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. My biggest and most important non-negotiables as a leader are the expectations of teamwork and cooperation. Teamwork is important in our profession because of how isolated we are for most of the day. Time must be set aside in order to build units and plan lessons as a team. Rather than having 5 classrooms be at completely different places in a curriculum, they should be roughly at the same level. Granted that every classroom is different, but if one falls behind too much, a team should be able to plan a way to help support the teacher with the class that has fallen behind. Teamwork is also something that has a positive effect on morale, those that are invested as a team also help each other out during difficult times. They also find ways of making the school a more positive place.
Teamwork would not be possible without cooperation. Understandably, it may be difficult for some to cooperate with other, but as a leader we must know our teams well enough to know who works best with whom and who can support others better. Cooperative teams accomplish more than uncooperative ones and all of my teachers would be expected to at least be cooperative. If teachers are uncooperative with their team, this could lead to discord and unwillingness to continue to work as a team. My vision is that teams works well and cooperate fully with positive intentions. Another non-negotiable for me: respect. Every single person must not only respect their fellow teachers but everyone else as well. From students, to parents, and other staff members, respect is what sets the foundation for positive interactions with others. My leadership style close resembles that of a distributive leadership. I know for a fact that I am not an expert at everything, there are also limitations to what I can realistically do as leader, and knowing those things: I can and should be able to rely on those in my school. Having a core team of school teachers that can lead others, I can expand my sphere of influence. No longer would I have to train teachers continuously either, instead I can rely on those expert teachers that I trained to help new teachers meet my expectations.
That core group of teachers would be the team that helps to elevate morale and keep student expectations high. When a new teacher enters a school, she can be lost in the shuffle of things. Her expectations might not be the same as the rest of the grade level or she may not know the best way to teach that specific group of kids. By providing quality professional development to those teachers, where they can observe and learn from the experienced teachers, they can help to elevate school performance by becoming better teachers themselves. As a leader, I would help create a positive environment where my core team of teachers would help propagate those high expectations by sharing their teaching methods rather than isolating themselves. As the leader, I will find my core group of teachers to use as positive role models for others and work with them to develop trainings for the student population. By tailoring the trainings of teachers to fit the needs of the student population, teachers will know what is expected of them, how they will contribute, and how they can ask for help. After all, we are all there to help students achieve success. I have been working or participating in grade school education for about 12 years. My first experiences with teaching others were the result of my community service throughout high school. There, I volunteered over my summer breaks to help support elementary school teachers during summer school. From there, I began my interest in education began in earnest. I enjoyed teaching and helping others. It was only natural then that throughout university I became an AVID tutor at the high school that I graduated from. There I worked for close to 4 years. I helped students in all subjects: math, science, history, English, and Spanish. I found it extremely rewarding whenever I helped a student finally understand something that had been eluding them for days.
While at university I held two jobs, the first was the AVID tutoring position I already mentioned, and the second was as a promotions assistant at a local Spanish speaking radio station here in San Diego. I held that job for 6 years, I would help execute promotional events throughout San Diego County and interact with hundreds of people almost daily. This job helped me to overcome my shyness and open up to people more. I learned how to interact with large groups of people and how to communicate with those crowds. I earned my bachelors degree at the University of California San Diego. There I studied Spanish literature with the goal of becoming a high school level Spanish teacher. Most of my coursework consisted of Spanish classes covering classic literature, contemporary literature, older film and even contemporary film. My UCSD college was Sixth College, which requires students to complete a project that relates to what students want to do with their professional careers. Because of my interest in teaching, I decided to take a course that analyzed how charter schools were helping to change the educational landscape. In addition to the class, and both jobs, I also volunteered at KIPP Charter School for about 8 weeks. There I was able to see how high standards helped students achieve and succeed. After earning my B.A. at UCSD I enrolled in the BCLAD teaching credential program at San Diego State University. My focus at the time was a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Spanish. My first student teaching assignment was at a high school teaching Spanish to native speakers. My second assignment was teaching Spanish to non-natives at a middle school located in my current district. I also taught a class that supported English learners. After earning my teaching credential I earned additional authorizations in social sciences and foundational level mathematics. I began substituting in my current district in the middle of the 2011-12 school year. While substituting, I learned of a Spanish immersion program within the school district and would regularly substitute for teachers there. Because of my experience there a teacher recommended that I get my multiple subject credential, and so I did before the school year finished. I was hired the following school year as a kindergarten Spanish immersion teacher and worked for two years in that position. This is currently my third year and am now teaching 1st grade Spanish immersion at a different school within the same district. While at this school district, I have been a part of the EdTech Committee, which focuses on addressing the technological needs of our schools. I also joined IDEAS 2.0, which is helping to train teachers on how to implement and use the new science standards (NGSS) that will be adopted in a few years. I am hoping to also join the NGSS grant next school year so that I can be better prepared for the adoption of the new science standards. My belief system stems from my family. My parents both immigrated to the U.S. after they got married and started a life here in hopes that their children would not have to experience the hardships and poverty that they experienced. Since childhood, my brothers and I have known that being educated is of the upmost importance. There was never a question of if we would go to college; it was a matter of when we would go. My parents believe strongly in a great education because they were unable to go to school in Mexico and have been manual laborers their entire lives. They wanted us to contribute more than just our hands to society, they wanted us to do more and affect more people with our minds.
I learned early on that there are many challenges that are faced by those that are not well educated. As an English learner, my first challenge was mastery over the English language. Growing up bilingual has helped me become a person that is very empathetic to families that struggle with language barriers. That is why I opted to get my BCLAD teaching credential, so that I could potentially teach students that were learning English as a second language. As someone that struggled just like them, I could be understanding of their situation and know that they needed to be challenged to learn and improve. That is why I have placed such a high value on education. I know how important is for every family that their child receive a quality education that is challenging and rewarding. That is also why I believe in providing a meaningful education to all students. It is the reason I became a teacher. So that I could help others achieve more through the use of their minds. I will be happy knowing that I helped many different students learn things that helped them make something of themselves later in life, even if I never find out about it. The education of our young is an obligation that society must take in order to continue advancing and making progress. In order to continue having high quality scientists, educators, politicians and others, society must continue educating and preparing students in such a way where they are ready to meet the challenges that the future will hold for their generation. As educators, we must continue helping students prepare for a future in which they will face problems we could not even conceive of. Students will need to be prepared in such a way where they will be contributing knowledge just to those around them, but to the whole world. A society that is uneducated will cease to contribute to the advancement of humanity.
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