The Principals Role in Leader of Service

Critical Element Paper #2

Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership
and Postsecondary Education
University of Northern Iowa
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Master of Arts in Education
by,
Neal D. Bentley
North Fayette Valley High School
West Union, Iowa
07/24/2015
Dr. Denise Schares, Advisor
Leader of Service
As we began the seminar, it was hard to wrap my mind about what we
would be learning about. What subject would we focus on? What would
the emphasis be? What would we take away? We knew there wasnt a
text to peruse through in preparation for seminar. In short, we were
walking in cold.

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
1)
2)

6/16/2015
Mike Weiglein talked to us today about leading. What does that look
like and how does it work? Leadership, according to Mike, is composed
of learning, living and leading others. Done so through influencing the
mindset of individuals.
Interesting concept of the pyramid of leadership:
base level is leadership through right: people following the title (ie:
boss is principal),
2nd) Permission: relationship leading where people start following you
b/c of who you are,
3rd) Production: results, where people start following you because of
the results they start seeing,
4th) People development, where people start following you because of
the results they are seeing, and
5th) Pinnacle, people are following you due to the respect they hold for
you (like legacy)
The 4 myths of leadership are that
management does not = leadership
knowledge does not = leadership

3) Pioneering does not = leadership (as in: if youre the first to do

something but no ones followed)
4) Positional does not = leadership (in that its just a title).
6/17/15
Got to listen to a Cedar Falls policeman regarding deescalating
behaviors. Thinking about being a leader of service or servant leader -excellent role model to learn from are our police forces. After all, dont
they all take the oath to serve & protect? As public servants, we may
see our constituents at probably both their best and their worst
moments.
Really enjoyed listening to Roark - the next SAI director -- as I hold
valuable those persons who can provide multiple perspectives based
upon their varied professional careers. He was able to provide not only
real world experiences, but also show how the same issue linked
through his various roles. Two thoughts I pulled away from Roark: when
responding to an instructor demanding equal treatment to ask tell me
how your situation is exactly the same as the other situation, and
Roarks approach to seeking how to best empower each instructor.
6/18/2015
My adrenaline still hasnt settled down yet.
I keep replaying the scenario I was in, and some of my other co-horts,
and am...well, still mulling them over.
The situations have to have been real. Theyre too crazy to be thought
up! Considering how powerful these scenarios played out, with the
immediate learning and feedback, I almost would like to go back and
re-do mine -- and do a few of my cohorts as well!
I look forward to seeing my video performance. My own thoughts are:
1) I was nervously and visually trembling -- I recall at one point lifting
my right hand up while speaking, seeing it tremble, and immediately
placing it back down, hoping my parent/actor hadnt seen it. I would
like to think this wont happen in the first few high-stakes
meetings...but it could. I will be speaking with my hands under my
desk for the first few times.
2) I tried to make a point to the students father that, in fact, the
student would make up a detention. I guess I was thinking I needed to
stand by my earlier decision of assigning one. I didnt want to appear
push-over-ish. I would also attribute my decision to push back against

the father from a bit of seeing red. While I dont consider myself quick
to anger, I must remain mindful of my temper.
6/23/15
I began my career in education as a special education assistant with a
nonverbal autistic child, one-on-one in our own room. We had low
lights, soft music, and some pretty crazy behavioral outbursts at times.
Im embarrassed upon reflection of how I viewed my student. While
concerned for his well-being, I also viewed his behaviors as
uncontrollable (almost animalistic) urges. Based on the minimal
instruction I provided for him, perhaps we were completely unaware of
his educational needs and promise? I shudder if his behavioral
outbursts were due to his frustration in communicating.
So, in listening to the fascinating panel at the Inclusion Conference, I
was bowled over with the participants struggles with and
perseverance through their communication and inclusion issues.
Inspired perhaps would be another way of describing my takeaway.
Certainly, I will pay more attention to my students abilities rather than
their disabilities.
6/24/15
Whats popular is not always right, and whats right is not always
popular
Gotta keep that in mind, always.
I appreciated Dr. Pace being upfront with us in describing the
experience he shared with a smaller conservative school district and a
native sons experience coming out of the closet. Its too easy for me
to think the future has already marched on and the issue has become
less intense -- and yet, based upon my scenario in Day In The Office -the situation and emotional responses are still held fast by some.
Both Tracey Godon and Dr. Dewitt Jones were remarkable speakers to
listen to. Tracy with her incredible insight on tips and tricks on putting
together our resumes and cover letters. Dr. Jones was terrific in
spelling out to us how to put our best foot forward in an interview, and
how to put together entry plans to help make an impression. Its
remarkably obvious how much the EdLead team wants to see us
succeed, through their willingness to help out as much as they can. It
has become clear to me that Leadership of Service is not simply a
tag-line for EdLead, but instead a lived-in ethos all display to us
students.

6/25/15
It was nice to get a chance to read my cohorts
evaluations/suggestions/criticisms of the DITO scenario. Reflection is a
powerful tool, and to utilize another (or 16 other) set of eyes is helpful
to pick up on what I may have missed in the moment.
It was nice to formally meet/work with a few of the UEN cohort group.
We shared a bit about our scenarios, but then the conversation quickly
turned to some school situation 2 of the UEN members were familiar
with.
Dr. Schares and Dr. Smith with their Culturally Competent Leaders
presentation was a great way to reframe the culture conversation. I
hadnt given thought to what my culture is...just that all the other
cultures were different from mine. That word/idea different is so
easily slid into...and yet, its really dependent on perspective, isnt it?
6/29/15
A thought I had today listening to Tammy Gregerson speak to the
important ways we need to cultivate our emergent bilingual students:
as knowledge becomes more readily available to all, teachers have to
become less the sage on stage and focus more on the breakdown/chunk-up/link-to-previous-knowledge/application part...the
human part of teaching. I was inspired in part by learning of the English -Spanish classrooms...where each of students were the
experts for the day or topic, and helped their non-native-speaker
classmates learn.
As a servant leader, we really do need to focus on doing whats best
for kids and perhaps more importantly, living the line Whatever it
takes.
Easy to say - Whatever it takes - much less easier to act. And yet, I
want to ensure I do that part. Not just act the part, but be that part.
6/30/15
The insight gained from the assembled panel of principals and their
spouses will be a significant insight when we reflect back in a few
years. Part of what we dont know collectively as a group will be what
the future will look like -- not that the experiences this group was able
to share will be exactly our experiences, but certainly there will be
significant similarities. One question I would have liked answered,
asked of both the principals and then of the spouses, was What did
you worry about when transitioning to principal position that in
hindsight seems insignificant now?

Dr. Tom Davis pointed out to me, through his line of questions, that
perhaps I am more type-A personality than I ever before considered. I
was seriously surprised by that...perhaps I should take a few more
internet quizzes to confirm! On a more serious note, the breathing
exercise set up by Dr. Davis worked very well for me - and it is one that
I can see myself implementing starting today. I was noticeably calmer
afterwards (not that I was energetic before)...perhaps peaceful is a
better term.
7/1/15
Wow, we have a lot of leaders of service. Saw some neat and creative
things today, a few stuck out to me. One of the UEN members had a
tool belt on display, with individual tools carefully thought out and
connected with various service attributes. This stuck out to for me two
reasons - 1: as a shop teacher and hobby remodeler, Im very
particular about my tool belt and tool positions and 2: we constantly
hear about adding that tool to our tool belts in education - and Ive
never visualized what that would look like. It was neat to see.
The project was an interesting way to wrap up our time on campus. I
would have liked the opportunity to go around and see my own
cohorts projects. After the extraordinary cohesiveness our group went
through the past 3 weeks, I really enjoyed learning and sharing with
my cohort. It was an important experience, one that I almost wish
would continue, although it is nice to be home with family and not
away. Still, the time spent with my cohort was well thought out and
developmentally important.
In conclusion, it is important to emphasize how varied, and yet
integral, each of the presented topics will be for us as future
administrators. My gut feeling is that although the presenters spoke for
an hour or two, we will deal with the issues presented on for many
hours over and again through the years as administrators. It almost
seems the topics were hand selected by our professors as bellwethers
for hot button issues sure to pop up. Perhaps most significantly, from
my perspective, was emphasis on the living aspect of school
leadership.