Goals Are to Do All That I

¶ … goals are to do all that I can to mold these boys and girls -- my students -- into men and women who can contribute to society in a meaningful way. As a professional, that means ensuring that they have access to the best possible education with as few distractions as possible. Therefore, my job is to work directly with the teachers, supporting staff, parents and students to meet any needs that may arise in achieving this objective. You can help me as an intern by assisting the administrative staff in their endeavors and providing cognizant feedback of school events when required.

My greatest strength as an educational leader is an innate ability to relate to people of all varieties of life. I am an excellent active listener, and I am good at transmuting the needs of others into concrete action that can address their needs and improve the circumstances for most parties involved. You can assist me in developing this strength the same way that most anyone can, by providing honest, lucid feedback regarding any potential problems or needs that may arise in this educational facility. I rely on my staff and interns to be my ears and eyes of these facilities.

3. Budgetary concerns are my greatest challenge as an educational leader. I constantly have to balance the needs of the students and the school with the resources provided to us. This may come as a surprise, but oftentimes the latter is not sufficient to meet the former. The result is it takes careful planning and a lot of hard work to address the school's financial issues.

4. Hiring competent, exceptional people to conduct their jobs. A leader is only as good as his followers, and I have been savvy enough to hire teachers and staff who are exceptional at doing their work.

5. I handle obstacles with persistence. People do not always overcome resistance initially; oftentimes they have to learn from their mistakes, regroup, and try again.

6. I actually have a fairly modern conception of conflict. I realize that it the ideal situation -- in which conflict does not exist -- is fairly rare to find. I've been involved in a number of professional situations in which tension -- maybe not conflict, but the potential for conflict -- actually keeps people aware and helps contribute to a better job performed all around.

7. My professional network is primarily comprised of individuals who I knew when I first started out teaching, and who were doing the same. Some of these people have become principals in other locations and have taken up positions with various school boards and state offices. I generally accept advice from them, although I usually only solicit it from those who I've known for quite some time. It is always important to get a second opinion about certain matters in one's work.