Dream It 5.

0 & Initial Manifest

Leslie Armstrong

WIPRO Urban STEM 3.0

There is a never-ending struggle to effectuate the

dream. The Tempered Radical list of options makes the
dream malleable. Descending from a plateau of covert
and overt accomplishments down into the valley of
uncertainty, I decided to create a sketch of my manifest;
to order my steps up back to the dream.

As a STEM specialist; a guardian of future generations, I

must believe that obstacles are not absolutes, but
opportunities to recalibrate and create possibilities. True
leadership comes from continued development of
relationships. I am not an isolated dot, but a mosaic of
points that will be forever formed from the beads of
collaboration. Collaboration will for the backbone of all
that I do in life and the actions of change I wish to effect
at Laura S. Ward STEM. I must overcome the fear of
success with the belief that my abilities to infuse personal
talents into coaching and teaching are plausible and
palatable. If I do not reveal who I am, I am just a
phantom; an apparition without credibility. I must not

Dream It 5.0 & Initial Manifest

Leslie Armstrong

WIPRO Urban STEM 3.0

retreat to side blinders that minimize visionary and

innovative thinking and pedagogy. My eyes must be ever
observant to be able to locate windows of opportunity to
sell the dream, but most importantly I must focus on the
pupils of those with whom I interact. If I capture and
extract their talents and support them with tools of selfempowerment, the dream can continue.
To summarize the previous mentioned mantra, the work
that I am presently executing will focus on building
collaborative communities; where expression of self is
welcomed and respected. For example, I will be reaching
out to parents and guardians to formulate a series of
sessions where parents come in to present their STEM
related skillsets to teachers, parents, or student groups.
Additionally, students will plan and execute a STEM
Leadership night. The deliberate implementation of the
STEM habits of communication, collaboration, persistence
and precision and pushing the power of polished
presentations have prepared our student body to carry
out this task.
It has been a pleasure to have the flexibility to work
with various grade bands because it has expanded the
practices, pedagogy and tools that I utilize as evolving
STEM coach. The first focus groups were the teachers and
students in 7th and 8th grade. The two most important
shifts that occurred were the development of student
driven units of study and the fish bowl technique of
training students and teachers collectively. Presently the
focus group has shifted to the primary team; our

Dream It 5.0 & Initial Manifest

Leslie Armstrong

WIPRO Urban STEM 3.0

foundational experts. The majority of testing in the

primary grades is linked to phonemic awareness and
development of literary comprehension. Immediately, I
determined that I would not deter from the literacy
pathway, but use it as a base to develop a collaborative
unit. The first phase was providing a professional
development entitled STEM Habits through Literacy.
The sketch was provided because each individual was
expected to contribute. The stages of action items were
as follows:
I.

Positive classroom observation

II.

Post observation collaborative conference

III.

Collaborative lesson planning

IV.

Co-Teaching rehearsal

V.

Co-Teaching session

VI.

Lesson reflections

The powerful artifacts of change that emerged from this

ongoing work was a shift in the mindset of the primary
teachers to develop collaborative, cross-curricular units
and the creation of a book that was formed from the
lessons that we created. This artifact was our schools
contribution at the AUREA conference.
In conclusion, I am amazed to have learned that a
dream deferred does not denote that the dream dies.
Having a growth mindset propels me to redesign and

Dream It 5.0 & Initial Manifest

Leslie Armstrong

WIPRO Urban STEM 3.0

reshape the dream at any junction. Testing, staffing

issues and those that fear change are obstacles of
opportunity; that are made malleable with creativity and
ingenuity.