Teacher Leadership and Professional Learning

EDUC 623
Not sure of the date.
Instructor: Terry Hurlburt
Viterbo University
Leadership Profile Writing
By Norma J. Neubauer
Course Description:
This course asks students to re-examine their role as one who generates change in the education
system by engaging in self-reflection and self-assessment of his/her current classroom best
practices. In addition, students will be asked to develop a plan for future professional growth and
development, including their pedagogical strengths and their opportunities for improvement.
Students will develop a PDP as their path to continuous improvement as an educator. Finally,
teachers will produce a Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) that will include videotaped
segments to showcase their teaching highlights. The Viterbo values of collaboration, hospitality,
integrity, stewardship, and service are expected to be visibly in student work that is submitted for
the course.

Artifact Reflection:
I feel that I did a good job of writing on this assignment. It was the first time I was able to attend
an Alternative Education conference and the book for this class was interesting to read.
Leadership was a popular topic at our school as the same time. Staff was being asked to take
classes on leadership and elementary schools in our district had begun leadership programs.
This class was offered by Viterbo and I was glad to be able to take it.
The book explored characteristics of good leaders: investing in strengths, surround themselves
with the right people, understanding of their followers needs.
Readings encouraged using your strengths each day. In attaining the Master of Art of Education
diploma this was part of the learning process as assignments were completed. This class helped
to identify what type of leader a person was. A teacher needs to display leadership qualities in
the classroom each day.
At the end of the class each student was given the strengths finder test. Questions had to be
answered honestly. There were many leader categories with characteristics listed.
The class made you examine yourself and to understand what makes you a great leader. Today
at my school I team teach a Leadership class. The high school students ask a lot of questions
about being a leader. In discussion with the group we look at the positive characteristics of being
a leader. Its a great class to work with.

Artifact:
The Strengths Finder report identified where my greatest potential for building strengths
existed. The Responsibility insight is demonstrated in the classroom and work environment. I
expect students to be prepared when they enter the classroom, show respect and be able to
understand and express objectives of the current unit being taught. Commitment to do the best
for students is a constant. When classes are over I spend time to reflect on my actions of the day
to understand what worked well in the classroom and what did not. I realize that I have always
done my best to be surrounded by successful staff members with positive attitude and this is
what I believe will make myself a better work ethic person.
The Achiever insight focuses on my too serious-minded approach to work. I do check and
recheck details and in the end I want to be able to feel that what I do is the best I can do. The
Achiever in me was correct in that I do value every person around me. The Family Consumer
class, Personal Economics, for example. In class we discuss the Family Life Cycle. For every
class I will emphasize the importance of when each student was born they were a very important
little human package. They need to be reminded of their importance at our school because of
feelings of low self-esteem, little family support and feeling of isolation and rejection. Our
students need encouragement to keep moving forward. My classroom is small but
accommodating with a small kitchen food prep area for foods classes. I need to keep the whole
room clean because of the food prep area. Items in this room require order so my students
actively observe me in the process of cleaning as well as setting up lab areas. Setting up for a lab
will peak curiosity and will model my serious attitude about my work and who I am as a teacher.

I had to read the Deliberative section of the Strengths Finder more times than I want to admit.
This section was too intense for me to read because it describes me exactly, perfectly. The
waiting time for making the right choice is never ending. I have always been this way. This is
why I like doing lesson plans. I plan and write very detailed lesson plans. Each lesson needs to
be accurate, cannot assume a sub will understand how to instruct students in a Textile/Design
Level Two class to complete a stitch-in the ditch sample. This is the no-nonsense, practical
thinker side of me.
The Deliberative side of me at school does enjoy making/designing plans. We had a very
small number of staff involved in the Leader-In-Me program that had been implemented this
school year. I realized the staff on this committee were those I enjoyed being around. I had
recently been in a training program for the Leader-In Me at U.N.I. and the day of their meeting
I asked if they were open to having anyone join the team. I was so happy when they said yes and
relieved that during the meeting they were receptive to ideas I brought to the meeting. I felt that
I brought practical thinking to the group and felt comfortable by being a liaison between the
group and our Principal. So far, so good. I have volunteered since working at this school. I felt
the need to type and send out emails to staff on the minutes of am and pm staff meetings. It
worked out well for staff who were not at school and for those who felt missed or interpreted an
item in the wrong way to re-read and get it right. The Deliberative side did show on this one.
I feel the Developer side of me follows and continues with the Deliberative side. As a teacher
we need to be able to interpret the moods of people. In the classroom I need to be receptive of
students expressions, whatever happened the day/night before follows our students to school. I
am the only Family Consumer Science teacher on our floor. We do have students whose
families do not or are not able to fulfill nutritional needs and somehow these students understand

that Mrs. Neubauer will have something for them to help get by. Its a good idea to have a
loaf of bread in the freezer to use as needed. It takes courage for a student who has not met me to
enter the room and ask for anything to eat. I understand their plight and treat them with dignity.
Today I was able to attend the Alternative Education Conference held in our town. I was able
to attend the morning session to listen to the guest speaker, Tom Wormeili. Mr. Wormeili had an
activity on the screen that displayed three columns. Each person was asked to choose one item
from each column. Each column had about twenty people, places and things listed. The activity
at the end had participants revealing their three choices. My group of three shared our choices.
There were about 300 educators in the room. Mr. Wormeili asked for volunteers to share and I
found myself waving my arm as if in a parade. I wanted to share because our group had chosen
different items in the first two columns but in the last row had chosen the same item.

A co-

worker was sitting beside me, she is a math teacher. The other teacher was an Instructional
coach. I was in wonder how such a thing could happen where three different people could make
the same choice from so many items. We were the only group to do this. I am driven with
Context.
My Strengths-Based Leadership Report can be related to the phrases and ideas I could
connect with from Mr. Womeili this morning. They include the following: Time suck-age,
takes one person to turn a student around, create creativity in teachers, think outside the box,
creativity , innovation and problem solving, there is more than one way to assess, all thinking
begins with wonder-thank you Socrates, please google and watch a video a young college
student by the name of David Bowen made, service learning is good for our students,
memorization is important and lastly to prime the brain of the student before they do a learning
experience.

This presentation offered so much to take to the classroom and the parts I have listed to
connect to the Strengths-Based Leadership Report.