Shari Pawlus Reflective Paper

This semester of my masters in Educational Leadership has been the most

informative. The internship conducted during this semester has allowed me a firsthand
look at the day to day life of an administrator and the tasks that they perform. This pare
will explore the knowledge that I have gained over the course of the semester and
reflect on the initial goals for the internship.
The first goal of my internship was to learn the roles and responsibilities of a
principal in an elementary school I chose this as my first goal because I felt that it was
the most important information that I could acquire during an internship. Subsequently,
the majority of my time was spent on this goal. I accomplished this goal through daily
observation of the principals at Scotch Elementary School, Jeremey Whan and James
Scrivo. I observed how they both interact with staff, teachers, parents and students and
took copious notes of their skills in making everyone feel like a valued part of the school
through their words and dispositions. Both principals set an excellent example for me to
follow as a future principal. They always carried themselves in a very professional and
positive manner. This disposition which she exposes is one that she expects from
everyone and people rise to the challenge. This is turn makes the school a very high
functioning and efficient elementary school.
I also accomplished my first goal during the internship process through
interviewing Jeremey Whan, James Scrivo and two other administrators in central
office. Through these interviews I was able to gain information about the daily roles and
responsibilities of an administrator. The administrators in central office allowed me to
get a broad view of being an administrator in a different setting.
Upon interviewing both principals and other administrators it was easy to find a
common thread and also some distinct differences in their roles and responsibilities and
the way they see their role. The common threads were that each principal’s primary
responsibilities were to care for the safety of their students and provide a comforting
and friendly environment. Differences started to emerge mainly when it came to the
parental and community involvements pies of administration. My mentor spends a
significant portion of his time interacting with parents and the community through
telephone, email, and after school activities. The administrators in central office spend
more time dealing with building issues, board meetings, individual building issues, and
Shari Pawlus Reflective Paper

managing the budget crisis. Conducting these interviews were very informative and
allowed me to see the everyday things principals experiences along with the
unexpected things that take them away from what they really want to focus on.
The second goal of my internship was to learn how the principal promotes the
success of all students by having a positive school culture. This was an easy goal to
accomplish because my mentor for the first half of my internship, Jeremey Whan, went
to great lengths to ensure that this happens at the school daily. I learned about his
techniques at accomplishing this through observation of him, discussion with veteran
classroom teachers, and shadowing him at after school events. One of the primary
ways Mr. Whan accomplishes a positive school culture is his disposition and by his
disposition and the priorities he sets. During an interview he described his “pecking
order” of priorities. He always pouts the students and teachers first in his priority list.
Mr. Whan further explained that the teachers are the primary connection to the students
which in turn becomes his number one priority to get them to support needed. It is easy
to see that he accomplishes this through being flexible with his schedule to
accommodate teachers, visiting classrooms, and leaving positive notes, providing
opportunities for professional development, and by responding to teachers concerns
quickly. This semester I have learned from him that the teachers are very important to
the overall functioning of the school as well as the school climates. This then makes it
the responsibility of an administrator to support the teachers in order to give them the
tools needed to reach great success with the students.
I also accomplished this goal of learning how to create a positive school culture
by shadowing Jeremey Whan during after school events. These events were activities
like the Bingo Night, PTO meetings, Carnival and a student basketball game at the
Palace of Auburn Hills. He is always at every after school event with a large smile on
his face walking around and greeting families. Mr. Whan takes careful note to welcome
new families and introduce new staff members. I have learned from shadowing him
how to make the school a very welcoming place for families.
The third goal of the internship was to learn how a principal promotes the
success of the students and school through acting with integrity and fairness. This goal
particularly examined student discipline. In order to explore this goal during the
Shari Pawlus Reflective Paper

internship, I continued to use the methods of observation, shadowing, and interviewing.

Each of the three principals carries themselves with professionalism and an unending
work ethic which inspires their staff to do so was well. My mentor handles student
discipline with integrity and fairness through listening to the student’s story and trying to
collect all the information before making any judgments. This role investigator and
sometimes mediation between parents and teachers is not a role that I had realized
prior to the internship.
The final goal of my internship was to learn how to be an instructional leader and
guide a school through state and federal mandates. During the internship our school
took the Michigan standardized test, the MEAP. This followed me to see firt hand the
impact and amount of time an administrator invests in mandates from the government.
It was clear for each of the principals that these state tests put a lot of pressure on them
as the leader of the school. This pressure comes in two forms. The first pressure deals
with the scores and how they reflect on the school. My mentor explained that he is the
one that is ultimately held accountable for the scores. The second form is just in the
daily task of administering the test. Each part of the test, even down to how to pack
other boxes, has very explicit instructions. The need to follow all of these instructions
and also ensure that all of the teachers and staff are following them as well can indeed
causes a lot of pressure. Although it was a difficult times at school I noted how well my
mentor handled the stress of the standardized test and made sure nor to transfer the
stress to the teachers or students.
This internship was very valuable and has taught me a lot about what being an
administrator entails. The most important information I acquired is that setting priorities
and adhering to ones beliefs is of utmost importance. My mentor clearly exudes and
states that students come first, teachers must be supported and their time must be
protected. It is my goal to someday stand on similar philosophy that will allow me to
have a high functioning school.