Zach Boness

EDAD 629

FUNDAMENTALS OF SCHOOL ADMIN

Course Reflection

Fundamentals of school admin was a great class to allow educators to get the
main understanding of what goes on in an administrator’s world. The course discusses
how certain entities such as parents, teachers, special interest groups, state and local
controls, and count mandates impact the school districts within the United States.
Administrators have to be a “jack of all trades,” because there is a lot of different
aspects to the job that they need to be prepared for.
Part of the course I focused on the obstacles a new school administrator would
have stepping into a new position in an elementary school. One of the important
aspects that I focused my research on was having open lines of communication with the
staff. Just like rapport is vital for a teacher and their students the same goes for
administrators with their faculty. Administrators need to reassure the faculty that they
have the support of the principal. Once that is set it allows for relationships and trust to
be built. One of the biggest factors that impacts turnover within teaching positions is not
having the support of their administration. This is why it is important to for an
administrator to build rapport with their colleagues.
Also it is important that teachers feel that their voice is heard in some of the
decision making within the building. Administrators need to create school building
leadership teams. At the same time it is important that the administrator takes the time
to listen and make the team feel that they get a say in the decisions, because if they
don’t it will hurt the rapport of the building overall.
Another aspect of this course that I found beneficial was having an sit down
interview with our schools superintendent. The discussion was solely based on how
school districts financially function. This is important to understand especially if I ever
decide to get into administration. Also we discussed how much building principals have
in their budget and what they are allowed to do within their budget outside of the
superintendent’s approval. It also allowed me to gain a different perspective than what
an teacher has since superintendents have different duties than teachers. Overall this
course was quite beneficial in allowing myself the opportunity to see what all goes into
the job of being an administrator.