MS+Educational+Leadership+Program+Dispositions


 * MS Educational Leadership Program Dispositions: Self-Assessment**

__**1. Value change as the source of opportunity for improvement.**__

Whenever I encounter change, I know that it is important for me to let go of fear like the character, Haw, in Dr. Spencer’s, Who Moved My Cheese? I will continue to view change as an opportunity and a leap of faith; I have to believe that it will happen. If I fail, I will learn from my mistakes and view it as another opportunity for growth.

__2. **Display the ability to understand people and relations and be receptive to the ideas of others.**__

It appears that there is some symmetry with the discussion presented in my MS Educational Leadership Program Goals # 2 & 3.However, I will continue to be bound by our school’s core values and objectives and continue to advocate for students. I will also have other opportunities to ask my colleagues for guidance and support when problems arise at our school. However, now is the time for me to develop and practice leadership skills mentioned in Disposition #2 as a future administrator. I will continue to be an agent of change guided by a common goal. It is a leader’s responsibility to guide the dynamics of a team; for each member can collectively contribute their talents and strengths to accomplish short and long-term goals.


 * 3: __Show a willingness to implement non-discriminatory access, accommodations and assessments.__**

Because I work with students with special emotional and academic needs, I modify all my lessons and exams. I facilitate a compensatory model of instruction. The modifications in my instruction are aligned with our district’s academic standards and benchmarks. The compensatory model of instruction is a strategy that breaks down each component with additional drills and practice to promote more meaningful learning and mastery of skills. In special education, it just takes us a little longer to “catch up” to our “regular” age peers.


 * 4. __Demonstrate empathic understanding of diversity in all domains.__**

A discussion of empathy and diversity are also presented in Goals 2 & 3 above. Empathy and understanding are demonstrated in my thoughts and actions as a student advocate as well as conscientiously facilitating a culturally diverse curriculum. Both dovetail nicely into the dominant white-middle-class cultural presence and themes in our schools‘ curriculum, the media, and our community as a whole.


 * 5. __Regularly reflect upon the philosophical assumptions, ethical principles, and rationale that guides one's practice.__**

I am bound to leadership philosophy as presented in this paper and the Oshkosh Area School District’s vision and mission statement and it is reflected in my student advocacy. These principles will also be reflected in my leadership skills as well.

As mentioned in Goal #4, I will continue to be a life-long learner and enjoy the dynamics of change along the way. I would like to think that my growth as an educator is reflected in the growth and change I see in my students everyday. As I mentioned in my Change Project, I think I have a natural ability to connect with students because I truly accept them for who they are. I have learned so much from my students about unconditional love. As Hilarie Rooney stated in //The// //World is Flat,// “An educator cannot fire the passion in someone else if it doesn’t burn in you to begin with.” Rooney also suggests that there appears to be a direct correlation between ‘whether or not you love kids’ and your students’ learning in your classroom(Friedman, 2006, p.305).With this in mind, much of the //at risk// student’s academic success //starts// with building relationships first and providing an educational setting that provides consistent structure and supervision.
 * __6. Understand oneself as a learner, and value learning as a core capacity.__**