The Time Has Come...

"'The time has come,' the Walrus said, 'To talk of many things... of shoes and ships and sealing wax... of cabbages and kings... and why the sea is boiling hot... and whether pigs have wings!'"

This is one of my favorite quotes from "The Walrus and The Carpenter" by Lewis Carroll.  I can't believe "the time has come" to reflect and summarize this final course... and ultimately, the end of my master's program.  It is difficult to pick out the small details and conversations that have informed and molded me over the past year and a half... these same concepts will continue to guide and shape my career as I continue to work as a Curriculum Support Provider and pursue a future career in educational leadership.

There are countless things that have added value to my experience throughout this program (but I will try to elaborate on a few highlights):

1) The Sanger Cohort - Having a small group of people (who I got to know and trust) really helped me process and reflect upon the content and course material.  I have made lifelong friends and am thankful to know that there are other hardworking and trustworthy individuals that are pursuing careers in educational leadership.

2) Instructional coaching & leadership - This is a very important concept that is multi-faceted and complex.  There are several different approaches and theories... but having a variety of guest speakers and experienced professors who have different leadership and coaching styles helped provide opportunities for me to explore the kind of educational leader and coach that I want to be.

3) Mock-interview & guest speakers - Giving us a chance to process real-world examples and ask questions of administrators was extremely valuable.  I am very thankful for this opportunity and will try to remember the advice and perspective that these experts in the field brought to our class.

4) My personal vision, goals, and ambitions - If I hadn't gone through this program, I wouldn't have discovered the potential and passion that I have for educational leadership.  My professors and colleagues have helped me realize that I have the potential to be an effective educational leader someday.  I am thankful for the opportunities for reflection and application.  I am also thankful for the feedback and encouragement from my professors and peers.  I will lean on my mentors and colleagues as I continue this journey into administration.  This really... is just the beginning...

Capstone Paper & Professional Growth Plan

The final papers and assignments for our master's program have provided me with an opportunity to synthesize and reflect on what I have learned over the past year and a half.  The capstone paper had me summarize the "current realities" at my school site and the "next steps" that will need to take place over the next five years.  I never realized how much will change... from the transition to Common Core and the adoption of new curriculum and assessments... to the cost of updating and purchasing technology of the future and the countless other unknown factors (e.g., budget, government laws/regulations, union issues, district and school administration and leadership, political and social implications, etc.).  Five years seems like such a short amount of time for many things to happen... the kindergarteners currently attending Reagan will be getting ready to enter junior high school... and my unborn son (who is actively kicking as I type) will be getting ready to enroll in kindergarten!  Not being able to know where my career path will lead me is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.  However, having a professional growth plan to keep me focused on implementing and applying the new strategies that I have learned throughout this program is key to continuous growth as an educational leader and Curriculum Support Provider.  I focused on a plan that will help develop my instructional and cognitive coaching skills.  I am excited to keep a "coaching log" to document the times, dates, topics, and follow-up coaching sessions with teachers that I work with.  This has indeed been a very reflective process, and I hope to look back in about five years to see how our educational system has changed and how we've adapted to it.