Developing Teachers

Reflection on Developing Teachers

Christopher Dang

American College of Education

Reflection

Today’s educator and administrator cannot be complacent about what they know. They must strive to stay abreast of current research in their area of interest as well as general knowledge in terms of education and students. This course has further developed my understanding of why the disposition of Lifelong Learning is crucial to the educational profession. It is important to give our full attention to professional development and professional learning communities, and administrators are the driving force in providing that structure. As Baron (2007) stated, “It is the principal’s responsibility to uncover, recover, or discover the community’s core beliefs so the educational experience for the students is cohesive, intentional, and maintains a high level of professional integrity.” We are responsible for providing meaningful educational and professional development opportunities for staff and faculty as well as ourselves, in order to be leaders of educational excellence.

Journal Entry One: Recruiting Effective Teachers

As a school leader, my current understanding of teacher recruitment has not changed, but it has been given more focus and better tools. What a revelation in hearing Dr. Ban’s statement “what does good teaching look like here” in his video and the concept of having a mission statement for hiring. It provided me with a true understanding of hiring to best meet the needs of the students and the team structure, looking for gaps to fill, not just warm bodies to throw in a classroom.

Understanding that a large part of any administrator’s job is facilitating relationships was not an eye opener. As a former manager in the corporate sector, including sales, I realize that being able to connect and communicate with people is integral to any profession – particularly management of...