July 2021

Name each competency and the level at which you started and now place yourself. How did the TLI experience impact your growth as a teacher leader in each of your four chosen competencies?

Overarching Competency #1: Reflective Practice, Started: Emerging Now: Developing

I have ranked myself as developing in this category. In the context of the capstone project, I analyzed data from the district on turnover patterns and shared it with administration (Artifact 13 and 8, 10 Design page). I helped to convince them of our need for a mentorship program that is more formal and involved a lot of reflective practice. Without TLI, I would not have even thought about asking for data on staff turnover or engaged in conversations with administrative leadership about it.

Overarching Competency #2: Communication, Started: Emerging Now: Developing

I have ranked myself developing because I have had to communicate to the association and administration through different presentations about the needs assessment and the proposed solutions to the needs (Artifacts 8, 10, Do page). I also was encouraged to see that when my partner and I asked, people were willing to step up and serve in leadership roles as teachers and support staff (Artifact 15, Do page). I also have had to communicate to the administration a vision for what a mentorship program would look like and how it would be different from what has been done in the past. Being in TLI and interacting with the other members of my cohort was inspiring and encouraged me to continue to move forward with my ideas even when it felt like some folks were not receptive initially.

Foundational Competency: Diversity, Equity, and Cultural Competence, Started: Emerging Now: Developing

I have had to explain to the administration why some issues emerged as needs whereas others seemed to be strengths within the district. For example, some participants in our survey expressed a need for more training on recognizing child abuse. When this was shared with administration, they were a bit defensive, and my partner and I had to clarify that this sentiment was coming from classified staff, not certified staff, who had multiple training sessions on this topic. It’s points like these that illustrated to me that despite working in the same place, everyone does not get the same training or information. One administrative secretary expressed to me that our “staff meetings” should be called “teacher meetings” because most staff are unable to attend those meetings, even though they want to attend, because they have ongoing contractual duties. Those experiences helped to identify certified staff as the more privileged individuals within the district. Without TLI, I don’t think I would have really viewed our classified staff as stakeholders in such a clear manner.

Further, my recent experiences at the CSPAC meeting in July, helped me view the public comment over the addition of the words "inclusion" and "equity" in a new light (Artifact 15, Do page). I was able to reflect on the entire proceedings and view what people had to say with respect and see it from their shoes. They are stakeholders who care about what happens in the state's public schools. They want classrooms to be safe, welcoming, and fair for their students, and their fear over the addition of language that has becoming recently tinged with divisive political meaning in the context of education is a valid viewpoint. Though I may think their fears are overblown, they took the time to come to a relatively mundane meeting and speak their minds because they care so much. It's my job as a leader to listen to their point of view and take it into strong consideration as the advisory council moves forward in it's revision of the Professional Educators of Montana Code of Ethics.

Specific Leadership Pathway Competency selection: Association-Organizational Effectiveness: Leading with Vision Started: Emerging Now: Developing

In regards to my current capstone project, I am proposing changes to the existing mentorship contract so that there is more accountability for mentors and mentees (Artifact 12, Do page). I have represented the association on some other unrelated issues in communication with the school board through a well crafted letter in May. I also have represented the association at more regional gatherings and in communication with our state president, Amanda Curtis. She organized a regional get together of MFPE leaders from the Bozeman, Belgrade, Big Sky, and Livingston area after I requested some support in learning how to be a local chapter president. Finally, I volunteered as a member of the MFPE’s Rapid Response team to advocate for issues during the 2021 Legislative Session in Montana. With Amanda Curtis’s encouragement, I applied for a state position on the Certification Standards and Practices Advisory Council (CSPAC). In May, I was appointed by the Montana Board of Public Education to serve as the 9-12 representative on CSPAC. My three year term started June 1, 2021. See the link for connection to CSPAC membership https://bpe.mt.gov/Home/CSPAC-Members TLI helped give me the boost of courage to ask for letters of recommendation from a board member and the superintendent and ultimately apply to CSPAC. At my first CSPAC meeting July 14, I volunteered to serve on the code of ethics subcommittee after hearing some testimony from the public over proposed language changes that many members of the public found extremely concerning (Artifact 15, Do page). By volunteering, I am ensuring a voice that represents MFPE is present on the subcommittee.

What was the most valuable part of the TLI process for you?

For me, the most valuable part of the experience was growing my connections with other teacher leaders across the state. It encouraged me to be more involved in the association and take on more of a leadership role both locally and regionally. I was also challenged professionally and intellectually. This program gave me the courage to take on more leadership roles outside of the classroom.

What are your next steps to continue your growth as a teacher leader?

I attended my first CSPAC meeting July 14 and as well as my first Board of Public Education meeting, where I represented teachers in grades 9-12 from across the entire state of Montana. My first ethics sub-committee meeting will be August 9, 2021, where we have to deal with the public reaction to the proposed changes to the teacher's code of ethics and decide how to best move forward with the interests of all stakeholders in mind during the decision making process. I will be proposing to the administration that I lead the mentor training and oversee the mentorship program I want to launch at the school.

March 10, 2021

I am the new local chapter president, recently elected (Artifact 16). I want to change the perception of the association by the district and encourage more participation. I think one way to do that is to work to actively serve the needs of all employees to make it a better place for everyone to work, whether they are members or not.

I switched from interpersonal effectiveness to reflective practice. I think it’s because my original thought about the project was that the induction program and mentorship would involve helping others to develop their interpersonal effectiveness. At this point it won’t launch until next August/September, so reflective seemed more relevant at this point in the process.

I switched from group process to communication. I did this because at this point I am not facilitating group processes but will do so once we implement the induction and mentorship program. Communication makes more sense as I have had to talk to lots of staff and listen to their feedback; conduct interviews, collect data and then implement a plan with that knowledge. We want to get people on board with the new induction program and buddy-mentorship program, topics covered, and the schedule. We would like to make it part of the district culture. There is a desire by all staff for more guidance and mentorship (Artifact 14, Do page).

January 31, 2021 Reflecting on Overarching Competencies

I have chosen to work on developing my skills in interpersonal effectiveness and group processes. In terms of interpersonal effectiveness, I have always been a person who can work with just about anyone. This is true in my ability to connect with students. However, I would rank myself in the developing to emerging stage. I already think I have the trust of colleagues and am great at supporting other people in their teaching practice. For this competency, what I need to develop is a shared vision and foster interpersonal development in others for the benefit of our student body.

For the past couple of years, I have been pondering a problem. I think one of the biggest challenges facing K-12 education is the recruitment and retention of motivated, creative people to the teaching profession. There are a variety of reasons for this, but one of the most important is a lack of consistent mentorship. Developing a district mentorship program is a step I can facilitate and address an issue that is going to plague education for the foreseeable future. A more formal mentorship program, that would include training of mentors and mentees, will help to foster interpersonal effectiveness in other teachers, mobilize other teachers to an action that ultimately benefits both teachers and students, and helps to address the local teacher retention issue in our district. I would like to move from developing to performing in this competency.

I think a potential roadblock could be asking already busy teachers to take on another job, particularly if there are requirements about meetings and actions. I do think having some formal requirements is good from an accountability standpoint and also from a teacher-training standpoint. It’s important that people get something in terms of professional development out of the mentorship. It will be important to strike a balance with what is expected of both mentors and mentees. However, in the past the district has had some funds for “mentorship” contracts, so that could be a good incentive. I have already spoken to my principal about the idea and she is supportive.

For the second competency, group processes, I rank myself as emerging. I have served on the school’s COVID Task Force since July, but I am a member, rather than a leader. However, I do represent the teacher’s voice. I also have tried to branch out and connect with classified staff to make sure their concerns have been given a voice in the meetings. We have had to navigate some difficult situations in January and I had to voice some unpopular opinions and felt myself in the minority. I did feel that the group did respect my point of view. I would like to develop my own leadership skills in the context of representing the association. I would like to end up in the developing to performing range.

I think one of the big roadblocks in this respect is the engagement of the rest of the membership. People have the attitude that they have too much to do already. However, the virtual meeting platform I think will help. I also am unsure about how to make inroads with our elementary staff. We only have 1 full time teacher in the building who is a member. I don’t know every teacher over there and with COVID it has been more difficult to get to know new teachers. A couple of ideas I have is to get a bulletin board up in each building promoting the association and also to put together a newsletter that comes out a few times a year. Recently, several of us hosted a breakfast for all staff and faculty (something we used to do more regularly before COVID), and the turnout was pretty good, so another event like that could be a good way to reach people.

Interpersonal Effectiveness

My shared vision is a formal mentorship program for the district, led by association members. My principal and I were able to discuss this during my first semester post-observation meeting and she was very receptive to the idea. I also recruited the other teacher in our district to become part of TLI, to help her build her skill set and she and I have discussed some ideas for this mentorship program. Finally, I was recently asked to host another student teacher after I successfully mentored one last spring, through the pandemic. All of these signs suggest that I am on the right track with trying to develop and implement a district wide mentorship program. I think it will also help make our association a more valued stakeholder in the district, rather than an adversarial one, which is the reputation it has had in the past.

I think treating colleagues with mutual respect is important. That means giving everyone a chance to voice their opinions, offer suggestions, and offer opportunities to be involved in a way that works for them. When someone else has an idea they are passionate about, it’s important to be supportive and flexible of it. Some examples in my own school are the annual Expedition, Shakespeare in the schools, and other other special events. These events are part of the school culture and generally exist because one teacher or a couple of teachers make it their mission to put on these special educational events every year. Making them meaningful and successful requires the buy-in of all faculty and administrators. Similarly, if I want to take on a grade wide or school wide project/event, it takes the support of my colleagues to make it happen.

My school district is constantly growing, unusual for most Class C schools in MT. Although, many of the teachers and students have been a part of the school for years, while there are always new additions. We are a predominantly white staff and student body, though we have a growing Hispanic population. Many of our students come from affluent families. COVID-19 has brought an almost 20% increase in enrollment to our entire district this year. Many of our new students are from urban areas, like New York, and their families had second homes here and chose to leave those urban locations for the safety of their families.

Change to procedures and processes can be difficult at times for those who are long time members of the school community. However, COVID has made everyone more flexible (teachers and students), and open to new ways of doing the things that have always been a part of the school culture. So, we have always had ski days in our school, and our administration and PTO worked very hard to make sure all students continued to have that opportunity this year, despite the pandemic. This showed me that if leadership works to maintain events/ideas important to the culture and identity of the school, the whole community is receptive to it, even if the event has to operate or look different than in the past.

I think the influx of new students has helped the students who have gone to school here since kindergarten appreciate their school and their home in a way they never previously had. It has also infused a wider set of perspectives and experiences across each classroom. The racial diversity of the student body has also changed, though more marginally. I think this also helps break the “Big Sky” bubble that many of our students have spent a lifetime in. It’s brought greater understanding and awareness.

Similarly, I think it has helped the entire staff value the in person time they have with students and with each other. We all recognize how lucky we are to live in a community with resources and a community that values its public school. I think everyone has cultivated a greater sense of gratitude this year than ever before

Group Processes

I have been serving on a school based team, the COVID Task Force, since July. It includes the superintendent, two board members, both building principals, myself (and another teacher who attends when I cannot), our food service director, our technology director, a parent representative, and a student representative. Generally, we are all on equal footing in the meeting setting.

As the teacher task force representative, I had the opportunity to call an emergency meeting, related to our school going back full time, 100% in person. A majority of the membership was opposed to the timing of this, and I had to facilitate a productive discussion and come up with a plan of action to make our viewpoint known, but in a professional and proactive fashion. I set the agenda, ran the meeting, and followed up with our action plan. As a group, we decided to write a letter and I helped to draft and edit the letter. I was also responsible for delivering the message to the task force. I did feel heard and the reopening was postponed nearly a month. The former association president complimented me on this small success and my navigation of the situation. I would like to build off this positive experience and have the association become a more proactive and productive voice in the district.

Generally, this group of colleagues, mostly high school and middle school teachers, has mutual respect and supports each other as teachers on a daily basis. Many are long time friends and colleagues and relate well to each other outside of work. However, in terms of how the association has functioned, I would say it has had limited functionality. The group has been active around negotiations, but that seemed about it. Until this November, we had not had an election in the 5 years I had been a member and no officers other than our President/Representative. Our President didn’t really delegate and ended up taking on that job by himself. Though extremely knowledgeable about the association, the collective bargaining agreement, and many related issues, he lacked support from the group to be the most effective leader possible. Thus, the group was pretty stagnant. I’m working to change that and have tried to demonstrate that I am willing to show up on behalf of everyone else and report back to the group. Some of the younger members have also expressed a willingness to be more involved and make more contributions.

In a high functioning group/team, people are committed to the team. They trust each other and they are accountable for their actions. They are able to have open discussions and avoid back-channel dealings. Team goals and collective success come before individual goals. A dysfunctional team lacks trust and accountability. It fears conflict and is unable to air different opinions openly and have productive debate.