Post 4.1; ldrs501; Health & Education<\/p>\n
I do not know anything about human resources (HR) and what their policies or procedures are for the Langley School District 35. The HR department is located at the School board headquarters for Langley in Murrayville. The only way I have had any dealings with the school board is when I was hired. There was paperwork to be filled out and they helped me understand the teacher-on-call telephone system. As far as my day-to-day work goes, I rarely ever have contact with them, although I did call HR two weeks ago to verify that my days off work for last week had been accurately entered into the on-line system.<\/p>\n
The Langley School District public image has improved. When we first moved to the district back in 2010 I recall the school district being in the news quite frequently because of over spending issues and the district not having enough money. I think they had a reputation of having the least money out of all the school districts in the lower mainland. Not to mention, they had also fired some board members or something to that effect. The school board was put on the hot spot for really bad management of school funds. At least that is what I have in my memory, but at the time I was not working for the school district, so I did not have all the facts. \u00a0Eight months after moving to Langley our daughter started pre-school at Langley Christian (LCS) and then changed Christian schools in kindergarten moving to Pacific Academy (PA). Around that same time we received a phone call from the school board saying there was a spot for our daughter at one of the French Immersion schools in the district (Brookswood). So, I went for a tour and was flabbergasted at the poor state of the school. The school itself was neglected and in bad need of repairs. I recall walking through the halls and seeing bulletin boards falling off the wall and ceilings I could almost touch. The environment was not welcoming at all, but very dark, not much light. In my mind, I was comparing this to LCS, PA and former private schools where I had taught in the past. My expectations were very high but we only want the very best for our children and aside from this school not having a Christian mandate its environment was not welcoming.<\/p>\n
More recently, while completing my Bachelor of Education at TWU I learned from one of my Profs what an amazing reputation the Langley School District has for its implementation of Aboriginal perspective and knowledge in the school curricu<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Working for the Langley School District today I can say that I am proud to work for the district. Over the few years I have been employed by the district I feel like we are a family. It has helped by working as a teacher-on-call and being able to work at various schools within the district and then having done my practicum in one high school and having taught at two other high schools now within the district. At Pro D events we all come together and re-unite with each other. Likewise, if you are a coach then this is more constant as you keep re-connecting with other schools at all the sporting events throughout the year.<\/p>\n Teachers for the most part seem connected and happy, but at the same time, the new teachers might feel a bit lost and disconnected. I was talking to one of my colleagues who is also doing her Masters right now and she is looking at teacher health. Apparently, there are many teachers who feel they are over-worked and have no balance in their lives. She wants to address this in creating a new program at our school and perhaps going district wide with this initiative.<\/p>\n I have worked under ten different principals and have seen and experienced different styles of leadership in both Christian schools, secular private schools and the public system. I have experienced everything from the transformational servant leadership style which was demonstrated by a principal at a Christian school in Toronto to the micromanage style of management which was spear headed by a female principal. I have had principals who are never at school because they are always at the school board office attending meetings or travelling and representing the school. These kind of principals were at two IB schools. I have only worked under female leadership three times and only once was it in a high school setting, the other two times it was in elementary schools.<\/p>\n I cannot think of any really negative organizational renewal challenges with any of the principals I have worked under. Trying to think back over 25 years ago when I had my first part time job at McDonald’s and Superstore, I vaguely remember who my bosses were? My current principal seems to be doing a great job in his role. He\u2019s certainly very experienced as he has been working in the district for 30 years and has been a principal at a few schools before being transferred to our school. He\u2019s now going to probably remain at our school until he retires. Last year, was his first year and one thing I noticed, he was not very present that first year. He observed the happenings of our school but appeared to be observing more than initiating any changes. This aligns with what I have read in the literature (Hord and Roussin, 2013). This year however, has been very different. For one, our principal walks the halls frequently and visits our classes more often. At our last Pro D he had us all collaboratively have input into a SWAT for our school vision and mission. Hord and Roussin (2013) contend that \u201ceffective leaders continually check current performance against the vision\u201d (p.16).\u00a0 One thing I have noticed this principal do well is acknowledge when you are doing something well. Even last year, when I was knew my principal would frequently give praise to teachers for outstanding efforts. It was nice to be acknowledged in that way. Hord and Roussin (2013) state \u201cEffective leaders also look for positive progress and directly and sincerely recognize and praise teachers (p.17).<\/p>\n Step 1 Creating an atmosphere and context for change<\/em><\/p>\n When I started teaching in the Langley School District change was in the air. The province had mandated that a new school curriculum should be employed. Of course this was a time of much friction as many teachers were not automatically sold by this new idea. Bringing teachers on board to collaboratively reflect on what has worked and what is not working sets the stage for change. Hord and Roussin (2013) purport \u201ccreating a context conducive to change one will see the entire professional staff coming together to reflect on how they are working to achieve goals for their students\u201d (p.14).<\/p>\n Step 2 Developing and communicating a shared vision<\/em><\/p>\n As we have read and discussed, having a clear vision is necessary in order for everyone to be on the same page.\u00a0 According to Hord and Roussin \u201c(2013) having a clear vision \u201crefers to mental pictures of what a school or a classroom might look like in a changed and improved state-a preferred image of the future\u201d (p.14). They go on to say \u201ceffective leaders use every opportunity to refer to the vision of the school during school and community meetings, personal interactions, and written communications\u201d (p.15). Likewise, Galbraith (2014) speaks about the importance of having a common culture which acts as the glue that holds everyone together (p. 200).<\/p>\n Step 3 Planning and providing resources<\/em><\/p>\n Hord and Roussin (2013) assert \u201cIn effective schools, resources are allocated, and reallocated, in ways that maximize teacher learning, organizational learning and, thus, student learning\u201d (p.15). In order for teachers to do their job well they need to be equipped with the right resources. However, in a time with little funding and sparse school board budgets it can be very challenging.<\/p>\n Step 4 Investing in professional development<\/p>\n Whenever there is a curriculum change new resources are required along with training sessions for teachers. Hord and Roussin (2010) point out that effective leaders \u201cencourage a deep understanding of new ideas through collegial learning opportunities\u201d (p.16). They also go on to say how \u201cenlightened districts are providing schedules where student early release days permits the professional staff to come together regularly and frequently for faculty study\u201d (p.16). In school district 35 we have at least six early release days for teacher collaboration within the school calendar.<\/p>\n Step 5 Checking progress<\/p>\n Once a new curriculum has been employed it is necessary to check in to see how it is being implemented and received by students.\u00a0 One thing effective leaders do is \u201ccontinually check current performance against the vision\u201d (p. 16). At my school this is done through Survey Monkey and departmental meeting discussions which are reported back to the principal.<\/p>\n Step 6 Continuing to give assistance<\/p>\n It is important that there is a long window of opportunity for teachers to receive support and peer coaching as they transition from the old method to the new. After dappling with WordPress for the past month and a bit, it is nice to know that Colin is still available for assistance. According to Hord and Roussin (2010) another thing effective schools do is \u201cprovide support for each other including peer coaching and mentoring\u201d (p.17). Likewise, effective leaders recognize the value of \u201ccelebrating successes\u201d and \u201cpraising teachers\u201d for their efforts (p.17). This goes hand-in-hand with Lepsinger\u2019s (2010) idea of \u201cenhancing and maintaining employee self-esteem\u201d (p.59).\u00a0 Teachers who must make significant adaptations to their teaching methodology may feel incompetent to grasp the new concepts. I am feeling this way at the moment with WordPress and posting work that involves many steps and adding hashtags etc.. It\u2019s all new and uncomfortable. A leader who can come along and \u201cstrengthen a person\u2019s belief in his own competence is a foundation of effective management\u201d (p.59).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Good communication sets the tone for whether employees will perform to their best or not. According to Lepsinger (2010) it is called a \u201cbalanced response\u201d or a \u201ccommunication tool\u201d (p.57).<\/p>\n Lepsinger (2010) points out how leaders should take the time to find out what each employee does well and then set goals for them to achieve and provide coaching along the way.<\/p>\n With so many new teachers in the school system it is important to let them know they are doing a good job. Lepsinger (2010) asserts \u201cstrengthening a person\u2019s belief in his own competence is a foundation of effective management\u201d (p.59). It really brightens my day when I receive some positive feedback or if I someone says an encouraging word. Employee self-esteem is important to take care of and foster.<\/p>\n References<\/p>\n Galbraith, J. R. (2014). Designing organizations strategy, structure, and process at the business unit and enterprise levels<\/em> (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.<\/p>\n Hord, S., & Roussin, J. (2013). Implementing change through learning: Concerns-based <\/em><\/p>\n concepts, tools and strategies for guiding change.<\/em> Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.<\/p>\n Lepsinger, R. (2010). Closing the execution gap how great leaders and their companies get results<\/em>. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Post 4.1; ldrs501; Health & Education Outline the best steps you envision for developing performance best practices across all areas of the organization where you work\/worked previously; addressing the various components of the organization like. Human resources (policies and procedures) I do not know anything about human resources (HR) and what their policies or procedures … <\/p>\n\n
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