I think I am producing a new knowledge of my ability to be stretched. I had a very good friend ask me yesterday if I enjoyed my life being so busy. I had to stop and ask myself if I do. I think I do, if I can see the end in sight and know there is a break in the hectic schedule.

I am making connections about the coaching and mentoring and relating it to what I already do as a math facilitator and as a technology trainer. I haven't had any training in coaching or mentoring, but from what I've read, I already apply many of strategies. That realization is encouraging and affirming.

I have learned a great deal about assistive technology and autism. I have tried to learn about muscular dystrophy and the assistive technology needed, but have not found any very good articles on it.

Some of the things I am realizing about myself are that I can be a good listener when I work at it. I can communicate effectively and need to attend closely to those with whom I am attempting to communicate so I can monitor how well I am communicating. Throughout this past year, I have worked closely with a number of teachers including daily being inside their rooms to assist with math instruction. The experience has led me to discover that I am good at building trust. Many of the teachers have often related to me how appreciative they are of my help and my attitude. I'm not sure, yet, what I will be doing next year, but an overwhelming number of the teachers have told me that they really want me back at our school as a math specialist, assistant principal, or even as their principal. It has been an extremely rewarding experience.

In working on the video this week, I have been very grateful that I started it a while back. Putting the video was not much trouble, but getting it in the correct format has been a challenge. I've learned a great deal.

What am I learning about myself? Like I said last week, this lesson plan is a new experience for me because I am facilitating the creation of lesson plans on a topic about which I am unfamiliar. I have had to listen very carefully to my mentee for clues about what needs to be done. I have had to use the strategy of restating what I am hearing and in the process, she has clarified her statements even more. That was fun and yet challenging to do.

Degree Demonstrated In My Teaching Or Administrating (Circle 1)

We have a new administration team at our school and change always bring some amount of stress. I have been watching teachers and talking to those who's stress level seems to be too high. I'm endeavoring to use my mentoring skills especially with the new teachers.

In mentoring to get the staff development lesson completed, I strove for precision by restating what I thought the presenter was saying so I would be clear about her goals and objectives.

The 6 or 7 teachers I have been mentoring the past few weeks are each very different in their personalities and needs. I have tried very hard to offer them the assistance according to each of their individual needs. Some of them need encouragement and some of them just need a listening ear, while others need helpful suggestions. I want to get better at reading people.

I am basically an optimistic person. I try to expect the best of people and situations. Not knowing, for sure, what I was going to be doing this year, I determined to do the best job I possibly could at which ever job I was given to do. I knew that I could practice my coaching skills whether I was the principal, AP, math facilitator, or Instructional Technology Coordinator. So at the beginning of the year, I just concentrated on mentoring the new teachers.

When someone at school acts in a manner that surprises or confuses me, I usually am able to think that something is probably bothering them and I will wait and give them some room. Also, our administration wants teachers to create six weeks unit plans, which is causing stress on busy teachers. I tried to understand why it would be a good idea and realized that if we knew the big picture of the six weeks, then the daily lesson plans should be easier to complete. I expressed that idea to teachers who were not excited about the unit plans.