Philosophy of Leadership
-Becky Sargis-
As an early education leader, I am responsible for students’ foundation for further development. I consider that foundation to be the most important aspect in their academic career and I don’t take the responsibility lightly. However, that is a final result, how am I to achieve this?
I believe a good leader must have a vision to guide their team and students to achieve specific goals but allowing expression and flexibility.
My vision is for a safe, inclusive, and nurturing space where children can relax and focus on learning activities in a classroom which encourages growth and exploration, nurtures curiosity, and celebrates creativity, where students can express themselves freely. My vision also incorporates the needs of my staff to address their need to feel appreciated, included, and satisfaction in their work as they help turn an abstract set of ideas into concrete actions and outcomes.
My vision is formed from humble beginnings. I worked in a school which lacked vision and leadership. Using the knowledge I learned in college, I sought to create my own vision for my classroom, but didn’t know where to start. I discovered student engagement improved if my attitude was positive, caring, and supportive physically and emotionally. Earning my students’ trust was crucial, and the ideas I used to facilitate that emotional bond have become important features of my vision. I found my assistant teacher appreciated me asking for her input which led to increased and higher quality communication and teamwork.
Given such an important responsibility, I know if I help my staff to be successful, my vision can become reality. I put full effort into the transformation of my vision and dedicate myself to the needs of my students and staff and I make sure they know I’m always there for them. I implement a teambuilding process where the vision is converted to strategic flows and then to generalized tactical details. I expect my staff to communicate with me if they have any issues or don’t fully understand their mission and demand they talk to me when questions arise. This process is inclusive where I’m a guide on our journey. I want my staff to have ownership in my vision and through my guidance. I openly give respect and honesty to all staff and students and express my responsibility and duty to their needs. I feel by giving them these parts of me, they will respond in kind.
Leading by example is one of the best strategies I can use as a leader. My actions will always be analyzed by my staff, students, and their families directly and unconsciously. Peer behavior is a strong influencer and I leverage my position to set the tone for all facets of the workday. Working with Confidence also plays a part in this strategy. Performing my duties with knowledgeable insight conveys confidence in the rest of the team and helps build trust with students.
Autonomy is similar to trust in that it must be earned by my staff. My overall goal is to allow the staff to work autonomously but they have to show me they understand and agree with the overall vision, understand how we as a team are turning the vision into tangible workflows and learning strategies, demonstrate they are capable of self-management, and seek help or resolution when issues arise.
To facilitate autonomy, I endeavor to be a guide in the beginning of our mission, working side by side with my team to gather feedback on their performance. Once a team dynamic is established, I begin my pull-back and watch the machine progress on its natural course. Individual as well as team assessments are done along the way until I feel they can run by themselves.
Autonomy is necessary because I cannot be involved in every decision. My philosophy requires trust, which is a two-way street. I must put trust my staff to make decisions in-line with out goals, strategy, and vision. Day to day operations requires my staff to make decisions and I let them do so. When issues arise, they know they can approach me for help, and in some cases I can be the “swing vote” if the need arises. I also empower my staff to encourage and manage parent-volunteers, student initiatives, and to some extent community outreach, however I’m more involved with community outreach because a singular entity is the best interface. In some regards we have a “chain of command”, however its actually more a “chain of involvement” as I’m definitely not a dictator. Issues can raise from student or assistant ranks, up to full time staff, up to me, and potentially up to other directors or board members.
I feel a measure of success of my leadership is based on several metrics for student and staff.
Student outcomes during and after their time with me and my team are a direct measure of our efficacy. As mentioned, we need to provide them with the best possible foundation for their academic career. While they are with me and my team, we have instant feedback on their development and can make necessary adjustments. Once they leave, we routinely follow up with parents for feedback on their children’s next adventures. Parent feedback both during their child’s tenure and afterward is extremely helpful since it comes from an outsider’s perspective.
For staff, I like to foster growth and provide reviews through goal achievement . At the beginning of the school year, I ask my team to indicate their personal goals, how they plan to implement our strategy, and how they can support the team. I set review sessions for them at various points of the school year to reflect on their earlier statements while I provide feedback of their progress.
-Becky Sargis-
As an early education leader, I am responsible for students’ foundation for further development. I consider that foundation to be the most important aspect in their academic career and I don’t take the responsibility lightly. However, that is a final result, how am I to achieve this?
I believe a good leader must have a vision to guide their team and students to achieve specific goals but allowing expression and flexibility.
My vision is for a safe, inclusive, and nurturing space where children can relax and focus on learning activities in a classroom which encourages growth and exploration, nurtures curiosity, and celebrates creativity, where students can express themselves freely. My vision also incorporates the needs of my staff to address their need to feel appreciated, included, and satisfaction in their work as they help turn an abstract set of ideas into concrete actions and outcomes.
My vision is formed from humble beginnings. I worked in a school which lacked vision and leadership. Using the knowledge I learned in college, I sought to create my own vision for my classroom, but didn’t know where to start. I discovered student engagement improved if my attitude was positive, caring, and supportive physically and emotionally. Earning my students’ trust was crucial, and the ideas I used to facilitate that emotional bond have become important features of my vision. I found my assistant teacher appreciated me asking for her input which led to increased and higher quality communication and teamwork.
Given such an important responsibility, I know if I help my staff to be successful, my vision can become reality. I put full effort into the transformation of my vision and dedicate myself to the needs of my students and staff and I make sure they know I’m always there for them. I implement a teambuilding process where the vision is converted to strategic flows and then to generalized tactical details. I expect my staff to communicate with me if they have any issues or don’t fully understand their mission and demand they talk to me when questions arise. This process is inclusive where I’m a guide on our journey. I want my staff to have ownership in my vision and through my guidance. I openly give respect and honesty to all staff and students and express my responsibility and duty to their needs. I feel by giving them these parts of me, they will respond in kind.
Leading by example is one of the best strategies I can use as a leader. My actions will always be analyzed by my staff, students, and their families directly and unconsciously. Peer behavior is a strong influencer and I leverage my position to set the tone for all facets of the workday. Working with Confidence also plays a part in this strategy. Performing my duties with knowledgeable insight conveys confidence in the rest of the team and helps build trust with students.
Autonomy is similar to trust in that it must be earned by my staff. My overall goal is to allow the staff to work autonomously but they have to show me they understand and agree with the overall vision, understand how we as a team are turning the vision into tangible workflows and learning strategies, demonstrate they are capable of self-management, and seek help or resolution when issues arise.
To facilitate autonomy, I endeavor to be a guide in the beginning of our mission, working side by side with my team to gather feedback on their performance. Once a team dynamic is established, I begin my pull-back and watch the machine progress on its natural course. Individual as well as team assessments are done along the way until I feel they can run by themselves.
Autonomy is necessary because I cannot be involved in every decision. My philosophy requires trust, which is a two-way street. I must put trust my staff to make decisions in-line with out goals, strategy, and vision. Day to day operations requires my staff to make decisions and I let them do so. When issues arise, they know they can approach me for help, and in some cases I can be the “swing vote” if the need arises. I also empower my staff to encourage and manage parent-volunteers, student initiatives, and to some extent community outreach, however I’m more involved with community outreach because a singular entity is the best interface. In some regards we have a “chain of command”, however its actually more a “chain of involvement” as I’m definitely not a dictator. Issues can raise from student or assistant ranks, up to full time staff, up to me, and potentially up to other directors or board members.
I feel a measure of success of my leadership is based on several metrics for student and staff.
Student outcomes during and after their time with me and my team are a direct measure of our efficacy. As mentioned, we need to provide them with the best possible foundation for their academic career. While they are with me and my team, we have instant feedback on their development and can make necessary adjustments. Once they leave, we routinely follow up with parents for feedback on their children’s next adventures. Parent feedback both during their child’s tenure and afterward is extremely helpful since it comes from an outsider’s perspective.
For staff, I like to foster growth and provide reviews through goal achievement . At the beginning of the school year, I ask my team to indicate their personal goals, how they plan to implement our strategy, and how they can support the team. I set review sessions for them at various points of the school year to reflect on their earlier statements while I provide feedback of their progress.