Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Human Resource Management Week 1

This past week I began my human resource management class after a well needed break! Honestly, this class sounded a little boring because when I hear the term HR I think rules, guidelines, and proceedures, but what I found out was that this topic is truly inspiring! I read an article called "Bridging the Gap". This article addressed a nationwide epidemic of a shortage of good teachers and strong leaders. It provided a great example of on school disrtict going the extra mile to make their teacher and leaders life-long learners.

 I also delved into conflicts and how to solve them. I am running a children's program at church, and I have tried to apply what I am learning from these leadership classes into my role as commander of Awana Club. I have found that I am learning how to be disciplined, how to keep my mouth shut, and how to listen to others. In a way, it has been a very calming experience. However, I have also come to realize that many of the techniques we are learning about take time to develop, and I am glad I get a chance to practice them at church!

I had the chance to really study and reflect on principal competencies and skills. Going through activities such as the survey on what I've seen and observed and also locating this set of skills in an article has really helped me gain a true understanding of what is expected as a pricipal. This knowledge will help me have confidence and present myself has a highly qualified candidate when the time comes.

I  truly feel inspired and motivated by the literature I am reading, and I hope I can be one of those great leaders who can make a difference. Some of the things I learned this week that I think will be invaluable tools in my endeavor are: don't fight or flight, but fix conflicts, establish clear guidlines of expectations of teachers and other staff and use summative data to help develop leaders, use effective communication strategies, and establishing life-long learning patterns. I look forward to the next chapter of my journey!