Fundamentals of School Administration

Summer 2019

Final Reflection

Fundamentals of School Administration was the first course I had taken specifically geared to

students hoping to pursue administration. I think it was the best class to take first because of the

principal and superintendent interviews. Speaking with them helped me envision myself as a

school leader—the good and the bad. An extra bonus is that I got to know them both on a more

personal level. My principal, especially, was very open about sharing experiences that have

shaped him as an administrator. He spoke about both the positive and negative aspects of the job.

Reading the chapter on the principalship was eye-opening and, quite frankly, a little terrifying!

Learning more about how principals run public schools was intimidating. I have been teaching in

the private school setting for most of my career. I thought our principals were busy and

overwhelmed—and that is without the added funding and testing pressures. I was asked if I was

questioning whether I still want to be an administrator in one of my forum posts. Now, I know

this is the route I want to pursue. I am just not sure if I want to stay with private, charter, or

public schools. I guess time will tell.

I am confident in many aspects of the principal’s duties. Running a state-licensed dog rescue, I

am the boss. I organize, coordinate, schedule and handle all the finances. I work with fosters,

transporters, veterinarians, animal shelter staff, owner surrenders, and other volunteers. I have

learned how to handle angry people who weren’t chosen to adopt, questions from the state
inspector, and how to let people down easily. I think these experiences will help me in

transitioning to my next position as administrator.

I believe I learned more from my peers in this class than in other classes. I think my peers

appreciated learning more about the private school system, and I certainly enjoyed hearing about

their experiences. After reading one of my forum posts, a classmate reached out to ask about my

fundraising ideas. I was able to give him a list of fundraisers the entire community can enjoy,

while earning money for schools. That is one thing about private schools—we fundraise!

The Unmistakable Impact book was full of easy-to-read ideas for creating amazing schools. I

really enjoyed reading through the chapters. It didn’t feel like a chore reading it.

Although time consuming, the midterm and final exams were so thought-provoking! I learned so

much writing the answers to the scenarios! My husband was also an elementary teacher, and we

actually talked about most of the scenarios together. We would handle things differently, but he

also comes from a public-school background.

This class gave me a better understanding of what to expect as an administrator.