Expert

"You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."
-Jane Goodall

In my various positions in school administration, I have had opportunities to use many of the skills I have learned in the doctoral program about applying research and sharing information that will assist other educators in making informed decisions. Denzin and Lincoln describe these skills: "The type of inquiry and/or knowledge selected is important in that the school leaders engaged in scholarly practice moves beyond the work of 'technician'; theirs is a bricolage of practice that is cultural and politically responsive to the needs of the school and events of the moment."

The themes and proficiencies of the St. John's Educational Leadership Program are infused into and across each of the five areas of study so that they complement each other. My role as instructional leader draws upon those interwoven areas: Leadership, Policy and Politics, Management Science, Organizational Leadership, and Research Methodologies. It is my responsibility then to become a criticalist (KIncheloe & McLaren) and engage in work that takes theory to practice, resulting in a bricolage that is contextually sensitive and addresses the needs of the school and stakeholders.

The following are a small sampling of various special work, presentations, data analysis for instructional purposes, and information shared other educators, families, and community stakeholders..

Special Work

I spent a year in Malawi, Africa teaching college students and young children. My work and living experiences are described and pictured in the link below:

Teaching in Africa

Presentations

The elementary school for which I am the principal assumes the responsibility of helping students stay safe. The following is a PowerPoint Show I wrote and presented to all our kindergarten through 5th grade students about staying safe at Halloween.

Trick or Treat: Stay Safe and Be Seen

While an assistant principal at Copiague Middle School, I trained 160 teachers in the middle school and our three elementary schools on working with children and families in poverty. This is the presentation I spoke from in those trainings:

Teaching Children of Poverty

Data-Driven Analysis

Teachers at the elementary school where I am the principal were asked to examine the disaggregated data from this year's FCAT (state assessment tool) and look for patterns and discrepancies. The staff met to explore techniques to address areas of concern.

School Data For Improving Instruction

Observing and evaluating teachers is one responsibility of a school administrator. As one of the assistant principals at Copiague Middle School on Long Island, I used the district form to collect qualitative data during a teacher classroom observation.

Written (long-form) Observation

It is imperative that educators have a sound grasp of how the brain takes in and processes data. The following is information I compiled and shared with the teachers at my current elementary school.

Staff Development: How the Brain Learns & Remembers

Parent & Community Information

One of the roles of a school principal is that of social capital builder. The following letters and   information were sent or distributed to various constituents on behalf of the school.

            Support Letter                                  Invitation Letter

                        School Newsletter                                       Grant Narrative

The above samples present a glimpse into my world of educational leader. The result of a bricoleur's methods of practice is her bricolage: a construction that arises from the interactions of different types of knowledge, artifacts, and methods in relation to the contexts, patterns, and activities that comprise the daily events of the school.