Career and Leadership Goals

Assignment Part 2: Career Position and Leadership Goals

I have been an assistant principal at a high school for four years. The position I currently hold has been extremely educational for me in all areas that knowledge is needed to lead a successful campus. I have been giving some deep thought into which path I would like to travel down for the rest of my career.

I originally taught in a small 2A high school. I loved the culture of the school and the connections you can make with the students and your staff. I really think that my I would like to begin my career as a principal in a smaller school. Being in a smaller district requires the academic leaders to wear many hats. I believe that the experience will better prepare me for moving on to the next level of my career. I believe that I would like to move on to a larger, urban school after being at the smaller school for at least three years. After serving at the larger district, I would like to find a central office position in curriculum instruction or if I’m finished with my doctorate, a teaching position at the college-level.

Why do I want to be an educational leader? This is the exact question I asked myself when I sat down to take my GRE test before beginning my master’s program. Originally I was motivated to continue my education because of my desire to learn more about how to lead in the classroom and on campus. I had an exceptional principal that had recently left our campus to move on to a new district. She was replaced with someone who wasn’t quite prepared to step into a campus leadership position. I saw the damage that could be caused to a successful school with a positive culture when its leadership was ineffective. I love working with students and I found that with each passing course in my master’s program, the more I wanted to continue learning about what all the possibilities and strategies that could be used to bring a positive culture to any campus. Kids have to be connected to something in their lives and what better to connect to than a campus and the love of learning. Making students want to be lifelong learners is my main goal as an educator.

With each course of my superintendent’s program, I learn more about improving education on a larger scale; however, when all is said and done, it is about the people. If you forget the reason for why you are where you are, it is time to do something different. Schools are not mindless corporations but are the safe haven for future generations. Whether I am a principal, a central office administrator, or a superintendent, my motivation will always be the students. The knowledge I have gathered through this program has better prepared me to be a servant leader.