Final Paper 698 Summer 2013 Deidre Jenson 6/20/2013 In my leadership philosophy, I have defined my profile as a transformational leader;

with the Four Is, individual consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and idealized influence, as the descriptors. As I stated in my leadership philosophy, these criteria, encompass the many qualities I believe are needed to be that agent of change which initiates success that all teachers desire to see in their students. In completing my portfolio, the standards have been firmly ground in my mind. I know and understand the things that I am supposed to exemplify as a leader in an educational setting. The completion of the portfolio has been the project that ties together the single projects, reflections, and papers that I have completed with the standards and their functions. I see the portfolio as a wrapped box with a bow tied around it. The gifts inside; the standards; are put into a box turning them into a complete, neat, package. Looking back at my leadership philosophy, after having completed the portfolio, I see a direct correlation between the 4 Is and the 6 standards. That is a coincidental occurrence that is neat to see happen. It gives me confidence that my leadership philosophy is aligned with the tasks I know how to do and confirms in me that I have developed the habits of mind that qualify me as a good leader. Individual consideration is the first I in transformational leadership. This deals with looking at the individual needs of the constituents to ensure the best progress for students. Standard 6 similarly addresses student progress by advocating for students, families and communities. Standard 6 requires us to look at the needs of those constituents and promote decisions that meet those needs. Standard 4 requires us to work collaboratively with community members and through that collaboration and open dialogue, individuals will present their concerns and needs. Intellectual stimulation in transformational leadership, requires administrators to provide opportunities for growth. Standard 2 states, An education leader promotes the success of every student bynurturingstudent learning and staff professional growth. Growth is the common word between the National standard for administrators and the quality that describes a leader producing changing in a system. It is key for teachers to reflect on the work theyve done, celebrate their successes, and continue to develop skills to reach new challenges, particularly student related challenges. In relation to reaching those new challenges it is critical for leaders to assist stakeholders in establishing individual professional goals and organizational goals. Without a destination in mind, a traveler will wander without reaching a desired location. Inspirational motivation is that element that is important to energize individuals to press on and work through obstacles to produce the desired result. Standard 1 challenges leaders to facilitate shared vision, and create and implementing plans to achieve goals for students.

Finally Idealized influence, summons leaders to act in a manner that is of sound moral standing. It deals with behavior which is observable, as well as character, which is more difficult to measure, but is reflective in our decisions when regarding how we will treat people. Standard 5 specifically focuses on ethics, which are the decisions we make when weighing our behavior against our values. Standard 5 uses language such as, integrity and fairness, challenging our behavior. Standard 3 also supports idealized influence in that is requires us to provide a safe learning environment and promote and protect the welfare and safety of students and staff. Welfare is a large word, but is really addressed in ethical decisions. In compiling the projects for the portfolio, it has given me a clear understanding of the purpose of each project. It was the why that I so often ask when completing any task. I see the value of completing a School Improvement Plan and how that demonstrates the process of completing a shared vision; standard 1. I see the connection between the Service Learning Project and how it promotes culture and community involvement; standard 4. I see how the development of our iMovies addresses standard 2 in addressing the use of technology to support student learning. The list could continue on for each and every artifact that I have included in the portfolio. This has been a nice bow on the gift that summarizes what I have learned.