5301 Reflections

It is somewhat difficult to believe that this course has come to an end.  I am certain that I will feel the void in my days, because teaching, grading, meetings, working on aspects of my internship, and my family just aren’t enough to fill my days and my brain.  Before long, there will be another course to take, adding to the cornucopia of knowledge that nourishes my brain.

I began reading Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher (Dana, 2009), before the course began.  I was anxious to get started.  Even though I had never heard of the terms “action research” or “principal inquiry” before, I was beginning to develop and understanding before the course started.  

Today I read through the assignments from each week and I know that I have learned a lot.  I came into this course armed only with the knowledge of traditional ways of doing research.  My definition of research has broadened.

As I look back on all of the weekly assignments I realize it is a very good thing to have all parts of the process documented.  I have the greatest respect for what I have learned.  Reading through the assignments one after another, I really appreciate the depth of information.  I want to go back and compile the various parts of the assignments that make up my research project into one document to share with my mentors.  However, I wonder if a change in the sequence of tasks might have helped me.

Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher, (Dana, 2009) introduced me to action research, its importance and benefits for the principal inquirer, the school, and its students.  The data collection strategies in chapter 3, ways of sharing what I have learned from my research in chapter 5 and the quality indicators in chapter 6 are particularly valuable to me. I am certain I will reference those chapters often.

In Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action, Harris, Edmonson, and Combs (2010) provide us with great tools.  I really like the 7.1 Action Planning Template (p. 85) and the 8.1 CARE Model: Planning Tool (p. 99).  I find both of these very useful.  They are clear, concise, and focused.  Other information, in the book, that I found enlightening and particularly useful was the Strategies for Sustaining Improvement, (pp. 94-97).  Now that I know what these strategies are, I understand ways in which I can use them and I also recognize them from times my current administrators have used them.

Besides learning about principal inquiry and how to conduct an action research, highlights of the course were the interviews with Dr. Briseno, Dr. Chargois, and Dr. Lewis.  They really connected research and data to real situations that everyone in education can relate to.  It pleases me to see education moving in a positive direction, even if it is slowly.  It also made me happy to hear these educational leaders talk about the significance of every child.  As a parent of a child who is “different”, change just can’t happen fast enough, even if it is too late for my son.  Right now we exist in a system that allows true genius to fail because it isn’t able to conform.  That is every bit as bad as ignoring students because they have low intellect.  It is imperative that we find ways to ensure the success of all students.  We just need to be careful about the ways that we define success for each student. 

Now that I have completed the second leg of my journey in this program, I am very excited about what I will encounter next.  I know that I have chosen the correct path for me and what I want to achieve in my educational career.

Resources:

Dana, N. F.,(2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher.

          Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Kindle Edition.

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8         

           steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education.