Erin Bigler Administrative Internship
Do what you feel in your heart to be right–for you’ll be criticized anyway. —Eleanor Roosevelt
Organizational Management Artifacts
Scheduling
Prior to completing my administrative internship, I had no idea how many plates administrators are spinning on a daily basis. Some of the new insights I gained came from helping principals plan the master schedules for their building. This task was much harder than I anticipated, as there are so many constraints that impact how things can be scheduled. Additionally, my experience at Middle School and High School is so limited, I had no idea what considerations are important within their day - for example, which types of classes are best suited for a split period over the lunch hour, and which classes should be taught in a continuous block. They also have many different structures for classes, different from elementary, like study skills, independent studies, hybrid classes, and PSEO programming.
I have learned the importance of being able to plan and manage school-wide schedules throughout my internship. There are many factors that impact the effectiveness of a schedule. I have learned it's best to always plan with student needs in mind. It's also useful to get many eyes on the schedule, as classroom teachers have great insights to what will (or won't) work. For instance, I learned that having only 30 minute blocks of time as a specialist is incredibly challenging. Once transitions are accounted for, the actual instructional time available is too short to meet their needs. As a future principal, I might consider a master schedule that allows for full-hour blocks of time in the specialist rotation.
Linked below are several examples of schedules I've been involved in creating:
Master Schedules. Click any to view.
PLC Schedules
Testing Schedules
Staffing Procedures
Another completely new area of learning was the process for staffing in the spring. I did not realize how much time and energy goes into looking at sections, allocating staff, and strategic decision making around certain “flexible” positions (like a discretionary teacher that can be used in different ways). It was helpful to see how my principal communicated news around staff cuts, because this is such a sensitive subject to broach with teachers. I have learned that it is important to be respectful of peoples’ feelings in the process and also to be very transparent with your decision making process. The choices are not always easy to make, but when staff can understand the “why” behind your decision, it helps them maintain a higher level of trust, regardless of whether they are happy with the end result.
Linked here is an example of the staffing presentation our principal put together for staff members, that highlights class sections and numbers by grade level.
Summer School Planning & Staff Training
I had the opportunity to work as the summer school coordinator throughout the month of July. This experience was one of the most valuable, in regard to learning about organizational management, and many other leadership aspects.
In planning the staff training, some of my primary areas of focus included student safety, schedule logistics, communicating a plan for transitions at the start/end of the day, as well as familiarizing staff with curriculum, technology, and resources available for teaching. In addition to training our staff, we spent time calling families of students to ensure they had all the information they needed, which had a positive impact on our rate of attendance.
One of the biggest challenges in the first week involved coordination between other summer groups. In addition to our program, the extended school year program for special education (ESY) and Kid's Club (before/after school kids' care) were housed at our school site. Between the different groups, our procedures were inconsistent and confusing to families and staff members. I had to be very assertive in getting information, such as contacts for the coordinators, as well as daily schedules and room assignments for their students. It was incredibly helpful to know where all students belonged, even if they weren't part of our program. Once we had some of these logistical items in place, arrival and dismissal times ran much more smoothly.
If I could do things differently, I think it would be beneficial to schedule one big sit-down meeting with the coordinators of each program ahead of time. Then we could plan ahead and anticipate challenges rather than reactively searching for solutions as problems arose. Some of the logistics we had to work out included sharing outdoor spaces, using the cafeteria, and defining spots for parents to check their students in/out of the school each day. Next week, our focus will be on student behavior, ensuring paras' schedules are working well in their assigned classes, as well as visiting classrooms to build connections with students and teachers, and to monitor the instruction happening in each classroom. We will also be coordinating a bike safety program with Bike MN, giving our 4th and 5th grade students a hands on experience to look forward to!
VLA Materials Return Day
One project my principal tasked me with organizing with the materials return day for our virtual learning students at the very end of the 2020-21 school year.
Fortunately, the weather was highly cooperative that day, so we were able to set up stations outdoors for materials to be collected, which was more efficient. It allowed parents and students to have a chance to connect with their teachers (many of whom had only conversed virtually throughout the year). However, it was important to have a backup plan in case of inclement weather.
Linked below is the plan we would have used, if we needed individuals to run things from inside the building. I tried to set this up in a way that was well organized with clearly defined roles for each teacher, so the procedure would run smoothly. I learned that office coordinators have wonderful insights to planning procedural things, and it was helpful to collaborate and discuss ideas with them.