Module Two

My Most Effective Leader

I have had many leaders throughout my high school career, undergrad career, graduate career, and my professional teaching career.  However, for the terms of this post - I would like to talk about the one leader who used technology to make a change.

I co-teach with a sixth grade math teacher named Justin Hamrick.  He has taught me so many things about the teaching profession that only experience and communication can teach.  He has been teaching for about ten years and has seen so many types of students come through his classrooms.  However, he took it upon himself to become a leader and talk to our principal about how some of his students were struggling and he felt that he could make a difference if they were all in the same classroom. Our principal took this into consideration and halfway through the school year of 2013-2014, she made changes to some of the students' schedules to place them in a class together so that Justin and I could become co-teachers and start with the basics with these struggling students.

In the beginning of this school year (2014-2015), Justin and I were co-teachers for some of the incoming struggling sixth graders.  We decided to begin where we began last year; however, realized that the struggling students were on different levels of struggle.  He took it upon himself to research a website called MobyMax.  This website is designed to teach students at their own pace, on their own level.  It begins with a placement test where students answer multiple math or English (we used the math obviousy) questions and it places them in a certain grade level.  To our shocking surprise many of the students were on a third, second, and even a first grade level.  Everyday, Justin has these low level students logging on to MobyMax.  The first ten minutes is dedicated to quick math facts.  This helps the students with their facts.  When the first ten minutes is up, the students begin going through lessons that are tailored towards their individual grade level. 

The principal enjoyed the outcomes of some of the struggling students; therefore, brought the website to the county's attention.  Now the county has purchased the site for all schools to utilize.

If it were not for Justin's caring personality and leadership skills, these students would still be struggling and they would not be getting any further with sixth grade curriculum without their background skills they are getting now.

Leadership Skills



Overall on this quiz, I received a score of 62.  Apparently I am on my way to becoming a good leader.  However I had some decent individual scores, and some not so decent individual scores.

My best two skills are being a good role model and motivating people to deliver a vision.  I believe this to be fairly true.  I love being a teacher and a role model.  Also, I am a coach; therefore I need to continue my role model behavior outside of the classroom.  I also feel that I am a good motivator.  I love to make people feel that they can do anything.  I enjoy encouraging my students and cheerleaders to go as far as they can.  I feel that I have a very positive attitude towards this.

However, ironically, my worst skill was positive attitude and outlook.  This may seem untrue considering my last statement.  However, I do believe it to be true.  I am a great person to act positive and try to be a bubbly person and allow everyone to believe that the outlook I have is incredible.  My problem is, inside my head I am a worrier, a panic-er, and at times a negative Nancy.  I feel that I really need to work on this because some day my inner self and my negative thoughts can blow up in my face, or worse - a students' face.  Being positive is not an easy thing - however, I will try my hardest to become a positive leader.

Chapter Three

 

In chapter three, I enjoyed reading about Secret Number One - Love Your Employees.  I feel that as a teacher, my employees would be my students.  However, my principal would obviously have us teachers are her employees.  This is about caring about each and every individual that makes up a classroom or a school.  If there is no trust, caring, motivation, or leadership involved everything would fall apart.  I know that my principal makes us all feel that we are valuable, needed, and appreciated.  I myself as a teacher and as a coach intend to make every student or athlete as confident as possible because 'loving your employees' makes all the difference in the world to those employees.  I know this first hand from being a loved employee and knowing that I love all of my students. 

 

Another secret I enjoyed reading about was Secret Number Four - Learning Is The Work.  I felt very prepared to become a teacher because of my undergrad classes and professors.  However, nothing can ever prepare you for the teaching world like experience can.  I have learned new things everyday since the day I started teaching.  I learn from my own mistakes, from my principal, from students, from co-workers, other staff members, and even parents of the students.  I make it known to the students that I am still learning daily and I will continue to learn.  I also make it clear to them that everyone makes mistakes; therefore, they need to have the confidence to let people know they are struggling.  My principal is also learning knew things each and everyday; therefore, providing us with that knowledge and ensuring us that everyone has room to learn.

 

 

Chapter Four

 

While reading chapter four, I realized just how big social media has become in this day and age.  My philosophy on the use of social media in the schools is very grey.  I mean this by I love the idea; however, I have my doubts as well.  I am very indecisive.  I feel that social media is a way for students to connect with other students from their school, other schools, other states, and even other countries.  This is a great way to teach students that they are just like other students in the world, and they have many differences that they can discuss.  They can also use social media to prove their creativity and even show their true feelings and emotions.  Also, social media and the use of the internet in schools is a great way to incorporate the rules and the intentions of the internet.  As educators, we can teach the students the right and the wrong ways to use social media.  We can explain how to utilize this great technology for the good of themselves. 

 

However, the one thing that always comes to mind when thinking of students on social media is cyber bullying.  This is a huge problem and there seems to be no stopping or no cure.  If this problem can be eliminated - I feel that social media would be a great way to keep students motivated as well as up to date with technology and the digital world.