Internship Plan Conference

My conference with Dr. Kazanas went very well.  He had seen my original plan because I had it in a draft form when I interviewed him.  With that in mind, he was able to see an updated version of the plan with some revisions that were made based off what I saw from other plans and feedback I received.  He liked the additional adjustments made with my final plan.  Dr. Kazanas like the activities that I had selected within the plan and liked that I had added measurable outcomes for each activity.  Although he did not have me add any activities to my plan, he did emphasize that he would be looking for opportunities during the next several months to add activities to my plan that would be opportunities that arose in the district that I could gain expose to.  One activity that he mentioned during our time together was expanding my Activity #33 as we are actively going through the bond process right now.  It will give me opportunities to be a witness to meetings and see first-hand this process in motion.  He felt like the Bond Election process can be one of the most challenging tasks a superintendent goes through with the School Board and the community. 

Superintendent Interview

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. George Kazanas, Superintendent of Midway ISD, this past Friday.  I feel in order to do justice to our interview, I want to put into context the week that Dr. Kazanas had experienced.  He was at TASA Midwinter Conference Monday through Wednesday.  His day on Friday included a trip to Austin with one of our district teachers and then a visit to a campus after he returned.  I am under an impression that he spent probably 1 hour trying to get the most critical tasks done before our 4:00 p.m. interview.  Needless to say, it would have been simple for Dr. Kazanas to keep his answers short as we were hitting the end of a very busy week.  But from the eight months that I have spent under Dr. Kazanas’ leadership, I have learned that Dr. Kazanas will bring his best always to the table.  Our time together was no exception.

 Dr. Kazanas began our time together by talking about servant leadership and how important being a servant leader is to his principals, teachers, students and parents.  He also spoke about leadership in the terms of it being a collaborative and participatory process with those around you.  He has found the role of superintendent most rewarding in ways such as setting the vision for a district, guiding the district to where it needs/wants to be, involvement in many areas, and being the spokesman for the district.  Being superintendent is a role that leaves him feeling that he is never finished but constantly working ahead.  It is also a role that many parents and teachers will look to for answers.  This requires that he is “always on call.”  But ultimately, good times or bad times, he recognizes that in the public view “the buck stops” with him. 

Several themes presented themselves throughout our time.  Dr. Kazanas highlighted just how important effective communication can be, not only in being superintendent but in aspects of building a culture, positive relationships, student improvement, and the managerial aspects of his role.  A second theme that was frequently visited by Dr. Kazanas is that relationships are in many ways the lynchpin of his success.  Although he did not brag or name drop relationships that he has developed over his tenure in Midway ISD, he talked about the need to forge relationships with the many constituents that come in contact with the superintendent.  Being a relationship builder is something that I have seen from him firsthand and he does a masterful job investing the time and energy needed to build loyalty with his staff.  A third theme that was discussed in several questions was the idea that he must surround himself with a strong leadership team to help shape the district and bring ideas to the table when facing tough situations.  A final theme, but one of the most prevalent, was his philosophy of putting the students first in the decisions he makes. 

As I mentioned at the start, he could have been short on his answers but we spent over an hour together on a Friday afternoon.  Our time passed quickly, but I walked away with a genuine respect for the work that he does, the energy he needs, and the passion that he has for our students.

Internship Plan - Draft

Activity # ____ You may give the number corresponding to the 38 activities from the text to identify one of the activities. Make as many cells as necessary to address all 38 leadership skill areas.	TExES comp.#___ You must have activities that represent each of the 10 Superintendent competencies.	Summary of Activity - Describe the activity you plan on implementing or participating in during your internship – you may use any of the internship activities identified in the School Leader Internship, 2nd edition, pp. 19 – 68.	Resource  Person	Projected Date to be Completed
Activity #1	TExES Comp. # 2	Review and compare Midway ISD’s and Waco ISD’s district vision statement.	Dr. George Kazanas	4/1/2013
Activity #2	TExES Comp. # 2	Serve on the Midway ISD District Improvement Committee	Dr. George Kazanas	5/16/2013
Activity #3	TExES Comp. # 2	Review the ways in which assessment data are used by the Board of Education, superintendent, faculty, staff and public information department.	Dr. George Kazanas	7/1/2013
Activity #4	TExES Comp. # 7	Conduct a staff development session and survey the participants about the presentation.	Dr. George Kazanas	5/31/2013
Activity #5	TExES Comp. # 5	Lead project in the alignment of the math curriculum.	Dr. George Kazanas	6/21/2013
Activity #6	TExES Comp. # 2	Seek permission to sit in district cabinet meeting to observe the collaborative decision making that occurs.	Dr. George Kazanas	8/1/2013
Activity #7	TExES Comp. # 5	Interview ELA Coordinator in the selection of the most recent textbook adoptions.	Beth Brabham	9/1/2013
Activity #8	TExES Comp. # 5	Participate in the process of student class scheduling.	Dr. George Kazanas	6/30/2013
Activity #9	TExES Comp. # 5	Interview one district-level instructional supervisor, and asses current needs, goals and level of service provided by central office instructional staff.	Debbie Perry	9/15/2013
Activity #10	TExES Comp. # 6	Review methods used to encourage student motivation in the classroom.	Dr. George Kazanas	8/1/2013
Activity #11	TExES Comp. # 6	Interview Coordinator of Instructional Technology to look at technology software and look at process used to select software.	Susan Fletcher	8/15/2013
Activity #12	TExES Comp. # 6	Select a group of students to find their recommendations for how to improve preparation for tests.	Dr. George Kazanas	6/6/2013
Activity #13	TExES Comp. # 5	Work with Midway High School Theatre director to plan and supervise a cocurricular activity.	Jill Wilkinson	4/10/2013
Activity #14	TExES Comp. # 7	Survey a broad spectrum of students to discover what they believe are the necessary areas of training for their teachers.	Dr. George Kazanas	6/1/2013
Activity #15	TExES Comp. # 10	Meet with the Executive Director for Technology to discussing implementing the iPad initiative.	Adam Feind	8/10/2013
Activity #16	TExES Comp. # 6	Participate with Executive Director for Administrative Services in a student discipline hearing.	Dr. Jeanie Johnson	6/1/2013
Activity #17	TExES Comp.# 10	Interview Midway High School’s nurse to discuss major requirements and concerns.	Lisa Nixon	5/10/2013
Activity #18	TExES Comp. # 8	Review the job descriptions and evaluation forms for key office personnel at Midway ISD.	Dr. George Kazanas	7/21/2013
Activity #19	TExES Comp. # 8	Review the procedures for the district opening and closing of the school year, taking an active role in these procedures.	Dr. George Kazanas	9/1/2013
Activity #20	TExES Comp. # 9	Meet with the director of maintenance to review job responsibilities of the staff and schedule of staff.	Corry Crager	7/25/2013
Activity #21	TExES Comp. # 9	Interview director of transportation to discuss current issues and needs for transportation.	Brian Fair	7/26/2013
Activity #22	TExES Comp. # 9	Interview the district food service manager to discuss requirements, concerns, and issues of the program.	Natasha Reagan	4/15/2013
Activity #23	TExES Comp. # 7	Interview the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources to discuss major requirements and issues.	Mary Lou Glaesmann	8/13/2013
Activity #24	TExES Comp. # 8	Interview the Assistant Superintendent for Business to discuss finance guidelines and budgetary concerns.	Karl Kacir	9/15/2013
Activity #25	TExES Comp. # 3	Interview the Public Information Coordinator to discuss effective strategies for communication and community politics.	Tracy Marlin	6/25/2013
Activity #26	TExES Comp. # 3	Review the current Midway ISD policy and procedures for parental involvement in schools.	Dr. George Kazanas	8/10/2013
Activity #27	TExES Comp. # 3	Interview the Coordinator for Elementary ELA to discuss and examine literature used in the schools with regard to gender stereotypes.	Ginger Rowe	9/21/2013
Activity #28	TExES Comp. # 3	Interview social worker to discuss clients served and the person’s role in the school.	Carolyn Meyer	6/6/2013
Activity #29	TExES Comp. # 8	Obtain a copy of the job description and evaluation instrument for a position.  Analyze the correlation of the two documents.	Dr. George Kazanas	6/24/2013
Activity #30	TExES Comp. # 4	Interview a retired educator focusing on the oral history of the community and school system.	Dr. George Kazanas	8/1/2013
Activity #31	TExES Comp. # 1	Meet with a group of students and have them share their beliefs about ethical practices in the school.	Dr. George Kazanas	6/1/2013
Activity #32	TExES Comp. # 1	Develop my interpersonal skills in the areas of: ·        Acknowledging accomplishments of others ·        Accepts criticism ·        Seeks to know and understand others ·        Sharing responsibility in meetings	Dr. George Kazanas	9/1/2013
Activity #33	TExES Comp. # 4	Interview superintendent about the school bond process with specific focus on planning, public relations and legal requirements.	Dr. George Kazanas	5/15/2013
Activity #34	TExES Comp. # 5	Interview Career and Technical Education coordinator to look at major requirements, concerns, and goals for the program.	Ashley Canuteson	6/10/2013
Activity #35	TExES Comp. # 10	Look at a divisive issue within the district and visit with two people on the opposite side of the issue.	Dr. George Kazanas	8/20/2013
Activity #36	TExES Comp. # 6	Compile a list of current issues that affect teaching and learning.	Dr. George Kazanas	9/1/2013
Activity #37	TExES Comp. # 4	Contact multiple superintendents and compile a list of professional associations, service organizations, and local, state, and federal agencies that provide expertise and service to the superintendent position.	Dr. George Kazanas	5/5/2013
Activity #38	TExES Comp. # 8	Compile a list of books, publications, training manuals, recommended for the role of superintendent.	Dr. George Kazanas	5/5/2013