Personal Reflection #3

As I reflect and think about what stood out to me during our last meeting, I must say that

I really enjoyed leaning about educational dispositions and knowing that the way we look at

ourselves greatly influences how we look at other people and how we lead them. The fact that

being aware of how important roles play in the teaching and leading process of young minds is

critical. Discussing how educators as leaders must express professional values, commitments,

and ethics in order to promote authentic learning by all students in socially just school

environments was something that resonates with me. Therefore, its only logical to believe that

administrators must always model those professional values, commitments and ethics that they

want teachers and staff to mirror in order to create the excellent learning environment desired.

In order to create the excellent learning environment, there is some critical areas of belief

that leaders must inventory within ourselves. As discussed in class, a positive self-concept,

respecting one’s own uniqueness and having an openness to experience are some of the

characteristics and traits great leaders have. According to Combs, Miser and Whitaker, in the

book “On Becoming a School Leader”, “Leaders who hold positive views of self are more likely

to have positive views of other people in the learning environment” (Pg. 95).

The idea of having positive beliefs about people is were I believe begins the

manifestation of changing culture or even enhancing it. Once a leader begins the process of

believing in people and overall treating them as if they’re important and worthy of respect is

when I believe these people will begin to conduct and act more professional with an openness to

experience new things. “Most people will choose what is healthy for their growth if the way

seems open for them to do so”. “The key for school leaders is to open the path for students and

staff to grow”. (Pg. 118)

 Lastly, we touched on Randall Lindsey and his Cultural Proficiency work. This work

really interested me as a social studies teacher and of course as a future education leader. I can

see where it helps us all establish a mindset and worldview for effectively describing and

responding to inequities, both on and off campus. Its inside-outside approach to leadership is

grounded in the assumption that honest introspection is a requirement to leading equity-driven

change. This continues to drive the fact that a good leader must first know themselves with all

their strengths and weaknesses, prioritize what is valuable and begin to help others develop

likeminded characteristics in others within the school environment.

Overall, this week’s class meeting for me was one of the best ones as far as content is

concerned. I learned a great deal about what great leaders do. How the leader’s sense of self

greatly influences his/her surroundings and overall environment. Having a positive view of self

enables real, trusting and long-lasting relationships that I love in and out of the classroom.

Having a value system as a school leader that focusses on a student-centered mentality with

openness and a safe environment to learn. Modeling those values and creating the synergy for

people to collaborate with thus creating an excellent learning environment of likeminded people.

Many teachers will present material with a “you need to know this” mindset, however,

my strength would be to relate it some type of “funds of knowledge” the student possess from

their background. It sometimes is somewhat difficult to incorporate some of the ideas and subject

considerations in textbooks, but I can really connect with Sequence when teaching history at any

level. The four sequencing principles of Simple-to-Complex, Prerequisite Learning or building

background or access prior knowledge to understand new matter, Whole-to-Part Learning and

Chronological Learning are a “have-to” for me perhaps because of its “Subject-Matter Design”
such as in social studies. However, many teachers might claim this type of approach prevents

subject matter individualization and deemphasizes the learner and their ability to figure things

out on their own. Some might even argue that this design disempowers students by not allowing

them to choose the content most meaningful to them. I firmly believe that for students to learn

anything, it must be presented in a matter in which it is important to them.

a teacher not fully engaged in cultural proficiency with their students. A teacher must

possess and model the energy and passion for the material they themselves are asking the

students to exhibit. I have a difficult time observing this and thus it leads me to question their

desire to teach and assist students in their academic future.