Internship

My internship consisted of a full school year between an elementary, middle, and high school, 2011-2012. I logged over 1,500 hours, 500 hours within each campus, observing and participating in acts related to the seven principal competencies. I had the privilege to intern under Jeana Farmer; Alta Loma Elementary, Susan Staha; Alta Loma Elementary, Monte Althaus; Lincoln Middle School, and Bill Waters; Central High School.

Elementary School

            Under the internship of two administrators I learned the value of constancy amongst a campus. As the intern on an elementary campus, I experienced ways to shape the campus culture and strengthen the support of the school community. In creating events such as “picnic in the courtyard” parents felt welcome to come on campus and have lunch with their child and visit with the teacher. A relationship was created with a local church to help our campus with mentors, boost teacher moral, and provide extras for students in need. I also developed a campus focus on higher education with the creation of Alta Loma University. It consisted of campus wide extra curricular activities that were hands on and taught specific skills. The areas were titled College of Science, College of Literature, and College of Mathematics. One of the many lessons learned during this internship was the possibility that changes made by a new administrator can be overwhelming for teachers. As a new administrator I would meet with the teachers and create an open dialogue so they may share any concerns they have. Furthermore, I understand the importance of having an entry plan that contains changes that is driven by the campus data.

Middle School

            As an administrative intern at Lincoln Middle School, under the leadership of Monte Althaus, I learned the value of understanding your staff through communication and classroom visits. I experienced the creation of a walk through form that consisted of the collaboration from the campus administrative team and the grade level teachers in a series of PLC’s. Once the form was created the grades were divided amongst the counselor, the principal, and myself. I was placed in charge of 6^th grade. Once the walk through’s were conducted the data was collected and shared with the instructional specialist and the grade level chair. I learned the importance of a strong PLC and the collaboration of the campus stockholders in creating tools to help improve the campus as a whole. As a new administrator I would make sure to include all stockholders when implementing decisions in relation to the campus. The goal in doing this would be to create a sense of ownership within all personal on campus.

High School

            As the administrative intern at Central High School, under the leadership of Bill Waters, I experienced the importance of delegation and setting high expectations. During my internship I learned that when it comes to discipline an administrator has to be firm, fair, and promote all decisions in an ethical and legal manner. The year I spent at Central High School I was able to work with all the Assistant Principals in various positions. I worked sports games, discipline center, and attended court of attendance. I participated in a campus wide lock down drill and was given a portion of the campus to check during the drill. I learned the importance of notifying the local authorities and news reporters of any drills within a campus that size to prevent any misunderstanding. Working with all the administrative staff on a campus as big as Central High School I was able to see the importance of a strong collaborative team. I learned from Mr. Waters to keep the focus on learning and the needs of the campus the number one priority.