Frequent reflection of your work is absolutely essential for growth. Leadership reflections of my week:
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Hello, Blogosphere!!! It’s been almost a half year since the last blog post. Things have gotten a bit crazy in my life and the blog had to take a back seat for a bit. Quick update on what One Innovative Educator has been up to.
Professional Educator I am in my first year as Chief Academic Officer in a school district in the Houston area. In this role, I am responsible for five departments (Special Education Dept., Multi-Lingual Dept., Research, PEIMS, & Accountability Dept., Innovative Programs Dept., and Dept. of Federal Grants & Programs), the entire C&I department, and campus principals. Any position in year one takes much more focus than your previous position. Needless to say, much of my time has been devoted to learning the job and striving for excellence in academics in my district. Educational Consultant Last year, One Innovative Educator blossomed. I held several training sessions on how to properly prepare for the job market. I had no idea this service would take off! My first client for personal coaching was a nursing student. Remember, I work in education, not the medical field. I had to earn the field of nursing and how they interview and then coach the recent nursing college graduate on how to rock the interview process. After several personal coaching sessions, my first client landed her first job… her dream job… at Texas Children’s Hospital! I held other coaching sessions as well… some personal, some small group. It was such a whirlwind, I was not good with keeping up my productivity, but I can say with confidence that the majority of my clients landed the promotion they were working toward. The consultant business taking off is probably the accomplishment of which I am most proud of in 2019. It taught me so much about myself and about my God. It has really been a dream come true for me to coach others in their professional pursuits. Personal I have been busy keeping up with my two boys. My oldest is a college athlete. I have racked up thousands of miles traveling to watch him play football (and now college track). My youngest is a high school senior. I’ve spent time trying to support him in finishing strong while determining which direction he’ll take for his post-high school career. Oh, yeah… and don’t forget fitting the hubby in the mix as well. As you can see, I’ve been a little busy, but I am committed this year to bring my OneInEd blog back. I welcome you guys to join the ride. This first blog is about the power of community. About two weeks ago, I attended two professional conferences. In both of them, I can say I was truly invigorated. Being in the company of other educators who are just as passion as you can re-ignite a fire that can keep you moving in the right direction. Read below for how I was affected by each conference. Texas Council of Women School Executives This was my first year to attend this conference. I was invigorated by the awesome women leaders in education and how they are blazing the very trail I am on. They spoke candidly about their fears… and how they overcame them. I loved how the organization began the session by spending time with those who were attending for the first time. I also thought it was phenomenal how they took time to incorporate sessions to help leaders in each area… aspiring assistant principals, aspiring principals, aspiring central office leaders, and aspiring superintendent. I don’t think I’ve ever attended a conference where regular sessions were offered to prepare educators for their next career move. This was truly a conference focused on personal/profession growth. Texas Association of School Administrators (Mid-Winter) This was the more traditional conference, but full of great sessions. What I love about Mid-Winter is that you have the opportunity to hear from school district central office leaders from around the state on what they are doing successfully in their districts. Education is a complicated profession that is full of challenges. It’s common practice to “steal” in education. From the time we step into the classroom until we retire, we are constantly learning from each other. This conference offers the opportunity to do just that… learn from others around the state in how they are supporting students as they reach their academic excellence. The biggest lesson I learned from the week is the power of community. Whatever your profession, I highly recommend you join an organization specific to your field. Get out there and learn from others in the field. Meet others who you can chat with and exchange ideas. The power of community… priceless! In the past two months, I attended quite a few graduation ceremonies and celebrations. While sitting at one college graduation, I witnessed people graduating from college for the first time with their bachelor’s degrees. In the same ceremony, I witnessed people graduate with advanced degrees… masters and doctorates. I sat and reflected on the dreams sitting in that room. I wondered how the graduates thought their lives would magically change because of the new pieces of paper they had to hang on their walls.
It provoked me to think about the word commencement. Commencement means “a beginning or start”. The “feel” of graduation is one of anticipation. It evokes a sense of celebration. There are only a handful of events in life that evoke such a celebration… graduations, weddings, baby births (especially the “first” baby), perhaps promotions. When thinking about these celebrations, I wondered why we would wait until one of these special events in life to “begin”. Each day when we wake up, we have the opportunity to start over. We have the opportunity to begin the day a bit differently with our family members in our homes. We have the opportunity to begin the day differently with our colleagues. We have the opportunity to be a better leader. We don’t have to live our lives on autopilot. Switch gears and aim to be better each day. What will you do differently this week to be better? HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me (One Innovative Educator). This month, One Innovative Educator, turns 2! Two years ago, I launched out and began this journey of providing leadership tips to all who would listen. Allow me a moment to reminisce.
Two years ago, I presented at a professional organization. I remember being completely overwhelmed with the interest in my session. The room was packed with elementary principals and assistant principals wanting to hear from me about how to allow data to drive instruction in their schools. I remember the session’s facilitator (a retired principal) pulled me to the side after the session and told me how “special” I was. He said the way I captivated the audience and taught on how to lead was truly phenomenal. This experience is what helped me realize my next step in education. I knew my time as a campus administrator was coming to an end, but I didn’t have clarity on exactly what my next step be. The “teacher” in me was awakened. I decided at that time that my next step was in the direction of professional development. I took that yearning and did two things. First, I began looking at job openings in PD. Second, I made the realization that I didn’t need to wait for someone to hire me to do the job. I could do this myself… and thus, One Innovative Educator was born. In the end, someone did hire me to provide professional development for their district. I was able to do both… work in the area I felt I was being “called” and begin my own business. The point of this blog is to ask you… where is your future leading you? Do you have a new “calling”? If so, what can you do to put yourself on that path? Don’t wait for someone to give you an opportunity, begin to create your own future! |
AuthorPaula Patterson is a Superintendent of Schools who shares practical points on leadership. Archives
May 2020
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