Context

My name is Maria an I teach a reading intervention course to high schoolers that utilizes the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt programs System 44 and Read 180. I have taught 9-12 grade students with this program for seven years. Typically 75% of my students are on Individual Education Plans. Within our district we have eleven elementary schools, two middle schools, and three high schools. For the past three years I have been in charge of maintaining and troubleshooting issues for the programs for the middle school and then last year when the elementary version was adopted I added them also.

Our association is made up of para educators and teachers. We have 764 eligible union positions. We have 18 para educators who have opted out of the union and 5 teachers. After the Janus decision last year two state unions merged into one big state union. Due to this we are trying to get everyone onto new continuing membership forms and renew interest in the union. For two years I have been a building representative for my local union. During this time I have also worked for the state union as a member organizer- making contact with union members in different programs across the state helping their voices to be heard. I have been on the on-going bargaining team for the last two years.

Gaining awareness of my biases has really helped me to grow as a teacher leader. At the beginning I found that I have a tendency to think I am always right, I learned that when I am so closed to others perspectives I fail to see the flaws in my decisions/work and I can’t acknowledge how to change things when I reflect or be able to see how things could improve. Working in the association pathway I have learned the value of listening to everyone’s perspective to help come to the best possible solution.

Overarching Competency 1- Group Process: Emerging: Prior to diving into the TLI work I did not contribute in group meetings or learning opportunities. I did not have a good understanding of group dynamics and how to work through challenges and conflicts within a diverse group. Conflict is difficult for me because it makes me anxious and then I have difficulty expressing ideas succinctly to a group.

Overarching Competency 2- Technology: Pre-emerging: Prior to TLI, I was very avoidant of technology. My primary uses of it were just to communicate through emails, even then I preferred to stop by someone’s office or give a call in response. I certainly was not using technology as a tool beyond instruction or for any leadership purposes and was resistant to collaborating through the use of technology.

Diversity-Equity-Cultural Competency Section- Collaborate Purposefully: Emerging: At the beginning, I could recognize the differences, need for flexibility, and acknowledge my limitations when engaging with other groups but I could not create environments that allowed stakeholders to come together and work purposefully to share visions or goals to help all be successful.

Association Competency Selected- Building Capacity of Others: Emerging: I understood that individuals have different strengths and can be encouraged to help in different ways but was unsure how to motivate others to expand their leadership skills. I did not develop opportunities that allowed others to realize their potential as active members or empower them to grow.

I was a part of a variety of groups that dealt with many stakeholders this year that helped me to grow in competency areas. As a building rep I met with other paras and teachers from K-12 school with concerns that I would not have thought of in my own building. It was a bargaining year and I spent a great deal of time with board members and administration trying to make some tough decisions for our new contract. I knocked doors and made phone calls for the state government, talking with a variety of members who had different perspectives and concerns about what was going to be happening in their workplaces and with the legislative session this year. I also attend a legislative session fighting for to show the importance of unions in Montana. Through these experiences and the diversity of stakeholders I hoped the TLI process would help me to grow in understanding group process so that I can better deal with conflict when it arises. I also hope to be able to use technology not only to communicate effectively within groups but to express my ides effectively.

Awareness of different cultures, experiences, and backgrounds is vital for my association work because no two people in our district have the same scenario. When meeting with new hires the conversation always looks different depending on their experiences and background. Some new hires are just out of school and don’t know what a union is or why they should be a part of it. Others have worked in other states/districts where they were strongly involved or possibly disappointed by their union. We have had a new local Union President for the last five years. No one has been around long enough to see through every issue that members have had, the ball has been dropped in different areas and people are struggling to find value in their union because their voices haven’t been heard. This is what led me to choosing an Association Pathway and working on building capacity of our members.

Capstone Approval

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b8WfEQOgYtA4L46qAA4rNzj8JKxBilfyBfI57g2fP_A/edit?usp=sharing