Response #1: What is your instruction leadership philosophy?
My philosophy begins with contemplating the myriad responsibilities that administrators supervise, delegate, and perform on a daily basis. If education were a slow-moving entity, these responsibilities would be easy to manage. The reality is that education is a fast-moving enterprise where decisions are made and judged in the moment. There is hardly ever the luxury of time, and once decisions are made, the consequences, for better or worse, are quickly witnessed by other administrators, teachers, and stakeholders. It is within this paradigm that a cornerstone of my philosophy becomes apparent: the need for genuine and trusting relationships. Often, the success of leaders rests firmly
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Too often, leaders fall short in one of these two actions; my philosophy insists that one without the other will lead to stunted and, possibly, lost opportunities. Leaders who lack this skill are often full of good intentions (and information), but they are not able to transfer it into an arena where the information can be used for good. If there is a great idea, but it doesn’t line up with the values of the school’s community and stakeholders, leaders will be hard-pressed to see the idea come to fruition. This forced process will likely alienate leaders from their stakeholders, making future proposals that much more …show more content…
If this first step is not taken with stakeholders, be it with teachers, parents, or community members, administrators will lack the ethos needed for effective communication and collaboration. It is through this initial (and on-going) investment in a school’s community that good administrators become great administrators and good schools become great schools. Administrators also need to insist on a culture of high pedagogical standards. Students will have a limited chance for academic success if they are not taught by conscientious, vetted, and committed teachers. Administrators, therefore, need to have a professional development system that identifies and develops the characteristics of good teaching. This system identifies best practices, showcasing the tangible and measurable characteristics that teachers are then cognizant of and willing to incorporate into successful lesson