I feel that the information from StrengthsFinder assessment is fairly accurate in

defining my strengths. I showed strengths in “Executing.” The strengths listed

are: achiever, discipline, belief, and responsibility. My fifth strength was in the
“Strategic Thinking” domain and is noted that I am futuristic.

I am aware that I work very hard to get things done, but they must be done in an
accurate, orderly fashion. I am the type of person that makes a lot of lists and is
very task-driven. I also have strong values of what is right and those values don’t
usually change. I truly believe there should be order in doing things and that
everything has a place. As a younger student I liked working with others, but
would often take on the role of completing assignments (doing all/most of the
work). As an older student I truly dislike group assignments and have been
challenged by forcing myself to appreciate their ideas and input on work. As a
teacher these qualities are great strengths because I insist on things being
structured in my classroom including our daily routine, discipline, and
expectations. I also keep things in order and work hard to maintain a progressive
learning environment. My co-workers joke around with me because my desk and
classroom are very tidy. I stay late and simply cannot rest until things are complete
and ready for the next day of learning. As a teacher leader I would ensure order
and be a task-master. The challenge with this is that I am not sure there would be a
lot of buy-in and if not, then I would complete tasks independently or want out of
the role. I have been asked to be a part of a leadership team for the upcoming
school year, but I have not yet responded because I am afraid of buy-in (failure).
The members of this team need to lead our PLC meetings. This class has given me
a lot of insights about PLCs and leadership that are encouraging me to take on this
new role. In the past I have had other opportunities for leadership while mentoring
new teachers, leading PBIS, and piloting and training for multiple new
curriculums. I have also considered leaving the classroom to take on a reading
interventionist role, but feel I would miss the classroom community and am not yet
ready to make this leap.

When reflecting on the “Strategic Thinking” domain and my futuristic strengths

I know that I am always thinking about ways to be better and to learn more. I
know that this is ongoing and not an overnight goal; rather it is long-term. I
believe that by having goals for ones’ future gives us purpose. I also believe that
one should never be completely content because there is always more to learn, do,
and experience.

I am not sure of the other qualities that fit into each domain (they wanted to
charge me for all 34 results), but I did reflect on the other two domains (influencing
& relationship building). I did not have any qualities listed in either and wonder
do others typically have some in each domain? I often do my own thing and what I
think is right so perhaps that is where I lack influence. I know that goes along with
relationship building as well. I do give everyone a chance, but have a smaller
group of people I am really close with. For example, I have been working very
closely with my one colleague for the past 11 years even though our second grade
team has been 4-6 teachers. I feel that she is driven like I am and we love to
bounce ideas off one another. I am always professional with others, but know how
well we work together. As I have gotten older I don’t worry about what others are
doing or saying as I do what I feel is right. Maybe I need to improve this outlook
by reaching out to others more frequently. I have mentored many new teachers and
because mentoring is an “assignment” I have no problem with sharing information,
communicating, and welcoming them. If the assessment questions were posed
regarding my classroom and students rather than adults, I would bet that
relationship building and executing would have been my strengths. I truly am
aware of the value of structure and importance of community within my classroom.
Perhaps it is odd that I teach my students the importance of building relationships,
but don’t reach out to others as frequently as I preach. I often feel that others don’t
want to hear what I am doing and they want to do their own thing. It is obvious
that collaboration within my team and possibly our school as a whole needs
improvement.

As I continue to grow as an educator and leader I know that I will take on even
more leadership roles. The assessment has confirmed my strengths in being an
orderly task-master. It has also forced me to think about relationship building and
that I may need to improve by being less independent and more willing to share my
ideas. Perhaps some others will want to hear about my ideas? With experience
comes confidence and comfort in sharing.