Internships

The expectations of the first two internships were not difficult for me. As a learning support teacher, I was able to easily meet the needs of the LSS internship. Similarly, I had spent many years growing into the role of informal leader within the school, and I was fairly comfortable with becoming more purposeful in this through the second, school-based internship. However, from the moment I learned of its existence, the internship focusing on district-wide leadership had me worried. I realize that sounds silly, as I'm endeavoring to become an administrator; but there is something about branching out to the district level that made this introvert quail inside.

Well, a solution to that dilemma was found! I applied for and accepted the position of District Helping Teacher for Learning Support Services in Abbotsford, and have spent this school year engaged in exactly the kind of district-level leadership that once made me nervous. In fact, a good part of the reason I applied for the position in the first place is because I recognized this fear in myself, and wanted to eliminate it: I don't like being afraid of new things. Over the past months I have had the opportunity to work with, learn from, and problem-solve with teachers, administrators, education assistants, counselors, youth care workers, students, and parents from a wide array of schools. I have attended care team meetings, led many safety plan meetings, provided programming advice for challenging students, attended meaningful training sessions, and led a variety of professional development workshops for district staff, all with the goal of increasing student success. I believe I can safely say I have conquered my fear of district-level leadership, and I have been delighted with the process. Throughout, I have kept focus on the leadership standards, and have seen my own growth in every area.

A snapshot of my last proposal

A log of hours from the last internship