The Principals Role as Leader of Service

Critical Element Paper #3

Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership
and Postsecondary Education
University of Northern Iowa

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the
Master of Arts in Education

By
Matthew S. Tobin
West High School
Waterloo, IA
July, 5, 2015

Dr. Timothy Gilson

June 16: Michael B Weiglein

Micahel B Weighlein is the dining unit manager of the Piazza, which is located in the
Union at University of Northern Iowa. Weiglein had a rough time in the public school system. In
third grade he was held back, and he maintained the thought of being dumb throughout the rest
of his school career. When he went to college, he decided to change his mindset. He stumbled
upon The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell, and it allowed him to grow as a
person and a leader. He applied some of the laws to his part-time job he had at Hardees during
his college years. He said it allowed him to be successful, and move up the corporate ladder. He
emphasized relationship building, refining your leadership skills, and buildings up others are
critical to any tenure.
After hearing Weighleins experience in school, it made me wonder how many children
go through this every year. As future educational leaders, we need to identify these students, and
give them the services they need to excel. Weighlein should not have gone nine years before
realizing his potential. We could all utilize Maxwells The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership to
better develop our skills/traits of being a service leader. After doing some more research, I found
Maxwells teachings interesting, and I would like to read The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
in the near future.

June 17: Deescalating and Resolving Conflicts, Lt. Marty Beckner and School
Administrators of Iowa, Dr. Roark Horn
Lt. Marty Beckner currently works with the Cedar Falls Police Department and he
provided tips on how to deescalate most situations. Some of his suggestions were to: not assume
anything when you handle a situation, and strive to make a good first impression. He stressed
that body language is critical when handling any situation. He recommended using great posture,
try mirroring their body language, looking them in the eye, and trying to stay positive and
upbeat. Try a technique for ten minutes, and if it doesnt work try something else.
Dr. Roark is the new executive director of School Administrators of Iowa (SAI). He
talked about his experiences in administration in the Iowas public school system. He
recommended not to employ a single style of leadership, but to try multiple styles. When
handling any issue, he suggested utilizing time as much as you can. He wanted us to remember
that as a principal we cannot take anything personal as we deal with a conflict. Finally, as we are
thinking of possible solutions to problem, we must remember that fair is not always equal, and
equal is not always fair.
Beckner and Roark provided some insight in how to deescalate most situations. As a
future educational leader, I may not know what to expect from some meetings. I need to be able

to deescalate some situations on my own, or at least be able to notice aggressive behavior. As Dr.
Roark indicated, there is not a single style of leadership that will be effective for every situation.
I need to be able to reflect on my past experiences, research how to be an effective leader, and try
different techniques that may be outside my comfort zone.

June 18: Day in the Office: Principals Role Play

The Day in the Office was a great simulation that provided inspiring leaders some insight
of what a principal may go through in a day. Each member of the cohort was given a nearly
impossible scenario, and they had to handle it as best as they could. Some situations were with
an upset new parent, a non-English speaker, or issues with facility. The simulation was a great
opportunity to meet current principals, and try our deescalation skills taught by Lt. Marty
Beckner.
The simulation was enlightening and nerve racking! I was given a message the night
before, but that made the situation more stressful for me. I hate not having the full picture when I
go into a situation. The insightful aspect of the simulation was using the skills taught by Lt.
Marty Beckner. Overall, I felt I handled my situation well, but I obviously need more practice or
real life experience. To brush-up on my skills, I could attend conferences or read some material
on how to handle difficult situations.
June 22 and 23: Midwest Summer Institute: Inclusion and Communication
The Midwest Summer Institute: Inclusion and Communication is a two day conference
held at the University of Northern Iowa. The conference has the goal of educating, motivating,
informing and transforming educators. The conference brings in speakers to talk about their
experiences, and to help move education to inclusion.
As an educational leader, I must realize the importance of inclusion. I was able to see a
panel of speakers who were all diagnosed with different levels of autism. It was interesting to see
what they have done, what theyve accomplished, and how they have benefited from the services
that were provided them. By embracing inclusion, I can strengthen the general education setting,
and promote a cultural competency within the classroom.
June 24: Resumes and Entry Plans
Tracey Godon works in the Career Services Department for the University of Northern
Iowa. Godon talked about the importance of a great resume, and cover letter. She emphasized
that a principal resume is completely different from a teacher resume. When writing your
resume, she emphasized that you need to focus on leadership skills and double check all action
verbs, spelling, and grammar.

Dr. Dewitt Jones introduced the cohorts to entry plans. Entry plans are meant to be
utilized in interviews to show potential employers what you would do in your first days as an
administrator. In theory, when compiling your entry plan, you would learn all you need to know
about the school, district, and the community. Jones provided a few sample entries, which will
be useful in the future.
As I listened to Godon speak, I realized I havent even touched my resume or cover letter
since I started my teaching career. It was nice to know that we have great resources that we can
utilize at UNI, and that our professors were willing to help. As I prepare for the future job
opportunities, utilizing entry plans could be my key to getting my first principalship. This will
ultimately show any employer that I am prepared, know the community, and I willing to go
above the call of duty.
June 25: DITO Debrief and The Culturally Competent Administrator
Dr. Beverly Smith and Dr. Denise Schares presented about being a culturally competent
leader. Theyre presentation illuminated the need for the conversation and what is working in the
public education setting that will best benefit the students. They wanted to facilitate the
conversation, and they highlighted you must treat others as they would be treated. Ultimately, as
an educational leader your heart needs to be in the right place.
Being an educator in an urban area, I am consistently dealing with diversity. However,
living in Iowa, a majority of the smaller rural districts are not diverse. Being a culturally
competent administrator is key in connecting with all stakeholders in an urban setting, or
branching the divide in a rural one. As a future educational leader, I need to be able to start and
facilitate those discussions on being culturally competent.
June 29: ELL and the Principal
Tammy Gregerson spent a decade teaching in South America. She gave the cohorts some
personal stories about teaching students with a different language. Gregerson is currently an
associate professor the University of Northern Iowa, and acts as a consultant for districts. She
advocated for students to be main streamed but not assimilated to the point of giving up their
roots. She indicated that it could take five to seven years for emerging bilinguals to catch up with
their grade level. She also advocated for students to learn as many languages as possible. She
informed us that culture adjustment has four stages: honeymoon, hostility, humor, and home.
Gregerson was extremely passionate about her profession, and was knowledgeable about
current trends in Iowa. Two years ago, I had the opportunity to teach ELL US History to a group
of Spanish speakers, Malaysians, and Burmese. I had over thirty students, and pseudo-ELL
specialist assigned to help me. My administrator was not overly helpful, and I had to utilize the
internet and some books a colleague gave me to break the language barrier with some of the
students. I felt I was under prepared, and it was extremely difficult to balance their needs and

maintain an academically rigorous pace. As a future educational leader, I dont want any of my
staff to go through that. Even though the district may be underprepared to serve the emerging
bilinguals, it is our duty to help them the best we can. I can promote cultural competence,
provide training for teaching ESL, and ELL classes, or provide languages classes.
July 1 Personal Wellness Administrator and Spouse Panel Discussion
The spouse panel featured three administrators and their spouses. Each couple spoke
about their troubles, surprises, and rewards they endured as they took on the role as an
administrator. The two secondary principals spoke about how much time extra-curricular
activities eat up the late afternoons, and evenings. All the principals advocated for finding an
outlet for stress; whether it was working out, reading, or other activities.
Dr. Tom Davis spoke about wellness, and how to reduce stress. Davis spoke about the
three-legged stool. The stool is the perfect balance of personal coping skills, support systems,
and the weight of the stress. Davis demonstrated a breathing method to relax the body, and help
relieve stress.
My family will ultimately be affected once I take on an administrator role. It was great to
get some personal accounts from people who are currently going through the process. Obviously,
no situation will be identical but I can take some pointers from them. Two years ago, I broke a
few small bones in my ankle/foot, and Id completely given up on working out since then. I
would love to have that aspect back in my life, and have it be my key stress reliever. I can also
utilize stress relieving techniques, like the one Dr. Davis provided, to help cope with the new
pressures of being an administrator.
July 2 Leader of Service Project Sharing
The Leader of Service Project was an opportunity for the cohorts to showcase what
Leader of Service meant to them. Each project was unique to that individual, and approached
the subject matter differently. The All-Iowa cohort had about an hour to go through the UENs
projects, and then they switched.
During the Day in the Office simulation I had a vision of doing a Wheel of Fortune
type of Leader of Service project. After watching each situation, it was clear a leader of service
was subjected to chance and they had to use the best skill for that situation. In hindsight, my
project could have been a great game, but as a leader you must be a reflective practitioner. It was
interesting to see how everyone approached a leader of service. Some thought it was
empowering others, some felt it was to help deescalate situations, and others felt it was to assist
all stakeholders with their issues. As a future educational leader, I must be able to do all three of
these and still maintain a vision, and manage the daily operations.