Kent De Zeeuw

Wayne State College

EDU 690
Internship Reflective Summary: Sheldon High School
My experiences and discussions with staff at Sheldon High School,
specifically over the last semester, have given me greater insight into the
inner workings of a school. It is evident to me that an administrator must
continue to look at the bigger picture of the school in order to constantly
prepare for the future.
Mr. Meendering has done an excellent job of taking the time that I
needed to maximize my learning experience for this portion of my secondary
internship. He was there to discuss, guide, counsel and provide
opportunities for me to better grasp the finer points of administration.
Through these discussions and experiences, I now feel that I have a better
handle on preparing the full curriculum of a school, managing the day to day
operations of a high school building and creating a culture that is conducive
to learning.
My experiences of attending monthly board meetings, district calendar
meetings, Building Leadership Team meetings, safety preparation trainings
and instructional strategy conferences, I have come to the realization that a
high school principal must be as organized and efficient with time and
energy as possible. It never ceases to amaze me the number of distractions
that can cause an administrator to become side tracked or to lose focus so
quickly.

Kent De Zeeuw
Wayne State College
EDU 690
I have also come to the realization that a high school administrator
must be a people person. This is, after all, the very business of education. I
knew this before, but this experience has really solidified understanding for
me. Chemistry between members of a building is critical in establishing the
most effective learning environment possible. A mutual respect between all
parties must be developed and consistently nurtured and grown.
I have also learned that administration must be a leader of leaders.
There is no possible way for a principal to have all the content knowledge
needed to set every curriculum in a school building. As a result, he/she
must lean on and trust the decisions made by the curricular experts and
empower them to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.
The final piece of information that I have gathered through this
internship is that the building leadership must become a public relations
expert. The public perception is of utmost importance to those the school
represents and also to those looking to enroll or gain employment in said
district. The building leader must continuously work to listen to the
perceptions of its patrons and take into account the best interests of the
school in every decision made.