Activity #26, Competency 3

            I recently attended two district site base meetings and I am the chair for my campus site base committee.  The role of the parents in the site base process is to provide feedback from their point of view.  They are their child’s advocate and what they bring to the committee is very important information for the committee to consider.  It is also important that they take information away from the committee to better inform other parents as well.  This form or community relation is a two way street.  Parents are the investor and their children are the invested.  You want to get the most out of any investment and having them serve on the committee is the same concept that most large businesses use. 

            In order for parents to serve a vital role in the site base meetings you must include them in every action taken by the committee.  Minutes, activities and recommendations must be provided by the chair in order for them to stay current and up to date.  You cannot take a sloppy approach to assembling your committee or the parents will not see value in serving. 

Minutes and Info from District Site Base Meetings will be posted on my wiki page on the Activity 26 Page:
http://moseslamarsuperintendentcertification.wikispaces.com/

Activity #17, Competency 9

            Emily Morris, Salado ISD Nurse, and I sat down last week and had a conversation about the state of affairs in our district, the state and in the nation in regards to school health.  Mrs. Morris is very knowledgeable and extremely diligent in her professional development and is always up to date on current issues.  She has been the nurse here for 4 years.  Before that she served in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Scott & White Hospital in Temple.  She is a registered nurse and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. 

            Emily discussed with me the shortage that the state and nation are seeing in the field of nursing.  She said that it is no different in the public school system.  There is a shortage of good nurses but our shortage stems from budget shortfalls and quality applications.  We discussed that the pay for good nurses is very competitive between hospitals and that schools cannot compete unless the person is looking for opportunity cost.  One opportunity cost that would be attractive to nurses is the 8 to 5 schedule at a school compared to the ever changing schedule at a hospital.  Another issue facing school nurses is the availability of health care for families and children.  We talked about this being a major issue for Texas but we realized it is a problem all over this country.   Emily heads up our Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) and conducts quarterly meetings at our district.  This committee discusses these same issues that we discuss and focus them down upon certain children and try to make ends meet. 

            Mrs. Morris and I ended our interview with the discussion that nurses in schools are becoming more of a luxury as our budgets get tighter.  Could nurses on every campus be a luxury?  At a previous district that I taught at, we had a district nurse one day a week.  How is that meeting our students needs? 

Site Supervisor Conference Final

            Mr. Wiggins and I met again, via phone, and discussed my intern plan on November 11^th.  Like the first meeting, there was a lot of insight that was shared before we got down to business in talking about my next few months.  We talked about the state at which the school is in and the plan for the future of Salado ISD.  With the board meeting looming in the coming weeks and the approval of the superintendents goals for the district, we discussed those goals and how he came up with them.  What was the shared vision for the upcoming school year?  I say vision for the year because it is my belief that you can have a vision for the district that will stand for a few years that everyone can get behind, but you must have a short term vision or goals, if you will, to lead you through to the district vision.  We talked about some of the issues that are upcoming that I will be able to be a part of and that I will be reflecting to my cohort.  Salado will probably be discussing a bond in the next held election.  That bond will focus on athletic facilities and classrooms at the new high school.  Issues that surround a bond are numerous and those issues must be met with resolve and transparency.  Salado is in the process for putting together a plan for the TEA for a stage 3 focus group surrounding ESL Science in our district.  Our district has just been lifted into AAA by the UIL after achieving much success at the AA level and the process by which we continue our success is an issue that we will be discussing as well.

            We discussed my intern plan relating the above to the activities that I have in my plan and how I can best go about making those activities benefit the district as well.  I am really excited about being a part of the bond election that the board will be discussing.  I will get to sit in on those focus groups, make trips and give my insight to the group and that will be a great opportunity.  A bond election to me is a great undertaking by a district and with that it carries a great stress to the superintendent.  I will get to experience that stress, to a lesser degree, and all that goes with it.  There were no revisions to my plan but we had a great deal of discussion of the opportunities that I will have with the upcoming year at Salado ISD.

Lessons Learn from Vita Review

If you were to look at my vita from two weeks ago and compare it to the one I currently have posted, it would look strangely different.  I wandered away from the text example because I thought it did not fit who I was.  I went with a format that covers the entire basis but I was much more comfortable.  I also added in more personal information and removed my resources section.  Both of those revisions were recommendation from my cohort.

http://moseslamarsuperintendentcertification.wikispaces.com/Lee+Vi+Moses+Vita

Intern Plan Changes

The major changes I made were with my dates.  I tried to set some deadlines with my activities and not be so open ended with them.

http://moseslamarsuperintendentcertification.wikispaces.com/Lee+Vi+Moses+Internship+Plan

Intern Plan Reflection

I did not have too many comments about my intern plan but the discussion I did get was helpful.  My plan will focus on my weaknesses as well as some of my strengths.  Those weaknesses include activities at the younger levels of education and curriculum.  My strengths will be evident in my dealings with stakeholders in committee meetings and decisions.  I am looking forward to all of the activities but I know it will be a daunting task to accomplish all of them.

Lee Vi Moses Internship Plan

Here is a link to my wiki and my Internship is listed as a new page on the left.  Thanks for the comments.
http://moseslamarsuperintendentcertification.wikispaces.com/

Vita Placement

My vita is placed on my wiki page.
http://moseslamarsuperintendentcertification.wikispaces.com/

Leadership Interview with Billy Wiggins, Superintendent of Schools, Salado ISD

            For the last two years, I have had many talks with Mr. Wiggins and found that our discussion, again, turned into a very informative, intuitive and lesson sharing discussion.  As I tried to come and be very professional, Mr. Wiggins asked me about my family.  When we started catching up on the previous three days since we last spoke, our discussion turned into a collaborative session of prior experiences.

            When asked the questions about the positive and negative aspects of being the superintendent, Mr. Wiggins responded with answers that would resemble some of our answers to being in our leadership roles.  The positives are always focusing on the children of our district or campus and how are the best practices to help them realize and reach their full potential.  With that said, the two main focuses being achievement and safety will always be utmost importance.  He followed up by saying the negatives are what sometimes sidetracks us from our focus.  He listed some examples of what can pull you away from your district goals but then concluded with sometimes those negatives can turn into learning experiences when approached with a positive attitude.  My self-reflection on his answers, like all of us, is how many times we let ourselves be taken off focus of our district and campus goals to “put out fires.”  Every time you walk into work is a new day and with that new day comes many different opportunities to make a positive difference in a child’s life.  With every decision we make, we must keep our district goals in mind and do our best to follow the path that our district leaders have established for us

            His response to building a good relationship with the board was not a response that surprised me but it was a response that all school leaders should use.  Transparency was the keyword in his response and focused on good communication through invites, emails, phone call and incites given about the way you conduct business.  When first starting a superintendent position, your communication with the board members and stakeholders is key.  Trust is not built overnight; it is developed over time in the knowledge of the stakeholders on how you conduct business and doing it the right way.  Making them aware and having a system on how you communicate with them is a large part of having a great rapport with the school board.

            In regards to Mr. Wiggins’ response to the question over Competency 8, he used the words, “trust with verification.” Those words really sum up what a good administrator uses for accountability.  As a superintendent, you are responsible for the hiring of your principals and a few other positions.  When you hire those folks, you have given them the trust that they will perform the job well. That trust is affirmed when the job is and the data show a positive shift.  The superintendent must be able to verify everyone’s position in the district is worthy and necessary in achieving the goals of the administration.

            Data is the driving force behind all decisions that are made and Competency 10 is no exception.  Mr. Wiggins, in his explanation, said that knowing your deficiencies and forming a focus group to outline a correct course of rectitude.  Collaborating not only gives everyone buy in to what you’re doing, it also allows you to come up with ideas a single person would not have come up with.  Helping each other “think through” different issues is the best way to have a shared common goal in your district.

            My interview process has enlightened me to some of the day to day dealings that the superintendent has.  Mr. Wiggins and I continued to speak about other situations and realized something.  Just like a principal, the superintendent can be taken away from the districts goals by seemingly small issues that can dictate and entire week.  Those small things are important to someone and you must deal with them the way you would anything else.  In the end you are a hired hand by the community and the job you do is a service to them.  You must keep your districts goals and vision in mind in your dealings with everyone, because in the end you work for them.

Transfer Theory

            I began to think about Transfer Theory after watching Dr. Arterbury’s presentation and not only is this theory used in education, but I found it used in nature as well.  Transfer Theory is defined by me as the use of knowledge that is acquired through a certain practice and the use of those same rules and principles in other practices.  The shoe laces example spells it out pretty clear.  This theory is valuable to us in that a lot of what we learn as administrators can be transferred into the superintendent position.  You have a different view as a teacher than your perspective as an administrator.  Using the knowledge you learn in your current administration position will affect your decision making processes as a superintendent.

            I found other examples of Transfer Theory in business and in nature.  The business example uses the framework of HEB Grocery Company.  Most managerial positions in the main office of San Antonio go through a certain process before performing the duties of their applied position.  All employees hired must start out as a grocery sacker, then checker, then assistant manager(store level) and so on until the learn the ins and outs of the entire business.  This way, everyone in the board room at headquarters is fully aware of how the business is run.  In nature, a young predator is taught by its elder how to hunt and different practices used there in.  This predator is started out at a lower prey level.  For instance, a baby cheetah does not start off hunting for a full grown gazelle.  The younger cheetah watches its elder, then when it is ready will focus on a weaker or younger prey animal.  Then, when it is old enough, it applies those same hunting principles toward catching larger game.

            Not only will having leadership experience help you in your decision making as a superintendent, it will also help you with your staff.  Having credibility and the experience of making good decisions shows your staff and stakeholders that you are qualified for the job.  No matter how many years you have been in education or what positions you have held, once you attain your first superintendent position, you must prove yourself to your staff and stakeholders every day.  Every decision that you make will be looked at by the community and the more you can experience those decisions and processes before they really count, the better.

How Can I Use This Blog for the Betterment of My District?

One of the first uses that come to mind using blogs is on inclement weather.  We now contact almost 10 different news stations, 1350 kiddos and parents, and numerous staff.  Texting has helped, but a blog could prove to be very useful in those situations.

A Novices Guide to Building an Educational Leadership Blog:

I have a cell phone that I use.  I started texting about 5 years ago.  I sent my first email in 1997.  I have a twitter account that I do not follow and I am on Facebook.  I am not addicted to any of these little technologies that have reshaped our educational horizon over the past two decades.  When the leadership in this cohort asked me to create a blog, I was totally lost.  Not in the fact that I could not accomplish this feat, but because I was not familiar.  The feeling I was experiencing was probably pretty close to the feeling of the first text I have ever sent.  Not that I was scared, but that did not see the need.  With texting, I quickly learned the importance and relevance to this technology in our daily lives.  Over the past 24 hours, I have experienced the importance of owning a blog and keeping a journal of sorts so that you as well as others can come and view ideas and perspectives on the educational field.  I cannot tell you how many times I have used blogs to find an answer for a question, but never have I owned one.  Now, I am the owner of an educational blog that’s focus is my education.  It’s designed to put my ideas in print and to possibly enlighten others all the while leading me down a path of enlightenment.