Greg Ristau

EA 743 Reflective Essay

When I first sat in class in September of 2014, twenty-two months seemed too far to even
visualize. I had just started the second year of my new position as Building Support Coordinator
and I remember thinking that evening, How am I going to fit this into my schedule and get all of
the work completed? Shortly after that first class, we were then asked to complete the ELCC
pre-survey. These results were also a bit overwhelming as I realized I had a lot to learn. After
fourteen years in the classroom and another year as a teacher leader, I thought I would have had a
better grasp on some of the ELCC standards. That was not the case however, as even my
strongest standard of visionary leadership only happened to be rated as developing. I knew if I
wanted to become a building administrator, I was going to have my work cut out for me.
My internship was unique as I had the opportunity to work with my mentor on a day to
day basis. Although many of my typical responsibilities would have fit into some of the ELCC
standards, I found that creating an internship plan and keeping the field experience log made the
experience much more intentional. The plan helped me to set goals, and provided a focus to the
conversations that I had with my mentor. I also found myself expanding my responsibilities as I
looked for ways to further grow my leadership capabilities. This included taking a more active
role on school committees and working with my mentor to be more involved with planning for
professional learning days. I also had the opportunity to work with my mentor as all
administrators across the district learned a new teacher evaluation model that was going to start
during my second year of the Ed. Specialist program. This was not something that a teacher
would normally get the chance to participate in, and I was grateful for the opportunity. Overall,

the experiences I was able to have during the past two years have certainly prepared me as I look
to move from current position into a role as a building administrator.
During EA 740, we learned about Bolman and Deals Four Frames. These were the
structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frames. Looking back at two years worth of
learning, I see many of major learning points falling into one of the four frames. Starting with
the structural frame, this program provided many opportunities for me to grow my leadership
capacity as it pertains to organizational goals, relationships, and responsibilities. Having the
opportunity to create new ways of approaching professional learning in EA 746, evaluating
school and district budgets in EA 741, and completing an action research project evaluating
PLCs were just some of the ways that I was able to better understand the importance of having
clear goals and systems in place. In terms of the human resource frame, EA 746 and EA 754
provided multiple opportunities to learn about the importance of taking care of our people and
growing leadership capacity. This included creating a company that would help support
professional learning within the structure of typical school schedule, the development of an
induction plan aimed at helping and retaining new teachers, and a wellness plan that illustrates
the importance of sharpening the saw. These projects gave me the chance to better understand
how important people are as a piece of the puzzle, and provided me an opportunity to learn about
what I can do as a leader to make sure they are taken care of personally and professionally.
Politically speaking, the Ed. Specialist program covered a wide array of subjects in EA 748, EA
741, EA 742, and EA 754. This included a project aimed at helping a new principal with a
failing school, analyzing public school issues, evaluating school funding and budget decisions,
and examining case studies that focused on staff and student rights in public schools. These
opportunities helped me to examine the politics that are involved literally and figuratively in the

decision making process in schools, and painted a clearer picture of how to better manage these
political issues. Finally, the symbolic frame was present throughout as I worked to complete
projects in EA 740, EA 746, EA 754, and EA 743. Completing reflection activities on school
culture, evaluating Leader in Me, learning about the four frames, and reading books like Crucial
Conversations, The Truth About Leadership, and Search Inside Yourself helped me to better
process how important the symbolic frame is to leadership. Examining culture is important
whether you are brand new or if you have been a part of it for years. This is especially true if
you are hoping to make any significant changes to a current system.
As I examine my ELCC post-survey and prepare for my new role as a building
administrator, I am feeling more confident than I did twenty-two months ago. This time around I
was confident in assessing myself as proficient for many of the standards, and was even able to
say that I was exemplary for few as well. I was also pleased to see my growth in managerial
leadership and ethical leadership, as these were two areas on my pre-survey that I really needed
to improve upon. It has been a long journey and a great deal of work, but I am glad to have had
the opportunity to complete this program as I prepare for the next chapter of my educational
journey.