Follow-up to Site Supervisor Conference

       I meet with my site supervisor twice to collaboratively make additions, deletions and improvements to my plan. The first time we met I changed several items on the plan, including the resource person. The second time we met we only made slight tweaks to the plan.

       When we actually sat down face-to-face to discuss my internship plan it was a very helpful meeting. My site supervisor and I went item by item and discussed what that activity would actually look like and how I would accomplish that activity. We also discussed items she felt would benefit me the most while doing my internship. She felt that it was a good idea to focus several of my items at the elementary level since that is an area where I need to grow professionally. She also put me in contact with an elementary principal to accomplish some of items on my internship plan. After the first meeting my with site supervisor, I met with the elementary principal to discuss my internship plan as well.

       During the meeting we also changed some of the items on the plan. She wanted me to be more specific on some of the topics. Also, my site supervisor changed the resource person on several of the items. She felt that some personnel in the district would have more knowledge in certain areas.

         The second time my site supervisor and I met was to revise any additional items to the plan. We did not change much, but I wanted her to look the plan over one more time before I submitted the comprehensive internship plan. Both meetings were extremely helpful and meaningful to the experiences of the internship.  

Interview with Director of GBCHI

                Staying positive and being student focused was the theme of my interview with the Director of the Galveston-Brazoria Cooperative for the Hearing Impaired (GBCHI). I decided to interview the Director of GBCHI because she is in the unique situation of working with ten different school districts which function as a co-op. GBCHI is even comprised of its own board of directors, which is made up of the ten superintendents of the participating districts. During the interview the director enlightened me with her experiences as a district leader.

The first answer I found interesting was how she described leadership. She described leadership as being a guiding voice that empowers others to lead. It is inspiring others to make the right decisions by always being a positive model role. Leadership is not asking others to do something you would not do yourself. She later explained leadership is how you act under pressure while guiding people in the right direction and always maintaining child focus.

            The Director of GBCHI got this district level position just a little over a year ago. Prior to being promoted to a district level position she was an assistant principal in the district. She explained she enjoyed being in a district leadership role because you get the chance to interact with students at all levels and people in all different roles. She explained when you are at a campus you do not truly understand the function of everyone’s roles in the district, but now being in a district level position she is able to see how we all function together as a district.  Another positive aspect she saw of being in a district level position is you are able to impact the community even more. You have the ability to build and maintain community relationships, which she saw has an extremely important role as a district leader.

            The next answer that stood out to me was when we started discussing how she developed a working relationship with the GBCHI board. She explained you have to be upfront and honest at all times with the board. Everything must be relayed and explained to the fullest. She described the relationship as being an “open book”. To have a good working relationship you must be transparent, let the board know all of the issues going on with the co-op. Her advice  to build the best possible relationship was be honest, upfront and stay positive at all times.

            Next, the director and I had a conversation about decision making and how to sustain positive change. This is an area I feel passionate about myself. So, it was extremely interesting to hear her discuss sustaining positive change because we had very similar beliefs on the issue. Her first word of advice on this matter was lead by example and be transparent with your staff. Always focus on students’ needs and not always about what we do not have. You have to celebrate the small accomplishments. Then she explained to maintain positive change all stakeholders have to feel vested in the idea. If the stakeholders feel they had a say in the decision then the decision will be seen more positively and it is more likely to sustain because the individuals are vested in the change.  

            Her final words also stuck with me. She started to explain how most of her days start the moment she gets out of bed with a problem and do not end until her head hits the pillow. She explained she never knows what is going to happen from day to day. But, you must always stay positive and never let things get to you. Parents, teachers and the community are just trying to be advocates for their children of the district. We as district leaders can never take things personal. You always have to give a 100%. There is not a down day for administrator and there is never such a thing as a bad day. No one cares if you are having a bad day. They still want their problems fixed and you as a leader are there for the staff, parents, community and foremost the students.

            Those words really stuck with me because sometimes I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve. It is often evident when I am having a bad day, but she is right in saying that no one cares. Parents still want their issues addressed. Students still need to learn and the staff still needs to feel that they are being heard. So, with those words in mind, I am going to start making a more conscious effort to stay positive and keep the students in mind at all times.

            Finally, I learned from the interview that no matter what leadership position you are in that there will be positives and negatives, ups and down, but in the end, as long you stay focused on your mission, the children, it is all worth it. I also learned that through the experiences I had as a campus administrator I will have the opportunity to expand those leadership skills when I too have a district leadership position.

Vita

 Rachel Spector-McAdam

212 Sharnoll Circle, League City, TX, 77573

(W) (281) 284-0752; (C) (979) 777-6980; rsmcadam@yahoo.com

Education/Certification

Master of Education               Educational Leadership, Texas State University,  San Marcos, TX, 2008

Bachelor of Science                Political Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77840

Superintendent Certificate     Texas (In progress)

Principal Certificate               EC-12, Texas

Teacher Certificate                EC-12 Special Education, 4-8 Generalist, Texas

Administrative and Leadership Experience

Lead Special Education Team Leader,

Clear Creek Independent School District,

League City, TX, 2009-present

·         Facilitated and coordinated activities related to the admission, renewal, and dismissal (ARD) process ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.

·         Coordinated services for the electronic and eligibility folder management of the ARD process.

·         Provided leadership for campus special education team leaders.

·         Provided professional development on ARD development.

·         Assisted with answering campus questions relating to the ARD process.

Assistant Principal, Smithville Junior High School,

Smithville Independent School District,

Smithville, TX, 2007-2009

·         Assisted the principal in the overall daily administration of the instructional program and campus operation of a junior high school grade 6^th -8^th, 420 students.

·         Evaluated and provided guidance for a variety of teachers throughout the school using the Professional Development Appraisal System.

·         Administered campus activities including discipline, statewide assessment coordination, textbooks, attendance, Campus Site-Based Committee, substitutes, special education department, assisted with the budget and hired staff.

Special Education Department Chair,

Smithville Junior High School, Smithville, TX 2006-2007

·         Planned and presented various special education department in-services designed to improve instruction for students with disability, inclusion and resource services.

·         Developed inclusion times and schedule for special education staff.

·         Distributed Individual Education Plans to all staff members throughout the school year.

·         Designed a monitoring system for special education services.

Teaching Experience

Special Education and Social Studies Teacher

Smithville Junior High School, Smithville, TX 2005-2007

·    Taught a variety of subjects including Inclusion Reading and Language Arts, Inclusion Mathematics, United States History, World Geography, Content Mastery and Reading Intervention.

·    Maintained positive relationships and communication with co-teachers by collaboratively developing lessons, sharing classroom management and accountability for student achievement.

·    Integrated a variety of instructional strategies to increase student improvement for students with disabilities.

·    Evaluated and tracked student progress on Individual Education Plans by using a combination of evaluation data and reporting tools.

Other Experience

Dyslexia Coordinator and Assessor

Smithville Junior High School, Smithville, TX 2006-2008

·         Coordinated services and instruction for students with dyslexia on campus.

·         Developed a district dyslexia handbook with policies and procedures for identifying and assessing students for dyslexia.

·         Participated on the Student Success Team to design and implement reading interventions for students with reading concerns.

·         Assessed all students referred by the Student Success Team for concerns with dyslexia.

District Site Based Decision Making Committee Member

Smithville ISD, Smithville, TX 2005-2007

·         Participated on an advisory committee with the Superintendent to address issues of of planning, budget, curriculum, staff patterns, staff development and school organization.

·         Assisted with developing the District Improvement Plan.

Student Council Sponsor

Smithville Junior High School, 2005-2009

·         Implemented a successful student council program that won Texas Association of Student Councils Sweepstakes Awards for four years in a row.

·         Created a student council that provided school activities, drug awareness programs, energy conversation and multi-cultural awareness training.

Additional Training/Professional Development

·         Superintendent Certification Program, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, Currently in-progress

·         30 Hours of Gifted and Talented Awareness, Clear Creek ISD, League City, TX, July, 20011.

·         36 Hours of Instructional Leadership Development, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, Spring 2007.

·         Professional Development and Appraisal System, Region 12, Waco, TX, October, 2007.

Presentations

McAdam, R. (2011, August). Transitioning from TAKS to STAAR. Presentation at Clear Creek  ISD   Special Education Team Leader Meeting, League City, TX.

McAdam, R. (2011, August). Special Education 101. Presentation at District Substitute Training,                              League City, TX.

McAdam, R. (2009-2011, at least once a month). Writing Standards Based Goals to Improve Student             Achievement. Presentation at Clear Creek ISD District Training, League City, TX.

McAdam, R. (2011, March). Vertical Transition from Intermediate to High School for Success of Special                 Education in High School. Presentation at Clear Creek ISD Special Education Team Leader              Meeting, League City, TX.

McAdam, R. (2011, January). Techniques, Accommodations and Strategies for Improving Student   Achievement in the Classroom and on Statewide Assessment. Presentation at Clear Creek ISD                  Elementary Principal Meeting, League City, TX.

McAdam, R. (2010, September). ARD Line by Line to Ensure Compliance with State and Federal    Policies. Presentation at Clear Creek ISD District Team Leader and Assessment Meeting, League        City, TX.

McAdam, R. (2010, April). Techniques for Improving ARD Facilitation. Presentation at Clear Creek ISD                  District Team Leader and Assessment Meeting, League City, TX.

McAdam, R. (2010, February). Graduation Requirements for Students Receiving Special Education             Services. Presentation at Clear Creek ISD District Team Leader and Counselor Training, League          City, TX.

McAdam, R. (2010, January). Statewide Assessment for Students with Disabilities. Presentation at    Clear Creek ISD Elementary State Test Coordinator Training, League City, TX.

Professional Affiliations

·         Gulf Coast Administrators of Special Education, 2011-present

·         Texas Middle School Association Member, 2005-2009

·         Texas Association of Secondary Principals, 2007-2009

Honors/Awards

·         Graduate Student of the Year Nominee, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership, Texas State University, Spring 2008

·         Texas Association of Student Councils, District 18, Advisor of the Year, Spring 2009

·         District Employee of Month, Smithville ISD, February 2006

References

References will be available upon request.