Do

Identify the part(s) of your plan you were able to implement (given the nature of leadership work, your project may actually continue beyond submission of your Capstone Portfolio).

The main purpose of my action plan was to speak with colleagues about their concerns regarding their profession in education. I was able to receive feedback on my Google Form quickly from some people. I looked towards other ways to visit with those in my own school that did not reply. I held informal conversations before and after school to gauge perspectives. I was able to interview colleagues via email too. I took the information I received from my conversations and I sent information to Billings Education Association members. I received feedback from these members and plan to continue these conversations into the new school year with our new Billings Education Association President.

How successful was your action plan at addressing the challenge?

My action plan is still a work in progress regarding the challenge. I have been able to hear perspectives that differ from my own personal thoughts. I have noticed similarities in concerns regardless of grade level or content area. Beginning this dialogue has been helpful to learn more about my community and make for meaningful conversations working towards a shared vision of retaining quality educators.

Do Artifacts 1-10

Responses from Educators regarding their thoughts on their current situations with their teaching career. Educators were able to express their thoughts to questions and give as much detail as they wished.

Do Artifact 11 and 12: Empathy Interviews 

I was able to interview two educators in my district. Both have held various positions throughout their careers and have noticed changes regarding their profession since they began. 

Which stakeholders and association practice or program were impacted?

For my project, K-12 educators- specifically Billings Education Association members, and Billings Education Association Board Members were impacted.

How were your four chosen competencies used in the implementation of your project?

For this project I practiced the leadership competencies of Communication and Interpersonal Effectiveness. I focused on making sure that the wording of my questions to educators was clear and allowed them to share their thoughts and voices. I depended on creating trusting relationships to ensure that teachers were able to express what they needed to without worrying about things that they may want to say in confidence. Finally, I am making sure to clearly communicate the results of my interviews to the appropriate members of the Billings Education Association. 

In regards to Diversity, Equality, and Cultural Competence: Explore and Challenge Inequity I created opportunities to raise awareness for educators to share their feelings about education. I plan to continue these discussions into the next school year as well. As I hear from more diverse perspectives, our discussions have the potential to lead to solutions for inequities facing our profession. These solutions will aid us in keeping quality teachers in our district.

Finally, for my leadership pathway - Association - Organizational Effectiveness: Leading with Vision - my confidence grew while working with others to reach a shared vision grew. In regards to working with my union, we are in talks to create a new committee focusing on mental health, retention, and burnout facing educators in our district. I plan to continue these discussions into the next school year.

What obstacles, if any, did you encounter?  How did you address them?

The biggest obstacle was taking the feedback from my colleagues to work towards a feasible solution. I received many ideas and concerns, however, some of the concerns cannot be solved easily. Increasing teacher pay, creating smaller class sizes, addressing lack of respect from parents and the wider community, and policies passed by state legislators are out of the hands of educators. I made sure that the educators that I interviewed understood that I would bring their concerns forward, but that having their voices heard was the first step in the process of addressing their concerns.

Given the outcomes, describe any changes you might make to the Capstone Project’s action plan.

I enjoyed being able to give a voice to several teachers in our district. One thing I would change if I could go back is to try to get a larger sample of teachers to interview, as well as include more support staff.