Running head: COMPETENCY REFLECTIONS

Competency Reflections
Christopher M. Rojas
University of St. Thomas

Dr. Eduardo Torres

EDUC 6331 Internship II
Spring 2016

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Competency Reflections
Competency 001

I feel I used this competency most during my credit recovery project. I had to solicit help
from other teachers, the administration, and the students parents. It was truly a communal effort
and I learned a lot of valuable lessons about how important it is to take the time to get other
people involved when issues present themselves. I do need to work more on getting parents
involved. I feel that I really do not know what to do when parents do not automatically show
interest in helping me with their children.
Competency 002
I used this competency the most with my voter registration drive project. I had to
mobilize a diverse group of students while also trying to manage a group of teachers who were
not overly interested in helping me out. I learned that the best way to build consensus was to be
extremely clear about the reasoning behind the project and to fully explain the process. It was a
lot easier to gain their buy-in once they fully understood everything. I hope to continue to grow
in this regard and become better at building consensus when a more controversial initiative pops
up.
Competency 003
I feel like this competency comes into play with everything an administrator does on a
daily basis. I used it the most when I was working discipline in the assistant principals office. I
had to constantly think about my actions towards students to make sure that I was adhering to
ethical and legal guidelines. I want to become even more well-versed on these issues because
any minor slip up could have disastrous consequences on my career.

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Competency 004

I used this competency the most during my internship when I was planning AP review
sessions for U.S. History. The course has a very strict and extensive curriculum, so it is
imperative that all instruction and review materials are tightly aligned. I learned that it is truly
valuable to truly align the curriculum because it really does produce results. I hope to be able to
do this on a school wide level once I become an administrator.
Competency 005
During my internship, I was asked to assist with the scheduling of teaching units for the
next school year. Competency 005 definitely came into play during this process, and I gained
valuable experience concerning the logistics of school staffing. I had to keep in mind that each
teaching unit was not just a number on a spreadsheet, but they are actual people who will have
real reactions to whatever decision I make on their placements. I really enjoyed it and I hope to
do more of it in the future.
Competency 006
I learned a great deal about this competency while undergoing the week-long PDAS
training last summer. I gained great insight into the process that I never understood as a teacher.
I feel like administrators need to do a better job communicating the purpose of the process. Most
teachers feel like PDAS evaluations are a gotcha-type scenario, but it should be framed as
more of a collaborative attempt to improve the level of instruction in every classroom.
Competency 007
Competency 007 came in handy when I was planning my TSIA testing project. I gained
valuable experience in the assigning and delegation of power throughout the process. It took a
lot for me to do that because I usually like to have total control of a situation, so I had to force

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myself to simply trust others to complete their task and responsibilities. Obviously, I would have
to do this a lot in an administrative role, so I need to continue to get better at learning to let go.
Competency 008
In my TSIA testing project, I was given a $1000 budget for the entire process. I had to
balance the purchase of testing materials, marking and staffing while making sure everything ran
efficiently and smoothly. It was harder than I thought it would be, but I did come in under
budget. In the future, I am looking forward to doing this on a larger scale and with a bigger
budget. I feel like I will be using this competency a number of times throughout my career.
Competency 009
I was not able to address this competency as much as I had hope, but I did sit in on a
decent amount of disciplinary meetings and learned a great deal about how to deal with troubled
students. I learned that sometimes you have to adjust your approach depending on the student
and an administrator cannot always stubbornly stick to the same method every time. I just wish I
had more opportunities to do this myself, but hopefully I will get more chances next year and
beyond.