Running head: MID-YEAR REFLECTION 1

Supervised Field Experience Mid-Year Reflection

William Foster

Georgia Southern University

MID-YEAR REFLECTION 2

Supervised Field Experience Mid-Year Reflection

I began this field experience with very little experience leading adults on a large scale. I

had experience being a leader of small groups of adults, like assistant coaches and members of

groups and committees. I began a position where my main job was to lead people each day. I

have had to make quick decisions after considering the repercussions and benefits of the

decisions. I have dealt with parents who had questions, who were worried, and who were mad. I

have listened to concerns and given my advice and guidance on a multitude of topics and

situations. I have talked with students who needed advice or support. Often times I have had to

give consequences to students who made poor choices. Growth has occurred through the

experiences I have undergone and the decisions that I have made or failed to make that have

changed the way I lead and my views on leadership in general.

I have had lots of experiences being involved in the organizational leadership of the

school. This began with lunch schedules and duty rosters. I learned that many factors are at play

in the formation of these schedules and roster. Teachers who I could trust must be put in

positions where the most student observation is needed. Coverage has to be thought through

carefully so that positions and blind spots are not looked over. This is all done with the

overarching need of school safety in mind. In regards to lunch schedules, the time frame and

movement of students throughout the building had to be taken into considerations. Through the

process I learned that I needed to ask teachers their thoughts on when they needed to attend

lunch that worked best with their content and class dynamics. I made mistakes and I learned to

admit my mistakes, take ownership of them, and learn from them in order to be a better leader.

I have learned through this experience that listening is a huge part of being an effective

leader. When I began this program, I had to misconception that a leader is someone who is
MID-YEAR REFLECTION 3

listened to. They dictated conversations and agendas. I quickly learned that listening carefully

and seeking to understand fully is a major part of my role as a leader. Through this process I

have learned how to listen better and how often times no response is needed from me. It is my

job to listen to a disgruntled parent or teacher and let them know that as a school we care about

their interests and well-being. Listening should be followed by thoughtful consideration before a

response is given. Ill-informed decisions can have more far reaching affects than I would have

initially thought.

I have learned through this experience that it is often times my job to be the filter

between the outside world and the world inside the school. I began this experience seeing a

leader as someone who helped dictate and control what happens in this classroom. While I still

see this as partially true, I now see nuance to this idea. Teachers need administrators to make

sure they can do what is the most important thing done in a school, engage students in effective

and authentic learning. Instead of dictating everything going on within the classroom it is the job

of a leader to facilitate learning in the classrooms by removing barriers to learning and providing

resources to teachers. Teachers are in direct contact with the students and they need leaders who

seek to add value to the learning experiences they are creating, not distract from them.