The Finish Line...of the First Lap
by Eric Vanston
by Eric Vanston
As I finish the Leadership Master’s Degree and reflect on my growth, I am well aware of the fact that amongst the names like Mandela, Lincoln and Obama, no where stands my own. When I finish my degree, my name still will not appear with those great leaders, and in all likelihood, never will. Certainly these are lofty goals, but it is a comparison that makes it clear just how much more there is to learn. The fat lady has yet to sing on my quest to become a great educational leader, and instead of this degree representing a finish line, it has rather become more like the second lap of a lifelong race. As I begin this second lap, it will be more important than ever to continue to read about multicultural education, observe the leaders around me and synthesize their ideas in to my own actions, and finally to continue to stay up to date on technology as a way to reach our ever changing students.
A large part of my leadership degree was centered on multicultural education. It began as simply as an assignment to read different articles and synthesize my thoughts. However, this quickly turned into not just an assignment, but rather a passion. Those readings have changed the way I see the world, and changed the way I work with students of a background different from my own. Moving forward on my second lap, I will continue to read from a variety of sources on diverse learners, and apply what I learn in the classroom. It will no longer be an assignment from a professor, but now a commitment to read, analyze and contribute to the diverse learners in my school. If I want to continue to grow, reading must be an instrumental component.
The second strategy for my continued education is a multi-step process. First, I will need to observe and learn from the quality leadership around me. My current principal does a great job of developing relationships and making people believe in themselves, which is a sign of effective leadership. Eventually, observing and asking questions will not be enough. As I grow, it will soon be time to put the ideas I have learned about leadership from this program, as well as observed first hand, in action. I will need to take on leadership roles in my school because the best way to learn something is to actually do it. I might start small by becoming an assistant coach, or helping other teachers run a club. These would be small steps on my continued growth of being a leader. I would like to one day be the head of my math department as well as the head coach of a basketball or soccer team. As I take on more leadership roles in my school, I will be able to put the things I have learned to good use, and continue to learn and develop as a leader.
This very degree is perhaps the most important part of my continued education towards leadership. A leader must be able to address all different types of people, and in education, young students comprise a majority of those people. We have gone from a world where technology advances on a generation-to-generation basis to one where it seems technology is advancing on a day-to-day basis. As a teacher and a leader, it will be very important for me to stay up to date on all the different mediums to reach my students, whether it is YouTube tutorials, a class website, or even twitter. Whatever the medium, we know that both our technology and students will continue to change, and it is now up to me to keep up with my students. I know that very few of my colleagues can say that they have completed an entire degree online, so I currently have a head start. It will be imperative that I continue to learn more about technology in order to address the needs of my students.
I am quickly approaching the finish line of my first lap, but I am well aware that it will not be where my race ends. In order to be a successful educator, I need to be a lifelong learner. I will continue to do as much reading about multicultural education that I can, in hopes that I will become half as good at working with different races as Mandela and Lincoln. I will continue to utilize technology to reach as many people as possible, in a similar manner that Barack Obama does. Clearly I am not in the same stratosphere as these leaders, but I will continue to observe the leadership around me in hopes to lessen that gap. Each passing year will come with reflection and new goals to become a better teacher and a more effective leader. Much like training for a race, a runner must continue to increase their workload in order to improve. I recognize that with a bigger workload come bigger struggles, but I look forward to those challenges. As I increase my workload, I intend to change the people and environment around me, just as all great leaders do.
A large part of my leadership degree was centered on multicultural education. It began as simply as an assignment to read different articles and synthesize my thoughts. However, this quickly turned into not just an assignment, but rather a passion. Those readings have changed the way I see the world, and changed the way I work with students of a background different from my own. Moving forward on my second lap, I will continue to read from a variety of sources on diverse learners, and apply what I learn in the classroom. It will no longer be an assignment from a professor, but now a commitment to read, analyze and contribute to the diverse learners in my school. If I want to continue to grow, reading must be an instrumental component.
The second strategy for my continued education is a multi-step process. First, I will need to observe and learn from the quality leadership around me. My current principal does a great job of developing relationships and making people believe in themselves, which is a sign of effective leadership. Eventually, observing and asking questions will not be enough. As I grow, it will soon be time to put the ideas I have learned about leadership from this program, as well as observed first hand, in action. I will need to take on leadership roles in my school because the best way to learn something is to actually do it. I might start small by becoming an assistant coach, or helping other teachers run a club. These would be small steps on my continued growth of being a leader. I would like to one day be the head of my math department as well as the head coach of a basketball or soccer team. As I take on more leadership roles in my school, I will be able to put the things I have learned to good use, and continue to learn and develop as a leader.
This very degree is perhaps the most important part of my continued education towards leadership. A leader must be able to address all different types of people, and in education, young students comprise a majority of those people. We have gone from a world where technology advances on a generation-to-generation basis to one where it seems technology is advancing on a day-to-day basis. As a teacher and a leader, it will be very important for me to stay up to date on all the different mediums to reach my students, whether it is YouTube tutorials, a class website, or even twitter. Whatever the medium, we know that both our technology and students will continue to change, and it is now up to me to keep up with my students. I know that very few of my colleagues can say that they have completed an entire degree online, so I currently have a head start. It will be imperative that I continue to learn more about technology in order to address the needs of my students.
I am quickly approaching the finish line of my first lap, but I am well aware that it will not be where my race ends. In order to be a successful educator, I need to be a lifelong learner. I will continue to do as much reading about multicultural education that I can, in hopes that I will become half as good at working with different races as Mandela and Lincoln. I will continue to utilize technology to reach as many people as possible, in a similar manner that Barack Obama does. Clearly I am not in the same stratosphere as these leaders, but I will continue to observe the leadership around me in hopes to lessen that gap. Each passing year will come with reflection and new goals to become a better teacher and a more effective leader. Much like training for a race, a runner must continue to increase their workload in order to improve. I recognize that with a bigger workload come bigger struggles, but I look forward to those challenges. As I increase my workload, I intend to change the people and environment around me, just as all great leaders do.