Week 5 Personal Blog

Ray White

http://maverick253.blogspot.com/

  Identify whether distributive leadership is used for capacity building at your school site.

 Explain how it is being used. If it is not, describe how it could benefit your school site to apply this concept.

Well, I first had to find out what “capacity building” actually meant.  In the reverse reading I just had the chance to start reading the material.  As defined in the reverse reading, Evaluting Capacity Building in Education (from a study that does not seem to be representative of the demographics of any particular area of the country), capacity building are the inclusive efforts that help an educational institution realize it’s purpose and attain its mission statement.   

Yeah, no kidding.  But, it’s like listening to Steve Perry on CNN saying that the primary need is good, solid, teacher who teach possess modern teaching innovations and he never mentions the accountability nor the responsibility of the kids and parents.  This may be true, but I think it’s a lot of BS and I don’t mean Bachelors of Science. 

As a science person, one only manipulates one variable at a time to observe the results.  Here’s a variable to consider.  Kids, do you homework.  Parents, ensure your kids do their homework.  I have personally and unofficially interviewed so many teachers from general level, basic graduation required classes to AP.  I’ve personally taught the same spectrum I have read posts in these classes from all over the country and I see a constant in my previous statements. 

We have definitely learned much better teaching techniques in the past 20 years.  But the answer to capacity does not lie here; it lies in the laps of parents and students.  I’m really sick and tired of hearing about educational reforms and what’s wrong with education.  There is nothing wrong with education.  Of course it can always be improved but the foundation does not lie within the educational system.  Let’s manipulate the parent/kid variable and see what happens.  That would be valuable information.  Oh wait, that’s been done many times and the overwhelming evidence shows that students who have parents that show an active role in their education, not only do better on test scores, but attain higher levels of “thinking” other than memorization without concepts attached.

Capacity building?  Let’s show some fortitude and truly evaluate the equation and manipulate the proper variables.  I forgot.  We live in a sue happy society and it’s much cheaper to destroy a teaching career than it is to fight for what is right.

Week 4 Blob Entry

4-22-2012

I have anguished over this blog entry for a couple of days now.  I really don’t like writing or talking about myself especially in the positive as I learned at an early age that “self brag s half scandal” I a practitioner of Zen and trying to reach a point of development where I do not require validation from anyone but myself as long as I remain objective and skeptical of myself to a high degree.    

I am an amalgam.  I see several leadership styles in me. None are inclusive.  I seem to be a mixture of several different styles.  Much of this I developed out of my basic character and was shown to be successful in business, education, and ditch digging.  Well, everything except technical.  Not a strong point but I could hire those who complimented me in this area.  As a teacher, on my own, it is a constant struggle to be better in this area. 

I do see myself strong in human relations except that I know and remember ego motivations.  So things enter the equation that some may not want them to.  Does that make sense?   I am a science philosopher and the main thing I try hard to remove is my own feelings and opinions and think more along evidential lines.  Not always popular.

I also see myself significantly a part of being educational, symbolic, and cultural. 

Sorry. But this is what I objectively see and I think it is this combination, combined with a life of incredible experiences that have directly linked me to insight into human behavior and motivations, and not being afraid to state my thoughts and fight for what is right no matter the consequences to me, might make me a good addition to my school as a teacher leader.

Sorry.  I hated this blog.

As you know from many of my previous posts, we here in Paso Robles are part of an extremely dysfunctional school district and most all of it relates to the power dynamics.  All the power rests in the hands of a superintendent we got 3 and a half years ago.  She is a micro managing tyrant who received 2 votes of no confidence from her previous district.  She going to get another as soon as spring break is over.

She has the weak school board completely in her pocket and they perpetually rule, not only against teachers who they consider losers or they wouldn't be teaching, but against education in general.

She has hired new principals, some are currently going through classes to get their administrative credential and all are actively seeking to go to another district, who are powerless and do her bidding without fighting for what is right. 

She "seeks" advice in a transparent effort to show our input has some relevance, but then discounts everything and does whatever she pleases and that is normally what she was going to do anyway.

She hierd an expensive attorney who specializes in state employee dismissal and has set forth policies that will make it very difficult for older teacher to keep their jobs.  The 260 point evaluation is an example.  Yes that's right, 260 point.

When she took over, we had a committee to investigate a "possible" schedule change and it involved parents, teachers, administrators, and her.  She wanted us to go to a trimester system.  This removed 6 weeks of assimilation time for the kids to learn more material.  We went from teaching 10 sections a year to twelve without an increase in pay.  We all had to be exactly where every other teacher who taught that subject was on that day.  The kids changed teachers every trimester seldom having the same teacher AN in most instances, their trimester was not back to back.  Most would take a math course the first trimester, skip math, then take it in the last trimester.

Everyone was absolutely against this but guess what?  We went to the trimester system.  Kids are stressed, parents are stressed, and we teacher's are stressed.  Test scores plummeted but she only blamed our bad techniques.

Through bad management of funds, we "lost" 2 million dollars and the state auditors came in and declared us insolvent.  That means a state take over unless we fix the insolvency.  She wanted a 9% pay cut for this year with a continuing 6 % each year after that.  We were willing to help with our salaries but through furloughs due to retirement issues.  She declared impasse and we were on the verge o a strike when, for the first time, she relented.  But still, for her mismanagement of funds, which is under investigation, we have to make up the difference retroactive to the start of the school year.  What it amounts to is, for the next 3 months, we will have a 12% cut in pay but get them in the form of furlough days.  We will only be teaching 3 days a week all during May.

Power dynamics in our district?  Non existent.  Oh, and somehow she got it into her contract that if we fire her, even for cause, she is entitled to 18 months salary...around 200,000 a year.

When leadership is based on strengths instead of weaknesses, it foster a much more positive atmosphere which in kind allows the participants more freedom to move along there strengths and thereby initiates the practical aspect . The actual implementation of the practice itself.

I became a teacher late in life with the intention of making changes that will be of benefit to the future.  Many of my ideas are not new at all.  It seems that educational reforms and the quest to show improvement via standardized tests have perverted the basic foundations that I think are necessary to actual improvement. 

It also seems that many teachers and administrators have tried to make so many changes that the initial project, teaching not only the subject but also work ethic, personal responsibility, and accountability have been lost in the process.  I think that, until we get back to some fundamental basics, all we will continue to do is place band aids on gushing arteries plugging a few holes and looking good for a short period of time while we lose generations which we can ill afford to do. 

With this course, I hope to become a true leader by learning more effective communication skills.  I am a science person and in science there is little room for fluff.  We look at the evidence and "publish".  When this does not include people's egos, the message is lost.

I want to be able to put together teams and let the teams do their work with a goal at the end.  When I do this on my own, little is heard.  I need more interpersonal skills to bring more teachers, especially new ones and create teams that will get us back to the basics of so we can educate our youth .  Truly educate. 

After 22 years, this is still my mission and with the skills I will develop in these classes, along with the certification, my credibility may rise to the point of greater acceptance from my peers

I am trying to post my formal blog.

Ray's Blog: I hope this is my first blog...I know it's my firs...

Ray's Blog: I hope this is my first blog...I know it's my firs...: I hope this is my first blog...I know it's my first try anyway