Interview

I really enjoyed my interview with Juan Garza of Kings Canyon Unified School District.  I was actually hired by Sanger Unified his first year as Superintendent in Reedley and didn't want to release me from my contract.  Interesting how life brings people back on your path.  He asked some really good questions that made me think.  Being a second year administrator, I felt like the kid on Slumdog Millionairre because I have had experience with them.  My favorite part is when I got to ask him questions about leadership, what he looks for in an administrator, and what kind of support he provides new administrators.  I was really impressed with the way he runs his district.  This was another great experience provided to us by our professors.  I've been through a few of these interviews and I suggest everyone apply for every administrative position to get the experience of the interviews.  My first admin interview was for a district level job and people thought I was crazy.  I didn't get the job but I went through a grueling interview that helped me for others.  Good luck to all!  Thank you to our professors.  I'll see you when I see you. 

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH PLAN/CAPSTONE PAPER

Wow, the last assignments.  Is it really almost over?  These assignments required me to dig deep into my soul to complete.  Where do I need to improve?  I believe I need to get better at working collaborately.  I have been known to not trust others to do the work and I realize that is not the way to lead.  It must begin with discussions to establish trust and it doesn't have to be completed that day.  I guess that has always been a problem for me.  When we decide to do something I want it done by the end of the day.  I have begun to understand that sometimes it is about the process and the foundation that is build during that process.  I plan to meet each week with my department heads and PLC leaders to have these discussions and determine how I can best support them. 
With regards to the capstone paper, it was encouraging to talk about the many programs and services we have at  Sanger High but it was also a little disheartening to see how we need to make these services better.  We have got to find a way to make interventions inviting to students that need it and not like a punishment.  We need to find a way to motivate students to understand the importance of seeking additional support after school.  Parental involvement is also an area where we can improve dramatically.  I don't understand the disconnect at the secondary level.   This is a conversation we will be having in our admin meetings.  I have some ideas. 
Overall, this has been a great experience.  Aside from all the reading, papers to write, late nights, confusion, and stress, it has been a phenomenal learning experience.  I truly felt more comfortable in my position each week.  Thank you to all of my peeps and to our awesome instructors. 

ELAC/Board Meeting Blog

This assignment was very interesting for a couple of reasons.  First of all, one of my duties this year is to oversee the English learner program which includes ELAC.  I had to develop an agenda for our first meeting and it went very well.  Since it was our first meeting, the agenda items included introductions, elections, introduction of the different sections of the ELAC binder, future dates, and a survey for upcoming discussions.  The meeting was very well attended and lasted about 45 minutes.  I was excited by the turnout and the opportunity to make our parents feel more connected to the school.
The board meeting was quite an experience.  After some pleasant presentations from the Sanger High ASB President and a gift from the Tom Flores Foundation the meeting turned pretty tense.  Some teachers in the district were pretty upset about the current observation form and some felt that they would be facing placement in our PAR program if things did not change.  Everyone's mood changed and the board and district administration asked that the issue be looked into and resolved.  Overall, it was a good meeting and a unique experience into yet another side of the education world. 

Budget Blog

The budget activity was very helpful in learning about the different funding sources at our school.  I was amazed at the amount of money we spend each year.  It was also interesting to see how we pay for our CSP's whose salary come from our EIA funding.  My school feels that this is the best way to spend our money- on people. 

Last Session

I was really impressed with Dr. Bradley's knowledge of school finances.  His discussion regarding school and district budgets was interesting as well as information on bonds and taxes.  I appreciated the background as to why California struggles to adequately fund its schools.  The Priest decision and Proposition 13 definitely changed the way California allots money to its schools.  As a leader, it is extremely important to know how to manage your school's finances and use the money to accomplish the goals set forth by your mission.  At my school, we choose to use a significant amount of money on our Curriculum Support Providers.  They assist the Assistant  Principal's with classroom walkthroughs and coaching and serve as a bridge between administration and the teachers.  Our high English learner population also requires us to properly fund our ELD and intervention programs.  Thank you for bringing in such knowledgeable leaders to share their information with us. 

Ch. 7

Chapter 7 was a good way to conclude a very good book.  I enjoyed how the book began with Jeff's story as a new administrator that possessed the traits outlined in the book.  It was great to see his journey come to an end in such a remarkable way.  The testimonies from people that worked for him were heartfelt.  It was amazing to see the impact he had on so many people's lives and that they came from all stakeholders in the schools from teachers, to secretaries, to custodians.  Jeff clearly epitomizes the kind of administrator that I want to be.  This book, along with The Speed of Trust, was my favorite and really allowed me to reflect on myself as a person and administrator. 

Weekend Seminar

I really enjoyed the learning that took place at the Clovis Center.  The speakers were extremely competent with the material that they presented.  Rebecca Rowe's presentation ran the gamut of what you need to know as an administrator especially in the areas of discipline and special education-two areas that can get you in trouble if you make mistakes.  I felt the most important thing to do is document everything.  Documentation is vital to ensuring that due process is used when dealing with students or teachers.  Another critical learning was how to deal with probationary, temporary, or ineffective teachers.  I believe this is similar to the Trust chapter in Leadership Connectors in that you have to be honest when supervising teachers.  It is important to give accurate evaluations so that they may understand how critical it is to improve their instruction or classroom management.  It is very difficult to enact change when teachers become tenured. 
Dr. Hauser's presentation was my favorite because she presented ideas that can be implemented immediately.  It becomes very clear pretty quickly that meetings are a constant expectation as an administrator and learning ways to run more effective meetings was encouraging.  An effective meeting must be pre-planned with objectives, outcomes, and processes to ensure that decisions are made in a timely manner.  Her presentation further demonstrated the need to design a collaborative meeting in which everybody has a role and an equal voice in the decisions that affect a school.  I look forward to using her model when developing an effective meeting. 
Dr. Torosian is definitely a knowledgeable person in the area of discipline.  His attention to detail has proven to be effective based on the low percentage of cases being overturned through the appeal process.  His honesty when dealing with administrators ensures that things get done correctly the first time.  As an administrator, it is very important to develop a good working relationship with your Director of Child, Welfare, and Attendance as there will be many situations where you are unsure how to proceed.  A phone call to them is always good to get direction or confirm your ideas for how to proceed. 
Finally, I felt that Dr. Wise and Dr. Buster's presentation on the FRISK process was very good.  I have used the FRISK model this year and am a big fan of it.  It makes writing a difficult letter much easier because the design forces you to focus on the facts and limits your desire to embellish the situation with unnecessary details.
I appreciated very much that we did not have down time.  All of our time was used to learn strategies that are critical in becoming an effective administrator.  I am not a fan of losing my weekend but there was a lot of good learning that I can start using immediately and for that I appreciated the opportunity to attend this weekend. 

Leadership Connectors: Trust

I found that this is one of my favorites books I have read in this program.  I really enjoys the way it breaks up the traits you must possess in order to be an effective leader and then puts them together to say that you need all of them.  You can not be an effective leader if you only possess one or two of them.
Trust is a major challenge for any new leader.  It is not something that happens overnight.  You have to work hard to gain the trust of teachers.  I am still working on a few after a year as their supervisor.  In order to earn trust you have be available for your teachers and show them you are there to support them through your actions.  It is also important that you communicate with them in a positive manner each day.  Tell them hello, find a strength each day in their teaching, and follow through on what you said you were going to do.  A good leader goes to the PLC meetings not to check up on them but to participate as a member of the team.  A leader that has earned the trust of her teachers will have teachers going to them for assistance when they need it.  One of the best moments as an Assistant Principal was the first time a teacher came to see me for help in designing a lesson.  We sat in my office after school for over an hour developing that lesson and then the teacher asked me to visit the class when the concept was taught.  This was not for an observation but just because the teacher wanted to deliver an effective lesson for a difficult concept and came to me for help.  Those moments make you feel good about your decision to go into administration.
Another important point mentioned in the book was to be careful with how you communicate with teachers.  One bad choice of words or one facial expression can take months to recover from.  The best thing to do is be honest even if it is not what the other person wants to hear.  They will respect you more for it than if you sugar coat the issue or give false hope because you don't want to deal with a challenging situation. 

Chapter 4L Leadership Connector: Competence

Competence is definitely a trait you must possess as an administrator.  The people that you supervise will eat you up if they believe that you do not have the skills for the job and you will crumble if you do not have the confidence in yourself.  The job as an administrator is mind-boggling at times.  Just like your first day as a teacher, you will report to work that first day without a clue as to what you are supposed to do.  Everything that comes your way those first few months are issues that you really don't know how to handle.  Missing cell phones, behavior on the bus, needs for supplies, parent complaints about teachers, teacher complaints about students, people calling in sick, SARBS, discipline, observations, evaluations, etc. will definitely be issues that you must handle.  The thing is to remain calm, ask for clarification from the others, and make the best decision you can.  Just make sure you own that decision and support it once you make it.  If you made a mistake, well own that too, learn from it, and move on with your day.  The great part of the job is the impact you can have on teachers and students.  You get to visit classrooms every day and have positive conversations with most of your staff.  Every school will have the two-percenters that will attempt to ruin your day.  Don't let them. 
I enjoyed reading this chapter as it outlined my year as an administrator.  The best thing you can do is say, "I will get back you on that."  However, when you say those words, you must be sure to prioritize that commitment. 
If you can get through the first semester of school, you will see that it gets much better than that.  You have learned how to do many of your duties but still require the conversations with your colleagues.  That will change however the next year when your duties change and you have to learn them as well. 
I guess the things that helped me the most was that I was an effective teacher and I can speak to people.  I have to continue to improve my communication skills though, if that makes any sense at all.  Be kind, be humble, and always reflect at the end of the day. 

Chapter 5: Leadership Connector, Continuous Renewal

Wow!  This chapter probably caused me to reflect the most.  I am very proud to be an Assistant Principal and look forward each day to the challenges and new learning that I will experience, however I know that it is really easy to lose focus of the other important things in your life.  The job requires a tremendous amount of time.  It is not unusual to put in 65-75 hours a week with instruction, discipline, supervision, and extra duties.  I have gained weight and struggle to spend as much time as I'd like with my family due to the myriad responsibilities involved with the job.  This chapter really allowed me to reflect (which also happened to be the theme of the chapter) on how I can best manage my time.  I do look forward to the end of the program so that I can use my entire weekend for family but until then I will be brainstorming some ideas to help.
Another part of the chapter that I felt was meaningful to the position was to pick your battles.  You simply cannot go to war on every issue.  You wouldn't get anything done during the day.  Our role as an instructional leader is to coach teachers to be the best they can be and learn from them too.  I go back to the importance of building a collaborative culture with all members of the school so that we can be proactive vs. reactive and people feel comfortable going to another for help.
As an administrator, it is very important to keep your emotions in check.  I have always struggled with this even before I became an AP.  I get happy at the littlest of things but I can also blow up or show extreme anger on my face.  This is probably the one area that I have been very aware of these past two years and I work tirelessly to control.  I can't see how anyone will trust a hot-head therefore I now try to listen to the entire conversation and ask questions rather than trying to prescribe a remedy for every problem that exists at the school.  I believe in ownership of a decision and that only comes through a collaborative conversation. 
Lastly, the part about your health really made me wonder about my current practices.  I really need to make time to eat lunch and work in some exercise regardless of when I come home.  I still can't comprehend how Mrs. Logan, the high school Principal, can leave at 5:00 each day.  Regardless, health needs to be a reflective point especially leaders with families. 
I enjoyed reading this chapter and I expect to make some changes in how I manage my day, interactions, and my well-being. 

Leadership Connectors: Safety

This was a very helpful chapter and important chapter for any school leader.  The universal response for leaders is, "My number one priority is to provide a safe environment for my students."  That is true on so many levels, however it is equally important to create an environment where "everybody" feels safe from students to teachers to parents to classified staff.  Bullying behavior is prevalent at schools, especially secondary schools.  Students bully other students, teachers bully other teachers, and administrators bully teachers.  In order to create an effective learning environment, a leader must implement systems to counter this type of behavior and create a culture of compassion, caring, and interdependency. 
Bullying between students is something that can not ever be tolerated.  Disciplinary measures are not always effective.  A culture where bullying is not tolerated must be established.  The classroom is a great place to teach appropriate behaviors.  Teachers can have class meetings with their class to discuss the damaging effects of bullying, the support systems in place in case you are getting bullied or have witnessed bullying, and systems to help the bully.  Counseling and discussions with administrators can be very effective in changing these negative behaviors.
Another type of bullying exists between teachers and teachers and teachers and administrators.  Veteran teachers can be very unsupportive of new teachers and their new ideas and strategies.  An effective leader must supportive the ideas and establish opportunities for the new teachers to share in department or PLC meetings and share how the ideas are innovative and could assist the PLC or department in achieving its goals.  The process to building trust between teachers is critical and the administrator can play a vital role by providing opportunities to meet within the school day and encouraging active participation by all members.
The role of the administrator is continuously changing.  The manager that rules with an iron fist is being replaced by the collaborative instructional leader.  Working in collaboration with teachers and supporting their work each day will be more productive in establishing the trust needed to create a healthy school environment.  Teachers should feel comfortable to come to you with questions or problems without fear of retribution.  They must include the administrator as a member of the instructional team.  This type of environment does not happen overnight.  It must be developed over time through common goals and support for one another.  One way to do this is to give teachers credit for what they do.  If something works well, a leader should look through a window.  If something goes wrong, a leader should look through a mirror. 
I feel that the best way to earn the trust of your teachers is to admit that you don't know everything and that you have a lot to learn from them.  Yes, you still have to make the tough decisions when needed, but they will trust you if they know you are there to help and are not out to get them.   When they realize that you are on a treasure hunt each day, they will cease to believe that you are on a witch hunt. 

Blog Post for Ch. 1 and 2 of Leadership Connectors: Communication and Support

Wow!  These two chapters provided some great insight in how to become an effective leaders.  Chapter 1 talks about the importance of establishing consistent and effective communication with your staff.  Communication is transmitted three different ways:  verbal, written, and nonverbal.  The information you want to communicate with your staff must be clear and consistent, transmitted through an appropriate medium, and be composed in a way to allay any negative perceptions or confusion.  Effective leaders take the time each day to have positive conversations with all stakeholders at the school to thank them for the contributions they make to the school.  These conversations are held with teachers, custodians, support staff, students, and parents.  It is important, however to "frame" these conversations as an opportunity to continuously improve our efforts to support the school's goal of student achievement.  By framing conversations in a positive manner, your chances at creating an environment based on trust are increased, hopefully limiting the whispers in the staff room and conversations in the parking lot.  The story of Martin was a great example in using communication as a way to establish trust with his staff.  He consistently found something positive in every classroom visit and asked teachers to teach him the systems that were in place.  This humility developed a level of trust that allowed him to ask the challenging questions about student achievement later in the year.  The teachers were absolutely willing to do this with him.
Chapter 2 deals with another critical component of being an effective leader; support.  Teachers want to feel supported.  If they know they are supported, they will give you their best each day.  They need the materials that are required to teach from day one of the school year.  They need to make sure that they follow through on their promises.  If they tell a teacher they will get a new desk, that desk better be ordered and assembled before the first day of school.  Not following through on promises is a great way for teachers to lose the trust they had in you.  Furthermore, support not only refers to materials but also to people.  Teachers need support so that they are not isolated at the school.  They need support in assisting them with classroom management, organization, best teaching practices, etc.  An effective leader ensures that this is taking place by proving ideas and suggestions or seeking the assistance of veteran teachers or other administrators.
I took a lot from these two chapters that I can use to be an effective leader.  First of all, I have to continuously communicate with my staff.  I need to be present each day so that they know I am always available to assist them.  Many teachers do not like going to the Principal's office.  If I camp out in my office all day I will not get a true measurement of my school's climate.  Being visible makes you accessible and that is a great way to develop trust.  I will support my teacher's needs and ensure that they have the materials and technology required prior to the start of school.  I will share budget information with them and ask them for their input when making purchases at the school site or approving professional development seminars.  I will establish a council made up of myself and teacher representatives to share ideas and make critical decisions to improve student achievement.  Finally, I will work tirelessly in my support of all my teachers in providing them with the assistance they need to become effective teachers. I will get subs to conduct peer observations or to plan for the year.  I will conduct daily focus walks that will be formative in nature and initiate conversations with them around best practices and student learning.  Although these two chapters gave many suggestions, I feel that by starting with these I am on my way of becoming an effective leader.  

First Meeting

Hello,
Just want to say that it was nice to put faces to names for members of the other cohorts.  I am looking forward to completing the M.A. this semester and being able to enjoy free weekends.  With regards to the Pink video, it was interesting to hear about the differences in extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.  Obviously, we would like our teachers to have intrinsic motivation and I believe the school leaders have a big role in this.  When teachers feel supported, I believe they will work harder.  It is very important to get them what they need early in the year and use classroom visitations to trigger conversations about best practices and student learning.  The focus walks must be a treasure hunt, not a witch hunt.  Through support one can have more success in having a staff with intrinsic motivation that want to come to work each day.  

Apaches-Always With Pride

My name is Pete Muñoz and I am a member of the Sanger Unified School District Administration cohort.  I have been in education for fifteen years.  I am currently an Assistant Principal at Sanger High.  Go Apaches!  This is my second year in this position.  I began my teaching career in 1997 as a 3/4/5 bilingual combination class.  I taught for three years at the elementary level at Washington Elementary School in Reedley.  I moved to Sanger Unified in 2000 as a Social Studies teacher at Washington Academic Middle School where I remained for ten years.  I served as Curriculum Support Provider at Del Rey Elementary prior to accepting the position at Sanger High in 2010.  I am eager to complete my master's degree as it has been an extremely difficult task balancing school, family (I have two small children), and the demands of my job which often require me to put in eleven hours day and many hours of supervisory duties.  I do however have a special place in my heart for Sanger Unified as I was a student from kindergarten to high school, having graduated as an Apache in 1989.  I currently live in Fresno but have most of my family in Sanger. 
When I'm not at work or writing papers and reading books, I like to spend time with my children and take in an occasional round of golf.