My final semester as a masters student has begun. Last week, I attended the first face-to-face meeting for EAD 269 - Site-Based Leadership - with Dr. Buster, Dr. Wise, and Dr. Darrow. I feel privileged to have such amazing professors and guest speakers for this course, and I am looking forward to the collaboration between Sanger, Clovis, Kingsburg, Visalia, and Tulare cohort students. With a focus on communication and technology, I feel that this course will indeed help "prepare credible and relevant leaders in education" and provide us with the tools and insight we will need to be successful leaders throughout our diverse communities.
One of the highlights from our first class was watching the RSA Animate video about motivation. In this video, Daniel Pink cleverly illustrates (literally) how higher incentives and extrinsic motivation/rewards yield poorer performance, especially when asked to complete cognitive tasks.
After watching this video, it was decided that we need better motivation strategies in schools, especially in a season heavily influenced by high-stakes testing, changing populations and communities, new school initiatives, and pressure to do more with less.
Although there is no magic bullet or quick and easy solution to implement, it is important for every school leader to learn about their staff, students, and community. By focusing on staff/student morale and the school environment, existing motivators can be exposed. Helping people build autonomy, achieve mastery, and discover their purpose can be the biggest motivation of all. Building capacity within all levels of a school community is extremely important, and helping individuals discover their "purpose" is a pivotal role for contemporary educational leaders.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Metaphors for teaching and leadership...
I usually skim through the introductions of books, but I found myself reading the intro for Michelle Collay's "Everyday Teacher Leadership" and a few metaphors really stood out to me. She argues that teachers are leaders, especially when we engage in learning with other educators. Please enjoy these excerpts from her book:
"We are sometimes gardeners who have accepted a plot of land to care for when we didn't choose the seeds. Within our classrooms, we recognize the gifts and challenges our students bring, and we nuture those seeds into more fully developed plants. We till the soil, water the seedlings, and struggle to resist pulling the weeds. We strive to see the space as a garden filled with plants of which we don't yet know the names. The ground may lack certain nutrients or the right conditions for all the plants that come up, but our task is to keep all of them alive, not just those that are best adapted to the conditions.
Other times we are mechanics, often without the right tools to repair the systems in which we and our students live and work. We tinker with the machinery while knowing the machine is not designed to do the job. We borrow tools from our neighbors to make the short-term repair in hopes the machine can continue to function, even as we recognize its limitations. We walk away from this broken machine in frustration, only to return the next day because that's the only machine we have. There are few other forms of education for most working-class and poor students. We educators have chose to work with all students, taking responsibility to do our best with the materials and resources we have. Accepting this role is an act of leadership."
"We are sometimes gardeners who have accepted a plot of land to care for when we didn't choose the seeds. Within our classrooms, we recognize the gifts and challenges our students bring, and we nuture those seeds into more fully developed plants. We till the soil, water the seedlings, and struggle to resist pulling the weeds. We strive to see the space as a garden filled with plants of which we don't yet know the names. The ground may lack certain nutrients or the right conditions for all the plants that come up, but our task is to keep all of them alive, not just those that are best adapted to the conditions.
Other times we are mechanics, often without the right tools to repair the systems in which we and our students live and work. We tinker with the machinery while knowing the machine is not designed to do the job. We borrow tools from our neighbors to make the short-term repair in hopes the machine can continue to function, even as we recognize its limitations. We walk away from this broken machine in frustration, only to return the next day because that's the only machine we have. There are few other forms of education for most working-class and poor students. We educators have chose to work with all students, taking responsibility to do our best with the materials and resources we have. Accepting this role is an act of leadership."
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Welcome to my new blog!
I used to keep a blog in college, but my posts became more and more infrequent as life became busier and busier. This account will be my second attempt at blogging, mostly because it is a weekly requirement for my EAD 269 class.
A little bit about me...
I am a Curriculum Support Provider at Reagan Elementary School in Sanger Unified. As a "Vice Principal" figure, I am the "go to" person when the principal is busy or unavailable. As my formal title suggests, my job is to provide support to all teachers, staff members, and students. Curriculum is my focus, but the range of activities and tasks that I tackle day-to-day can vary greatly. I love my job and am excited to continue my second year as a CSP. I am also currently pursuing my masters and credential in Educational Leadership and Administration.
On a personal note, I am happily married to my amazing husband, Nick. We met in college and share the same birthday. He is my best friend and biggest fan. I wouldn't be able to accomplish or juggle as much as I do if it weren't for him supporting and encouraging me every step of the way. We are happy to report that we will be welcoming a new Blanchard to the family around Jan. 31, 2012. I am about 17 weeks pregnant and the anticipation & excitement is growing as rapidly as my belly. Although I will need to seek balance and learn to re-adjust my priorities before the baby arrives, I am REALLY looking forward to being a new mom.
Of course, the title of my blog "CarteBlanchard" can be defined as the complete freedom to discuss and document the reflections of my life. For all those who choose to follow, may you have the courage to freely share your opinions and comments as well.
A little bit about me...
I am a Curriculum Support Provider at Reagan Elementary School in Sanger Unified. As a "Vice Principal" figure, I am the "go to" person when the principal is busy or unavailable. As my formal title suggests, my job is to provide support to all teachers, staff members, and students. Curriculum is my focus, but the range of activities and tasks that I tackle day-to-day can vary greatly. I love my job and am excited to continue my second year as a CSP. I am also currently pursuing my masters and credential in Educational Leadership and Administration.
On a personal note, I am happily married to my amazing husband, Nick. We met in college and share the same birthday. He is my best friend and biggest fan. I wouldn't be able to accomplish or juggle as much as I do if it weren't for him supporting and encouraging me every step of the way. We are happy to report that we will be welcoming a new Blanchard to the family around Jan. 31, 2012. I am about 17 weeks pregnant and the anticipation & excitement is growing as rapidly as my belly. Although I will need to seek balance and learn to re-adjust my priorities before the baby arrives, I am REALLY looking forward to being a new mom.
Of course, the title of my blog "CarteBlanchard" can be defined as the complete freedom to discuss and document the reflections of my life. For all those who choose to follow, may you have the courage to freely share your opinions and comments as well.
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