PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Belief Statement: Teaching and Learning at all levels
The strength of John Dewey’s theories of experiential learning and building learning communities continue to resonate with me. I believe the student learns best when able to make experiential and emotional connections to new knowledge in a safe and supportive environment.
I believe the teacher can encourage this socio-cultural learning by facilitating connections to students’ personal lives and the popular culture in which the students live. Based on the idea of Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple-intelligences, the teacher can offer choice in multi-modal ways to investigate and report learned material so that students can work to their strengths, make choices in their own meaning-making, and thereby experience more positive and impactful learning.
By extension, I believe the school leader should prioritize a community of learners, students and teachers alike, that best fosters both individual strengths and collaborative support so that community and the individuals within it thrive.
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Students come first. My role as a Catholic educator and leader is to cultivate a faith-based school community driven by holistic student learning and success. My experience in arts education has allowed me to develop leadership skills by modeling and nurturing leaders in my students. I establish a safe and open community space, where I recognized the personal strengths of my students and build solid, ethical relationships with them. This is the foundation from which I can begin to foster the mindset and skills for negotiating and growing in the uncertain and complex 21st century world. I believe this translates to how an effective administrator leads the whole school community. As a school leader, I will encourage collaboration, shared goals and meaningful relationships with students, professional colleagues, parents, the parish and local communities.
Creativity is a term traditionally used in relation to artistic expression and aesthetics, but is recently more commonly and broadly used to describe new ideas that have value (Ken Robinson). Inventing and trying new ideas, often to solve problems, has its place in multiple disciplines. Risk-taking is synonymous with creative thinking. As an artful leader, I will use creative thinking and support it in others. This means establishing a safe, open, resilient and forgiving environment and community where risk-taking is encouraged, and mistakes are an accepted part of the process. Without them, innovative ideas for improvement are often missed.
The power of observation is necessary for effective educators, thriving students and efficient school administrators. Strong observation and listening skills, allow for an awareness of the reality around us, but also the sensitivity to recognize that realities are subjective. Good leaders are aware of the moods, attitudes and experiences of those around them. As a vice principal, I will strive to identify, support, develop and productively channel contributors, facilitating more leaders.
Great ideas STEAM from acute observation, listening, creative thinking and process. Project planning sees them to fruition. Delayed gratification of a final product is practiced as process is explored and exercised. As a leader, I am willing to take smaller steps toward a goal in order to maintain the trust and confidence of the diverse community of learners in all disciplines. Familiar, transparent and productive processes like backward design and clear goal setting maintain confidence, purpose and direction.
Understanding culture and symbol indicates a strong sense of what moves and shapes a community. Appropriation of knowledge, beliefs and culture allows me to recognize the good ideas, traditions, strengths and contributions of those who have come before, and build on them. Layering this with contemporary and innovative vision and practice promotes global citizenship. Through collaborative practices, strong leaders foster a culture of faith and sharing, so we are able to learn and work with our contemporaries, our colleagues, and our learning community. Collaboration is celebrated as reciprocal communication in multiple ways. I will continue to develop self-knowledge and practice self-reflection while still honoring and working with the diverse talents around me. Effective Catholic leaders are authentic, passionate, open and transparent. As such I strive to lead by example and co-creation, while always putting students first.