Leadership Reflection Ioana Larion Although

Leadership Reflection Ioana Larion Although I am teaching full-time and working on a Master's in ESL, I do not think I am at the peak of my educational career at the present moment. This is a good time to ask myself why and to try to figure out a strategy for future growth.

Looking back at the years I spent in Europe as a foreign language teacher for French and English, I only remember myself as a young enthusiastic, dedicated and responsible teacher who rapidly asserted myself in the learning community. In my first year after college graduation, I taught adult colleagues using my translation, mentoring, networking, word processing skills.

It seems like I did a good job since experienced, senior colleagues trusted me enough to name me head of international relations at my research company over several other experienced ladies and a man. As a translator, I dedicated countless hours to teach, tutor and accompany departments in conference presentations in many trips all over Europe and Asia and enjoyed every minute. Because I was young and had no family of my own at that time, I was always available and ready to offer my expertise.

This situation made me a leader in the foreign language department in less than a year after graduation. What were my particular leadership styles? I was very young and respectful, always greeting people first, opening doors for ladies and older colleagues, and listening and following directions. I respected my students (some being older people with an international reputation in their field) and answered them courteously. I was always on time and prepared, and was very organized and enthusiastic.

I think that giving my "body and soul," interacting correctly with others, having no family and being so focused in my ascending career made me quickly become a leader. After coming to the U.S., I became a French itinerant teacher where I hardly had a base school, a staff to belong to or any "leadership" opportunities. During this time, I was appointed the Itinerant Head of the French Department at the county level and a mentor.

I did not think there was any other way "to advance on the ladder" when I was an itinerant teaching French who was overshadowed by the status of a certified teacher. Currently, I teach French in a middle school and I'm a mentor, a member of the school improvement team, and an advisor for the Student Council and Beta Club. 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 more on people skills in the U.S. 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.