I felt that asking an administrator that knows me closely for a letter of reference, would be better than asking my superintendent. While my superintendent  is a strong supporter, he is not as familiar with my day-to-day abilities. Luckily for me, I have a new administrator in my building that I could call upon, and also an administrator who has been in the district almost as long as I have been.

When I approached each one about writing a letter, I approached it as if it were a job interview, knowing that this letter was an integral communication, and an introduction to get acceptance into the graduate program. I spoke to my head principal, who has known me the longest. Getting him on board was critical.  I noted that his initial interest in why I wanted to pursue the degree was that he saw this as an advantage for my professional approach to the building and to the classroom. He readily accepted my letter of interest in the program, and wrote a supportive and convincing letter to the university. Giving him detailed information helped him to understand the information that he needed to include to make the letter appealing.

I followed the same protocol with my assistant principal. He had only known me for two years at that point. I was on his supervisory list for the year, so this was an advantage for me. His impression of my classroom, the structure, and the dedication to building relationships with my students was evident in his letter. The letter that he wrote reflected every aspect of how I view teaching. The power of his written word impressed to me how important this degree would be. The content was similar to the head principal’s letter, with a fresh approach to language that reflected a defined confidence in my abilities.

Both of these letters confirmed that they believed in the possibility of me becoming a leader and attaining a third degree. They gave me the confidence to not give up. Also, I keep the letters close by. Whenever I feel that the pressures are getting strong, I read them, which reminds me of their belief in me, and I push through.

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I had previously found myself feeling less confident prior to starting this doctorate degree. Over this past year, I have begun to understand much more from a whole-building perspective, and from a leadership point of view.

All leaders begin as teachers. All teachers are leaders in their classroom. I lead five different grade levels of music each day. The task to switch from each emotional mindset is challenging. Over a period of ten years, the task has become more challenging as students’ emotional needs are evolving. After my internship last year and now that I’m more than half way through this program, I am much more competent at any and every conversation. I understand people and can see into situations instead of thinking from a onesided perspective.

Teacher leadership is critical. Finding new collaborative tools, tools that have been proven successful through research, is a very exciting development in my teaching career.

The doors have flown open in the last months with employment opportunities of leadership, having ripe, educational conversations with colleagues, and building incremental growth with professional and community relationships. This process has begun a new chapter of life for me, and I am quite excited to see which doors open next. Even though every day is not rosy and I still meet adversity frequently, I have the skills that enable my mindset to focus on the vision of being a leader through “servitude: and gracious collaborative learning.

The post How My Doctorate from OAESA with Concordia University Chicago Advanced My Career appeared first on Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators.