EDUC 5361: Internship II

1. EDUC 5361: Internship II Ricca Meyers Dr. V. Leiker Fall 2013

2. Texas Principal Competencies Reflections This presentation looks at how I addressed each competency, what I learned during the internship, and what I still need to learn.

3. Competency 001- Knows how to shape campus culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community. • Activities • A-team meetings • Counselor meetings • Parent-teacher conferences • Mini-college fair • College application workshop • Attendance committee • Academic intervention notice • BFND awards • Reflection • The bulk of my job as a counselor lie within competency oo1. • I dropped the ball with the attendance committee. I had planned to have weekly contact with the three students. Instead was only able to meet with them once.

4. Competency 002-Knows how to communicate and collaborate with all members of the school community, respond to diverse interests and needs, and mobilize resources to promote student success. • Activities • Mini-college fair • Parent night • Parent grade level e-mail listserv • Remind101 • Facilitate parent-teacher conferences • College application workshop • Attendance committee • Academic intervention notice • Reflection • Although I feel I am an excellent facilitator between parents, teachers, and students, I would like to be more of an initiator of this dialogue. Most often, the conferences are held as a result of others coming to me. Instead, I would like to encourage more participation from parents when I see my students struggling.

5. C 003-Knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical and legal manner. • Activities • RTI • IEP meetings • 504 meetings • Parent-teacher conferences • E-mail etiquette • CPS referrals • College application workshop • Attendance committee • Academic intervention notice • Reflection • I would like to have done more on the discipline side concerning legal matters. Although, I do not foresee my leadership in education as principal, I believe an effective leader has some knowledge of all aspects of education.

6. Competency 004-Knows how to facilitate the design and implementation of curricula and strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment of curriculum, instruction, resources, and assessment; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance. • Activities • Parent-teacher conferences • Mini-college fair • College application workshop • Attendance committee • Academic intervention notice • IEP meetings • 504 meetings • RTI • Reflection • My goal for Internship II was to shadow my mentor during classroom observations, complete an evaluation, and review with my mentor. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Although, I am familiar with walkthroughs because in previous years, counselors were part of our districts mega-monitoring system, they were not a complete forty-five minute observation.

7. Competency 005-Knows how to advocate, nurture, and sustain an instructional program and a campus culture that are conducive to student learning and professional growth. • Activities • Parent-teacher conferences • Academic intervention notice • Attendance committee • Parent night • Mini-college fair • College application workshop • IEP meetings • 504 meetings • RTI • Reflection • Our campus demographics are changing. Once a predominately white, middle to upper class community, is now experiencing an influx of low-income families as well as culturally diverse families. I would like to provide professional development opportunities to the faculty in regards to working with minority students and students in poverty.

8. Competency 006-Knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system to improve the performance of all staff members, select and implement appropriate models for supervision and staff development, and apply the legal requirements for personnel management. • Activities • A-team meetings • Collaboration with staff appraisers • Book study • AP/Counselor Professional Day: building relationships with students in poverty • College application workshop • Attendance committee • Academic intervention notice • Reflection • Being raised in a low-income family, my passion as a leader in education is providing access to educational success to our under-privileged students. As a result, my action research projects are rooted in theory and strategies used to motivate students at risk of dropping out school. • Although I feel my principal is open to discussing my concerns regarding faculty and staff, my skills in this area are limiting. I would like to be able to sit in on more hiring of staff as well as presenting to staff.

9. Competency 007-Knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills to ensure an effective learning environment. • Activities • A-team meetings • Counselor meetings • IEP meetings • Parent-teacher conferences • College application workshop • Attendance committee • Academic intervention notice • Mini-college fair • Parent night • Reflection • Although I do believe I am effective in my role as a counselor, over time I have learned to not be so emotional in my decision making especially this year. As I grow as a leader, I’m learning to look at the big picture when analyzing a situation as well as presenting my opinions and ideas to the group.

10. Competency 008-Knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to campus budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management, and technology use. • Activities • Mini-college fair • Parent night • College application workshop • Academic intervention notice • Attendance committee • IEP meetings • 504 meetings • RTI • Reflection • For the most part I feel I was effective in collaborating, planning, organizing, and utilizing resources in regards to these activities. However, I am disappointed that I was not able to provide the individual attention to the three students with attendance issues. Unfortunately, this is a reality of our jobs. I think we start the year with goals, but given district mandates and job duties, some goals have to be put to the side. I am hopeful I will be able to provide additional assistance to these students throughout the remainder of the year.

11. Competency 009-Knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to the campus physical plan and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment. • Activities • Morning duty • Emergency drills • College application workshop • Attendance committee • Academic intervention notice • Reflection • As a part of the administrative team, I am assigned a area to monitor for each crisis drill. In order to meet my required internship hours, I served as an administrator for morning duty monitoring the students in the breakfast area before school started. Doing so, provided me the opportunity to interact with the students outside of my normal duties as a counselor. However, this was one of the hardest things to do every morning especially if I had a morning meeting. I realized that I had to prep for the next day in order to be ready for my post each morning.

12. Summary This semester for Internship II was very challenging for me. Honestly, I would have to say the entire program has been challenging. I feel like I have been pulled in many different directions --my children are growing up and involved in many different activities in which I am their number one cheerleader; my husband, as supportive as he can be, still needs me present as a parent and wife; and my career goals as a leader in school counseling require me to be on my A-game at all times. Yet, I have let my spiritual and physical being go lacking. One of the most important things I have learned this semester came from David Cottrell’s Monday Morning Leadership and defining the “main thing”. It is important that I take the time to define the main thing for me personally and professionally, and continue to make sure all activities I’m involved in are in alignment with that main thing.