David J.

Mroue
Galileo Education Specialist Program Reflection
The Galileo Leadership Consortiums mission is to advance the
development of teacher leadership and to ensure high levels of learning
for all. Bill Owens once said, True leadership lies in guiding others to
success. In ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the
work they are pledged to do and doing it well. I feel that my teacher
leadership development has empowered me to work collaboratively to
lead change within our school and improve the instruction and culture of
our building. Throughout my Galileo journey I found myself always
focused on improving the learning of all students through changing my
mindset, improving my instruction strategy toolbox, and working to lead
change within my building. I possess deep passion for ensuring the
success of my students with a strong dedication to working with staff and
parents to encourage such a success. My Oakland Ed Specialist program
has provided me with endless knowledge and strategies to ensure strong
collaborative leadership both as a teacher leader and also at an
administrative level.
Teacher leadership is vital within the school because building
administrators can only share their vision and establish goals, but they
need the support and leadership of their staff to take their building to
that visionary place. I feel that Galileo and my Education Leadership

coursework have enabled me to better assess areas of concerns within

my school and work to find solutions that will have a strong impact on
student achievement. The program effectively has prepared me to work
collaboratively to create a mission, vision, and set of goals to take an
organization to the place where all students can achieve academic
success. It is not always easy to support a staff to grow and achieve
effective data-driven decisions to meet the individual needs of students.
I feel that Oakland Galileo graduate program has enabled me to work
with amazing people from all levels throughout the tri-county further
develop my craft in teaching and provide me with opportunity to
collaborate with other teacher leaders to implement best practices and
provide me with additional resources to become a more effective teacher
and leader within my building.
I have always strived to be a dynamic teacher and been open to
new ideas and ways to further expand learning in my classroom. My
innovative thinking and strong dedication assist me in being a leader
within my building to ensure that the success of our students remains our
first priority. There is deep concern with the decline in completion of
homework with students today and lack motivation is often attributed to
having a significant role. Over the past few years, I have put a strong
emphasis on building relationships with my students and working with
parents to ensure their success. My Oakland coursework and Galileo
professional development have helped me to grow as an educator and

further network with other educators to bring new ideas and practices to
South Lake Middle School. I have gained a true value for servant
leadership and job embedded professional development to promote
teacher efficacy and further enhance instructional practices within the
classroom. I feel that the Galileo program enhanced me and my
instructional practice while the Ed Specialist program provided me with
the leadership skills necessary to lead within my current building as well
as prepare me for leadership roles in the future. I feel that my increased
knowledge has affected me daily since starting the program.
In our building, we started the year by establishing a mission, vision,
and values to promote a safe learning environment that promotes learning
for all students. Upon making changes to change our culture my Galileo coworker and I worked to launch professional development for the staff around
grading and purpose of homework in classroom. Overall, my program
experience enhanced my personal growth mindset and empowered me to
spark a drastic change that has dramatically changed the grading in my
school.
In my experience successful leaders seek out the leadership within
their staff. I have found that throughout my eleven years in education, the
most successful leaders encourage their staff to shine in their own personal
ways. Galileo and the Oakland leadership coursework have provided me
with the skills and knowledge to put this into action and truly increase my

role within my building to increase the achievement of all students and

improve the environment and culture of the school. Ben Zander said,
Remember, the conductor of an orchestra doesnt make a sound. This is
important because the effectiveness of a staff truly depends on the ability to
encourage and inspire. If a staff feels supported and has trust in their
leaders I believe they will take risks and work hard to ensure success. I think
that actions of people are often much more impactful than meaningless
words. I can only hope that our leadership will realize the need to change
direction and unite the staff to achieve a common goal of ensuring success
for all students. Overall, I am so grateful for the experiences and knowledge
that both the Oakland Leadership Program and the Galileo Program have
provided.