Goal Reflection

Servant Leadership

Ever since I was a young girl, I would watch the green and white Spartans on TV, and dreamt of becoming a Spartan one day myself. It was the winter of 2019 when I was officially accepted into the Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program at Michigan State University (MSU) with a concentration area of P-12 School and Postsecondary Leadership. When I had applied to MSU, I was in my second year of teaching, knowing I one day wanted to step into a leadership role within the education system. At the time, I was a fifth grade teacher in an inner city elementary school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I saw so much potential in my students, but felt defeated almost daily by the administration with the lack of support, hope, and belief in the work I was doing. 

I had two main goals when I entered my masters program: one; allow those within the school system become the best versions of themselves and two; to serve and reach more students through coaching, mentoring, and growing more teachers. 

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My educational vision and goal began with the belief that every student has the potential for success and it’s up to us, as educators, to provide students with the very best (staff, resources, curriculum, etc.). In order to pursue this vision, serving in school administration would allow me to mentor teachers, challenge the status quo, and implement best practices. It was in the summer of 2019 in which I applied for my current position as Dean of Students over Upper Elementary. In my role as Dean, I lead a team of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers in becoming the best versions of themselves, turning my vision into reality. 

Throughout my educational journey at MSU, I have learned an incredible amount from both my professors and peers. The knowledge I have gained during my time has helped me to stay focused on my two main goals: allow those within the school system become the best versions of themselves and to serve and reach more students through coaching, mentoring, and growing more teachers. I support my staff through Servant Leadership, something I learned about in one of my first courses at MSU. I believe that it is my priority to serve our educators who therefore then serve their students. It is through this act that I can then reach more students and help them grow academically, as well as socially and emotionally. 

Over the course of my education and change in position from teacher to administrator, my goals have remained the same: allow those within the school system become the best versions of themselves and to serve and reach more students through coaching, mentoring, and growing more teachers.