Initial+EdL+Program+Goals

=Program Goals: =

==== This goal means to me that I will develop the ability to see what type of leader I am right now and more importantly, create a vision of what type of leader I want myself to be. I think I will also develop and gain the tools that I will need in order to become that type of leader. In order for this transformation into a strong leader to happen, I will need to be able to take all the information and organize it into what fits my personality, the type of person I want to be, and how I want to achieve my goals as a leader. I think my ability and personality of being very organized, driven, reflective and focused will really help me with this organizational change. I think I have a good idea of what kind of leader I want to be, I just really need to work on and become comfortable with the elements that must help me to get here. ====
 * #1: Envision and guide organizational change **

**#2: Communicate effectively, engage constituents, develop people and build community **
==== I feel that this goal of the program really relates to my personality, leadership philosophy and what type of leader I want to be. One of my personal goals is to always build relationships and community within my classroom, workplace, and personal life. I think my ability to do this is one of my strengths, but I do want to work on communicating effectively. An area of growth I want to work on is really communicating and expressing my beliefs, thoughts and ideas. I oftentimes want to really think over my thoughts before I share them with a large group or I may not know exactly where I stand, so I don’t always communicate what I think very effectively or efficiently. Once I give myself a chance to think things through and become more comfortable in the situation, I have no problem communicating my thoughts. ====

**#3: Advocate and promote equity for diverse populations and respect for individuals **
==== This goal also relates very strongly to leadership philosophy. I think that a true leader is someone that can stand up for themselves, other people, and what he/she believes in while respecting other people and their viewpoints. I also think this goal stresses the idea that a leader is someone who wants the best for everyone involved, not only or always themselves. One of my areas of growth would be to actually stand up and speak up for myself and others at times. I feel like I always know what is right or wrong and what I believe, but I really want to work on expressing those ideas and being a strong advocate for myself, my students, and my colleagues. ====

To me this goal articulates the importance of relating and supporting ideas and thoughts with theory, data, information, and research to back it up. Someone that is a strong leader, not only is able to say what he/she thinks, but he/she is also able to explain why they think that and support it with strong reasons or data. One of my strengths is that I really do love to learn. I enjoy learning from other people, reading information, sharing ideas, and discussing viewpoints. An area I believe I can work on with this goal is actually backing up my own thoughts and ideas with that information I have learned and really being able to explain why I think something. I challenge my students a lot to achieve this “higher level thinking” by asking them why and how questions, so I really think I should do that to myself more often as well.
 * #4: Integrate theory, data, research and ethical standards into the context of one’s practice through continuous learning **