Shelly Cox

EDUC 650
2.9 Philosophy of Leadership

Leadership in education is about creating an environment that helps students grow

educationally and mold them in preparation of their future. Leadership is about creating an

environment that brings out the best in people, accomplishing goals, and making each individual

student, staff, and organization successful. Whether in the classroom, as a coach, or as an

administrator, the impact an effective leader has on a student is one that may last a lifetime. An

effective educational leader is one who is positive, open minded, a good listener, communicates

well with others, possesses awareness of the organizational culture, inspires staff and students to

perform to the best of their ability, is fair and ethical, follows the rules and procedures established

by the central office, follows the professional standards, and focuses on a common goal with

student academic success and well-being at the forefront.

As a leader, I value respect, honesty, collaboration, and communication. I feel that

everyone should be treated equally and with respect. Honesty is very important to me. I would

rather someone be upfront and honest, rather than beat around the bush and make stories up. Yes,

not everything that may arise will be ideal, but being honest will get the situation resolved much

quicker and in a better manner. Collaboration is essential for any organization to run properly. I

believe that collaborating makes the entire team far more valuable than one individual player.

Collaboration provides the opportunity for greater success and longstanding outcomes.

Communication is vital when it comes to leadership. Strong leaders communicate regularly and

on an individual and group basis. Clear concise written and/or verbal communication is essential

with students, faculty, other administration, and the community.

 Being a leader means building a positive school climate. You want students and staff to

enjoy coming to school each and every day. Creating a positive environment allows for students

and staff to perform at their best ability by being productive members of the organization. Student

learning is at the core of education. Promoting collaboration among staff, students, and community

members is ideal. Transparency and trust are essential to establish a positive school climate. I am

involved with a technology committee within my school that has received a grant from the West

Virginia Department of Education totaling $113,000 to become a Technology Model School. This

initiative will involve members of the entire school working collaboratively toward a common

goal. We are in the developmental process of coming up with an action plan to start our initiative

and collaborating with staff, community members, and students to determine what will work best

to create a plan to succeed. It has been exciting to be a key player in starting this initiative. We

have gone to different trainings, prepared a variety of innovative ideas, met with the WVDE

representatives, and are looking forward to begin with our action plan. Our idea will incorporate

all core academic content areas as well as a variety of career clusters. Students, staff, clubs and

sports teams will all benefit. Our committee members are hopeful to branch out into the

community as we continue to grow.

Encouraging a strong, demanding, balanced instructional program is ideal for an effective

leader. I have always attended as many professional development trainings as I can fit into my

schedule. I feel that we can learn something new each and every day. It is essential to stay current

and knowledgeable with the instructional program you work in. I intend to continue learning new

methods, strategies, and gain as much knowledge as possible to perform at the best of my ability

to promote student success. During my career I have been part of committees deciding which

textbooks to purchase. Last year, I spent much time evaluating different Geometry textbooks to
determine which would be rigorous, engage students, and meet state goals most efficiently for

students to succeed and be prepared for their next course. Over the summer, I attended two

different trainings to increase my teaching abilities and engage students in a more innovative

curriculum. At each of these trainings, I collaborated with other professionals from different areas

of curriculum and gained much knowledge and ideas to utilize in my classroom.

Just as it is important to be transparent with staff and students, the same is true with parents

and the community. As I mentioned previously, I hold honesty high on my characteristics of a

leader. A leader should be honest with all stakeholders. Sure, sometimes parents can be tough to

deal with, but working together in a positive manner will aid in the development of the student

academically as well as maturity. The saying that it takes a village is very true when it comes to

molding the minds of our youth. I have spent my entire career working with parents and the

community to help develop our youth physically, academically, and emotionally. I keep an open

communication with parents through email, updates with our learning management system

Schoology, and attending any parent open house event our school hosts. I attend as many school

functions as my schedule allows ranging from concerts, plays, and sporting events. I also volunteer

with the Math Field Day Competition our county hosts each year. I am part of a community group

of math teachers who meet and communicate regularly to collaborate best practices and stay

current on events in our community to best help our students accomplish their goals.

Being active within the community is indispensable as a leader. Students, families, and

communities must work together for school programs to be effective. I have always been an active

member of my community from attending local events, supporting school fundraisers, being a

board member and coach of the local youth baseball and softball association, being president of

the high school cheer parent booster organization, being a mentor teacher to incoming teachers,
volunteering time at various local organizations, and coaching track at the high school level. A

leader promotes student success inside and outside of the classroom. Having students active and

involved shapes them into better members of the community as they grow into young adults.

Teaching integrity at any age level is establishing goals and opportunities leading to future success.

I have established short-term and long-term goals as a leader. My short term goals include

continuing to coach and be active within my department and community. I would like to take on

the role of department chairperson when our current retires. Within three to five years I wish to

accept a position as an assistant principal within my school district. I love the community I live

and work in and want to stay an active role within this district. Our district is a community with a

family atmosphere. Our motto is Together We Achieve, and I feel this couldn’t be more fitting. I

would like to eventually gain a position working at the central office utilizing the most of my

knowledge, possibly working as a special education coordinator for our district. I have even kicked

around the idea of working at the state level once my children are grown. I truly enjoy working

with students, parents, and within the community to develop the personal and academic growth of

our youth. I will face many challenges along the way, I’m certain. Challenges may include conflict

with staff, parents, other leaders, or members of the community. Social media is a major challenge

that current leaders deal with on a daily basis. Disgruntled parents, community members, even

workers may make inappropriate or disheartening posts. It is a must to react in a positive manner,

educating them on the situation. Technology is every changing and a multitude of challenges can

occur whether integrating into curriculum, training staff, or deriving the money within the budget

to provide the equipment. Whatever the challenge may be, as challenges emanate, I plan to utilize

resources to the best of my advantage. I will not get discouraged and intend to overcome and

barriers that may lie in the way. I have overcome much adversity in my life, accomplishing goals
that others may not have thought possible. I am a strong willed individual who will continue to

work hard for what I believe is proper for our students and our community. I take pride in my

work and my abilities to communicate and guide others in a positive and constructive direction.