Review of Internship Plan

I truly feel blessed to have the experiences that I was able to engage in during my internship experience.  I think one of the best experiences that I was able to learn from was the fact that our district was going through a bond proposal.  The bond proposal not only allowed me to learn a great deal about the district’s financial status, it also allowed me to see how the bond would affect other areas of the district.  When I think about the key components of the bond proposal and their affect transportation, technology, our overall budget, ethics, legal aspects and buy-in from the community, it was a great opportunity to have an experience that others going through the Lamar superintendent program may not have experienced.  And it is an experience that I hope to not go through for many years to follow. 

 

Besides the bond issue providing great learning experiences, I was appreciative of the district leadership within Midway ISD for allowing me to take their time and them each giving a great deal of thought to ensure that the lessons I would learn from each of them would help me to be a better superintendent if that were something I wanted to pursue.  I also appreciated getting to visit with students which is why I love my job so much.  I find that the students took their tasks seriously and gave a great deal of thought to their tasks to help me in my internship.

 

I think one of the major takeaways that I have from my internship is the need to establish a strong vision and ensure that all stakeholders know that vision.  Although a district has a mission statement and many districts have a vision statement, sometimes those are not completely in sync so with one another which makes it critical that all people understand the direction the superintendent intends to take the district. 

 

A second takeaway is the need to have a clear message from the district and have that message known by all staff, especially the staff that will help get out that message.  Whether it is social media or just in meetings, communicating the common message in a strong manner helps ensure that the message is getting out.  I had great opportunities through the bond process but also in a variety of other ways to see the effectiveness of a good communication strategy. 

 

A final takeaway that I would highlight is the need for continued professional development of a superintendent.  When a person reaches the highest point in a district, they cannot let their learning end but need to be an example of what a lifelong learner should be for all employees to see.  The other element I would share is that it is important to be a lifelong learner but also to continue to be a teacher for those who wish to grow professionally. 

 

I will value my time in my internship plan and will be prepared for success should I ever desire to take the next step in my educational career.