Here is my leadership platform, please feel free to read:
4. Technology:
a. I believe that technology is a transformative learning tool when used correctly. b. I believe this because there have been many technological advances in education that are slowly contributing to a changing classroom; where students use the technology in a much more meaningful way. c. While I do support the implementation of new technologies, I also want to be sure that the technology being adopted is going to contribute towards a transformation in the classroom rather than a shift. d. For example, laptops in a classroom can be used to take notes, just like pen and paper (shift). But, they can also be used to create meaningful projects (transformative). e. This does not mean that no technology should be adopted when there exists some doubt. Instead, a leader must consider the needs of his/her school and the abilities of the teachers to implement those technologies in a meaningful way. Implementing a new technology is a very time consuming process, teachers need to be trained, given opportunities and time to experiment with the technology. Then, once in the classroom, students also need to learn how to use it in an educational way. Many still see technology as a distraction in the classroom, and it can be. But slowly, we must shift our way of thinking to allowing for the possibility that technology should be transformative. Allowing for a shift in the way students, from memorizing facts to synthesizing and analyzing those facts in meaningful ways 3. Discipline and School Climate/Culture
a. I believe that schools should be safe environments that promote a culture of learning. b. I believe this because I feel that an education is an important part one's life and everyone should have an opportunity at being educated, even if they do not follow through with it later in life. c. Creating a safe learning environment for all students can vary in difficulty depending on the makeup of a school. Certain schools will have less behavioral issues than others. d. For example, schools with high rates of poverty and that are located in areas with frequent gang activity, will most likely have more behavioral issues than an affluent school. e. But, this does not mean that a leader should give up on the students, rather, it should only serve to demonstrate the type of leadership a principal should adopt in order to create a school culture of respect where learning is the ultimate outcome. A principal must show adaptability to the type of school he/she will lead. Certain schools will require a stronger leadership role, where the principal is actively involved in developing a behavior plan for the entire school to ensure that students are present and ready to learn. Others will require that principals exhibit a leadership style that is more focused on building and maintaining relationships with the community (such as businesses) to ensure that students know why their education is important. Once a safe environment is created for students, then principals can focus on creating a culture of learning. 2. Parent and Community Involvement
a. I believe that it is vital for any and all schools to have parent and community participation b. I believe this because only when a child sees all the different people that want him/her to succeed academically, will the child be fully vested in his/her education. One of the main reasons why I was able to succeed in school was because of how involved my parents were as well as other members of my community. c. One aspect of this is to ensure that those with a vested interest in having children be educated also participate in the social and educational upbringing of those students. d. For example, when a local business provides opportunities to sponsor or help local students, the students are able to see that there are others, besides their family, that also want them to succeed. e. Educating a student from kindergarten until the last year of high school is not easy. Family issues may appear, students may experience different hardships, financial instability, or the hardships of just growing up. It is in these moments where community participation as well as the school's can help cement important character traits in students so that they persevere. f. As a leader, one must find ways of reaching out to businesses, families, and other resources for students. Community outreach is one aspect of it. Finding local businesses and individuals that care about the education of future workers and future clients. Families also need help in finding additional resources for students, trainings to better assist students at home, and information on how to guide students. This is especially true for families of lower incomes, where they may not know the sheer amount of positive opportunities that exist to help their children. 1. Curriculum and Instruction
a. I believe that all students have the right to a quality secular education where they are allowed to think critically about any and all issues surrounding their lives. b. I believe this because I have found that students sometimes lack the ability to reason about things logically. Instead, opting to go with the opinions of others rather than forming their own. c. Aspects of the new science standards, that are to be implemented in full in a few years, promote that students find the answers to many scientific questions on their own, promoting independent and critical thinking. d. For example, when looking for how animals survive in the cold, students will actually experiment with different materials to make their own cold coverings and try them out. Students are encouraged to ask, explore, and draw conclusions on their own rather than memorizing facts. e. This type of critical thinking extends beyond science, it leads into the other subject areas as well such as history. Students that are more critical of new ideas and old ones, are better able to analyze, interpret, and digest them. They can then form their own informed opinions and interpretations. f. The new Next Generation Science Standards that California will implement in a few years are a great way to have students thinking critically. They promote a need to be inquisitive and not take things at face value. They emphasize how it not important to memorize facts and know every detail, but rather synthesizing information of all types to form their own interpretation of how things work. They promote the different scientific principles that will help students understand the world that they live in. This critical way of thinking will only serve to help students later in life when they become scientists, lawyers, politicians, parents, or even just a voting citizen. |
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