyday interactions and relationship building by the leader will gain the trust of all of the stakeholders and increase the effectiveness of the principal.

6 As I work with difficult parents through the IEP process and attempt to set up meetings and discuss their son or daughters education, I would often state to myself, If I could just get them to see the genuine care that I have, they would want to support their child and me at our school. Although, not intellectual or philosophical, I am passionate. It is this passion that can be contagious and has lead me to this advanced degree and a hope to be able to spread this passion at a higher level. So there is no one experience that I can put my finger on that has impacted me as a teacher and directed me to pursue educational leadership. Just a hope; a hope to transfer my passion and work ethic to have a greater impact on helping kids. I began my teaching career with a goal of teaching physical education and coaching. I have had the opportunity to coach, but teaching special education in Waterloo, Iowa is a far cry from what I envisioned for myself. Seven years later, I believe I have had more experiences in those seven years that many teachers may have in their entire career. I see the greater purpose in what we do in education and through my simple philosophy of helping kids through relationship building, I hope to be a leader that will build bridges between the students and the real world.

7 References Robbins, P., & Alvy, H. B. (2009). The principal's companion: Strategies for making the job easier (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin. Whitaker, T. (2003). What great principals do differently: Fifteeen things that matter most. Larchmont, New York: Eye on Education,Inc. Wilmore, E.L. (2002). Principal leadership: Applying the new educational leadership constituent council standards. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press, INC.