Having a base school changed my career somehow, but the stigma over foreign languages and French is still present. The status of the subject you are teaching matters a lot in the U.S., determining if you can be a leader regardless of the particular leadership style or qualities that you might possess. Because of this, my positive leadership skills are sometimes affected in my interaction with others. However, I try to always remain positive, finding solutions to problems and overcoming the difficulties that others have vis-a-vis a non-native speaker of English.
Students and staff sometimes need some time to adjust to my accent and point-of-view and to really accept my cultural differences even after I have spent ten years in the U.S. Even so, I feel I can be a good leader because I always look to constructively resolve problems; I am enthusiastic, eager, organized and open to different points-of-view whenever a problem occurs.
How do I interact with others? I respect the people I work with and I immediately see the strengths and the weakness that one might bring to their work.
What might I improve? I need to work...
because I might offend someone with my personality that might not always be culturally correct. This is why my two primary goals to target for leadership development this semester are to focus on the ESL M.Ed. classes and to start writing a thesis on "Rethinking ESL" and, thus, turn into an activist for ESL students. More and more, the Spanish language is replacing the French language and this had made me decide to look at ESL as a future career to help meet the needs of society. This is quite different from EFL, which is not required for the living/working environment on a daily basis. I also know that ESL is different from English for Specific Purposes (ESP) from what I've done for ten years in Europe, but I am eager to facilitate change and to make a difference for students in our classroom, in our schools and in the larger society.
My secondary goals for this semester are to improve my Spanish and to keep my marriage harmonious during the master's program. When trying to maintain my main goals, I have to continuously improve in other areas that naturally arise.
Leadership Reflection
