Reflections

This course has allowed me to explore an idea that I’ve wondered about for a while.  Middle school is an awkward time for both parents and students.  Students are trying to figure out who they are and how to manage themselves.  Parents are trying to allow students to take on more responsibility without overwhelming them.  Parenting styles and philosophies also differ greatly about when a student should be allowed to care for themselves unsupervised for long periods of time.  All of these factors led me to wonder about after school care for middle school students.  This course has given me the tools to know how to take that wondering and turn it into a project that fits the culture of my school right now as we try to engage students in the school community.  I will use the process explained and defined by Dana in Leading with Passion and Knowledge as a guide for my project. I really enjoyed the blogging part of the course as well.  I would like to use blogging in the future to communicate with my staff, students, and parents when I am a principal.  Our district and the education community as a whole in encouraging the use of technology.  I believe that blogging can also help teach the students how to communicate professionally with others.  I’ve started my own personal blog as a result of using a blog in this course.