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My Philosophy of Educational Leadership

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Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership

and Postsecondary Education

University of Northern Iowa

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In Partial Fulfillment

of the Reuirements for the Master of !rts in Education

--

"y

#ill M$ %hompson

#eo&seon' Elementary (chool

(unchan') #eon*u&) (outh +orea

May ,) ./,0

--

Dr$ %imothy 1ilson

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I *elieve that strivin' to *e an effective leader is not 2ust a*out leadership$ In my mind) I

see it as a way of life$ Decidin' to *e a leader is a life decision you ma&e$ Pursuin' leadership is

a*out *ecomin' more3 'rowin') learnin') and reachin' your utmost potential as a professional

teacher and person$ It is the difference *etween wantin' to live passively and simply) as opposed

to ma&in' the world a *etter place$ I have made the decision that I will do all that I can to strive

for e4cellence) in all aspects of life$

I cannot waste precious time *ein' a mediocre teacher or leader) and that is the reason

why I am pursuin' this Master5s De'ree$ !ccordin' to Ramsey 6.//78 in his *oo&) Lead,

 Follow, or Get Out of the Way) 9there are far too many mana'ers in today5s schools) rather than

leaders: 6p$ 4v8$ ;ur schools need effective leaders today more than ever$ Employers are

searchin' for leaders who to want to chan'e their school) not merely to ta&e care of it$ I want to

 *e involved at my school participatin' in decision ma&in' and pushin' pro2ects that are *ein'

implemented$ I *elieve that I have the type of personality capa*le to *e a leader) not a mana'er$

I stron'ly feel this pro'ram will provide me with diverse perspectives which will) in turn) help

me discover the way to *ecomin' a stron' leader in our schools today$

%hrou'hout the course of this class) I have developed a well-rounded view of what I thin& 

composes a 'reat leader$ !lthou'h there are many characteristics of an effective leader) I have

chosen what I find to *e the ten most vital to focus on in my philosophy$ I *elieve that if these

ten attri*utes are present in your personality and the way you operate) you are set up for success$

%he morale of your school ta&es after how you as a leader decide to lead$ I stron'ly feel that if

these ten ualities are present in a leader) enormous chan'e will happen and your school will

e4cel naturally$ I *elieve an effective leader<

 Leads with passion, motivation, optimism and open mindedness! 'reat leader must *e passionate$ =ithout passion) one has no drive or a*ility to

motivate others$ !n effective leader reco'ni>es how to tap into staff and students5 intrinsic

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motivation$ %hey &now the perfect *alance when challen'in' their staff and students without

 pushin' too hard$ %hey are constantly spreadin' optimism throu'hout the school community$

!ccordin' to Ramsey 6.//78) leaders 9ener'i>e and e4cite the or'ani>ation and the people in it

 *y showin' what it can *ecome$ Leaders deal with visions) dreams) and possi*ilities: 6p$ 4i48$ !

'reat leader is enthusiastic a*out staff) students) the community) and *etterin' his or her school$

%hey 'enuinely care a*out students and want what is *est for them$ !s Ramsey says) 9Positive

e4pectations can transcend all *arriers: 6p$ 0/8$ If you must *e somethin') *e optimistic$ Encourages collaboration

?olla*oration is an effective leader5s *est friend$ ! 'reat leader utili>es colla*oration to

its utmost potential$ %hey promote innovative thin&in' and tap into creativity) 'ettin' the most

out of their staff$ !ccordin' to the Teacher Leader Model tandards 6%eacher Leadership

E4ploratory ?onsortium 6%LE?8) ./,,8) a 'reat leader 9utili>es 'roup processes to help

collea'ues wor& colla*oratively to solve pro*lems) ma&e decisions) mana'e conflict) and

 promote meanin'ful chan'e: 6p$ ,08$ %hey utili>e everyone in the or'ani>ation *y challen'in'

them to develop creative ideas) and are a*le to incorporate those ideas uic&ly$ 1reat leaders

&now how to arran'e 'roups to 'et the most out of their efforts$ 9(uccessful teams are made up

of individuals who have compati*le personalities) want to wor& to'ether) and share common

'oals: 6Ramsey) .//7) p$ @8$ ?olla*oration allows us to wor& smarter and compile a variety of

ideas from a variety of perspectives$

 !dapts to and e"ploits the latest technologies1reat leaders utili>e technolo'y to its fullest$ In today5s world) if you are una*le to use

typical social media such as Face*oo&) %witter) 1oo'le apps) etc$) you are missin' out on

ama>in' opportunities$ !n effective leader understands that implementin' these technolo'ies in

their schools will *enefit their students immensely$ Aavin' an a*undance of &nowled'e on the

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topic of technolo'y allows for teacher leaders to more easily monitor pro'ress towards school

'oals as well as analy>e student learnin' throu'h data 6%LE?) ./,,) p$ ,78$ #evotes time to planning, reflecting and rela"ing 

Plannin' is a necessary characteristic of a 'ood leader$ 9If you are not plannin' for every

day on the 2o*) you5re shortchan'in' your students) staff) community) and most importantly)

yourself: 6Ramsey) .//7) p$ .@8$ In our fast paced lives) our time is literally priceless$ ! 'ood

leader manipulates that time and has *alance in his or her life$ %hey dedicate time to plan)

reflect) and rela4$ %hey reflect on what they and their school has done for the future in order to

improve$ 9%he *est leaders you &now live a *alanced life$ %hey have time for wor&) family)

spirituality) their community) themselves) and fun: 6p$ /8$ %his mindset shines throu'h to their

entire staff$ =e must &eep our mind) *ody) and spirit clean and *ri'ht *ecause 9your most

 precious resource is yourself$ Bou have to ta&e care of yourself first in order to ta&e care of

 *usiness later: 6p$ 0@8$

 Eliminates pessimism and unprofessional behavior 

! 'reat leader &nows what attitudes and *ehaviors are unwelcome$ ! few unprofessional

characteristics I feel stron'ly a*out are the followin'< lyin') disrespectin') ma&in' promises one

cannot &eep) 'ossipin') and pessimism$ Aavin' a pessimistic culture *rin's down the morale of

the entire community$ (everal of these to'ether are a recipe for disaster) and 'ood leaders

understand it is necessary to have a no tolerance policy in re'ards to them$

 $eaches out to the public

=hether it *e callin' parents) interviewin' for a news article) or as&in' for donations)

'reat leaders &now how to do it$ %hey have 'reat *alance of control in how they do *usiness and

&now how to sell an idea$ Effective leaders are visi*le *eyond the school) *uild a 'ood home-

school partnership) and 'ive the pu*lic what it wants 6Ramsey) .//7) p$ 078$ 1reat leaders 2oin

local clu*s) utili>e all volunteers) ma&e friends with the media) and share their stories with no

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shame$ 1reat leaders use the community culture to enrich education for all students 6%LE?)

./,,) p$ ,@8$hapes a community of integrity that aligns with the everyday culture of the school 

!t the end of the day) the morale of your school is what it comes down to$ ! 'reat leader

must stress the importance of *ein' honest and respectful$ Formin' relationships and treatin'

 people with respect will encoura'e the *est performance from staff every day$  Aavin' stron'

morale in the school will result in an a*undance of optimism and an adaptive school culture

 *ein' formed$  9Morale is the catalyst that *rin's to'ether all of the human elements in the

or'ani>ation and produces results$ =ith hi'h morale) school personnel wor& hard) have fun) and

reach their 'oals 6and then some8: 6Ramsey) .//7) p$ 08$ %as a warm personality and is able to be themselves

!n effective leader should have a conta'ious smile and *e a*le to lau'h at themselves$

 No*ody wants to approach a leader who always has a stern loo& on their face$ !pproachin'

 people with sincerity and listenin' to them shows that you are 'enuine$ =hen you are a*le to *e

yourself) you are most comforta*le) and thin's will happen instinctively$ Do not *e afraid to

show you are a real person with real emotions$ "e in 'ood health and &eep a clear mind$

 &mplements goals that align with the school's mission and monitors progress

;ne of the main distin'uishin' characteristics of a leader versus a mana'er is that leaders

have clear cut ima'es of what they want their school to *ecome 6Ramsey) .//7) p$ ,@8$ %hey

utili>e research to increase and improve student learnin' 6%LE?) ./,,8$ Effective leaders are

'reat at 'oal settin') plannin') monitorin' and trac&in' pro'ress of their 'oals$ 1reat leaders are

constantly strivin' to ma&e their school *etter$ In order for this to happen) leaders must hold

staff and students accounta*le) e4pectin' from their staff what they e4pect from themselves$

%his) in turn) will create honest) responsi*le morale in the school$ 1ood leaders 9set aside time

to dream a*out the future) envision possi*ilities) pro2ect and e4trapolate) predict) set 'oals)

outline strate'ies) and esta*lish time lines: 6Ramsey) .//7) p$ ,C8$

 (ossesses diverse perspectives and analy)es situations to ma*e wise decisions

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1ood leaders have an a*undance of &nowled'e understandin' different cultures) and use

that &nowled'e to analy>e situations) choosin' the *est decision 6%LE?) ./,,8$ %hey form

relationships with their staff and understand who the *est person is to ma&e the decision) if

needed$ %hey are not afraid to admit that it is not themselves$ =hen necessary) 'ood leaders use

intuition and are a*le to 'o with their 'ut$ %hey use their personal values to 'uide their

intentions) and never compromise their ethics or di'nity 6Ramsey) .//78$ 1reat leaders say no

when they need to) and never 'o *ac& on decisions$!s I said *efore) I thin& that all ten of these leadership ualities form a 'reat leader$ I

also *elieve that these are s&ills that any person can learn$ !lthou'h some say people are *orn

leaders) I disa'ree$ !ccordin' to Don (eidman 6./,8) successful leaders today are made not

throu'h formal authority) *ut moral authority$ =e all have the a*ility to loo& at our hopes and

dreams) and use those visions to push us toward our 'oals as leaders$ In his article) he tal&s

a*out how self-made leaders develop an a*ility to unleash other peoples5 creativity *ased on their 

own character and morals 6(eidman) ./,8$ In an interestin' study done *y The +enter for

+reative Leadership 61entry) Deal) (tawis&i Ruderman) ./,.8) people were interviewed on

whether they *elieve leaders were *orn or made$ %he study concluded that all 'roups 6people

 *elievin' leaders were either< *orn) made) or eual8 overall a'reed that the reason why people

 *ecome leaders is *ecause of their e4periences 61entry) p$,.8$

I *elieve that in each and every one of us) a leader lies inside$ %he difference for each of

us is how we tap into that inner leader$ (ome people live all of their lives without reali>in' their

 potential$ For myself) it too& student teachin' in India to turn on my li'ht *ul*$ !fter teachin' at

the !merican (chool of "om*ay 6!("8 and seein' the pro'ressive attitude and e4cellence

e4hi*ited) I was *lown away$ %o me) !(" is the epitome of 'ood leadership and a successful

school that results naturally from that$ I met so many intrinsically motivated teachers who were

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strivin' to *e *etter and e4ecutin' new teachin' methods continuously$ %hey made me reali>e

there is more to teachin' than writin' lesson plans) classroom mana'ement) etc$ =ith the

effective leadership present at this school) normal concerns that most would worry a*out seemed

to naturally diminish) allowin' for teachers to 'o a*ove and *eyond e4plorin' professional

development$ !(" showed me the effects of effective leadership and opened my eyes to what I

can *ecome as a person and leader$

I *elieve that any one can choose to *ecome an effective leader if they are willin' to put

in the hard wor& and effort$ If one possesses the traits mentioned a*ove and implements them

into their lives on a daily *asis) there is no reason why one cannot achieve 'reatness$ =hen

these thin's are done with moral authority and 'ood intentions) a 'reat school community that

e4ceeds and e4cels all e4pectations will 'row$

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References<

1entry) =$ !$) Deal) #$ #$) (tawis&i) ($) Ruderman) M$ 6./,.8$ !re Leaders "orn or

Made$ +enter for +reative Leadership$ Retrieved fromhttp<www$ccl$or'leadershippdfresearchareleaders*ornormade$pdf 

Ramsey) R$ D$ 6.//78$  Lead, follow, or get out of the way %ow to be a more effective leader intoday's schools- %housand ;a&s) ?!< ?orwin Press

(eidman) D$ 6./,) !pril @8$ "orn or Made =ron' Guestion$ Relevant Leaders !re Increasin'ly(elf-Made$ Forbes$ Retrieved from

http<www$for*es$comsitesdovseidman./,/0/@*orn-or-made-wron'-uestion-relevant-

leaders-are-increasin'ly-self-made

%eacher Leadership E4ploratory ?onsortium 6./,,8$ Teacher Leader Model tandards-

Retrieved from< http< teacherleaderstandards$or'downloads%L(H"rochureHsm$pdf