Supervisor meeting for Internship plan

I met with my supervisor, Dr. Jerry Ausburn, on Monday afternoon around 5:00 p:m. We had a board meeting that night so we were at the school anyway. Dr. Ausburn and I went over each of my 38 competencies and made a few revisions. The main thing that we did was to change the times that I completed each activity. He also gave me some literature such as the district site base plan, a comprehensive needs assessment, and a school facility maintenance plan. Dr. Ausburn told me that he would be available to discuss my plan any time. We also discussed that our Superintendent, Pamela Morris, would be involved in some of the activities.

Jon Burris

Jon Burris Interview with Dr. Ausburn

     I interviewed our Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jerry Ausburn for this assignment. This is his first year as our Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Development. His educational career includes teaching, principal, working for the TEA to help under performing schools, and Assistant Superintendent. He received his doctorate from Texas A&M and his masters from Stephen F. Austin. Here is a synopsis of what I learned as he answered the 15 questions.

     The biggest idea that stands out throughout the interview is the use of three words that correspond with each other. They are: collaborative, school community, and positive relationships. After the interview, I went through Dr. Ausburn’s answers and highlighted each one of these terms. They are included in every answer except for two of them. I have heard these ideas throughout my administrative career used in various scenarios. Dr. Ausburn’s responses assured me that they are the foundation of a great leader and school district and must be incorporated into a school system for it to be successful.

     The responses that stood out to me were as follows: When asked about the negative aspects of being in a leadership position, Dr. Ausburn commented that the increasing levels of stress and time required to effectively meet the challenges of increased levels of state and federal accountability do not mesh very well. He also said that sometimes politics can become a factor that could limit potential success of school administrators. These responses are important to me because I can see the stress level of the job and need to understand ways to decrease the stress. A good way to relieve this stress and be proactive would be to establish positive relationships with community members and have a collaborative school community.

     When asked about ethical leadership, he talked about an ethical leader looking like consistency, compassion, empathy, individualized needs being met, and striving to increase the rigor of the classroom to elevate student achievement levels. This response was important to me because it is something that I strive to do as a principal. I try to be as consistent and empathetic as possible with all of my staff and teachers. This has been one of the biggest lessons that I have learned as an administrator. It is good to hear another administrator talk about how important it is to them.

     The question of how a superintendent evaluates the effectiveness of  communication strategies and encourages the engagement of the community was also one that I thought was interesting. This is not a strong area for me so hearing Dr. Ausburn’s answer to this one was very important. He said that a variety of strategies such as the use of school climate surveys and open forum meetings with various members of the school community in various settings, superintendents are able to learn to effectively communicate with regard to the specific needs of the community. This in turn promotes higher levels of community engagement. I am a decent speaker and moderator but need a lot of practice in order to conduct  meetings like this that are engaging.

     Question 8 talked about how the superintendent builds a good working relationship with the board. I have always had good relationships with everyone that I am involved with so I assumed that it would be close to that with a school board. This is not entirely true according to Dr. Ausburn. The key word here is “working’ relationship. The trustees must be trained and have staff development on the board procedures and laws. This is very critical for both parties to maximize all available resources while effectively meeting ever increasing state and federal accountability requirements.  Determining which professional development training is available to new school board trustees will be one of the most important challenges that school Superintendents face during tough financial times for school districts across  the states.

     The last question that he answered was the question about any additional experience, learning or advice that he could share with me to help me develop an effective internship. His answer was very informational and helpful. He said to collaborate with external support agencies such as educational service centers and universities and to run your won race (educationally and professionally speaking) in a way that best meets the needs of your particular family situation and don’t worry about where your friends and co-workers are “at”.

     The main idea that I learned from the interview with Dr. Ausburn is that to be a good leader you must be able to work collaboratively within the school community and build positive relationships within that community. Being able to articulate your vision and ideas to your staff, community, and school board is imperative to becoming a strong leader and superintendent. This means that you must be well versed on the latest laws and news and be self-aware of the perception that you are invoking to your constituents.  

 

Jon Burris draft Vita

The following is the draft of my Vita for my internship class:

Jon R. Burris

8155 Shiloh, Beaumont, TX. 77706

Cell: (409) 791-2129 / Work (409) 243-2131 ext. 1123

 

Education/Certification

M. Ed- Education Leadership, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX. 2002

BS- Kinesiology, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, 1992

Principal Certificate-May 2003

Teacher Certificate- All level Physical Education: Texas

                                 Generic Special Education: Texas

Administrative and Leadership Experience

Principal, Hamshire-Fannett High School, Hamshire, TX, 2008-present

• Conducted site-based decision making meetings to help strategize our campus plan
• Appraised and guided teachers through the PDAS system using our districts evaluation system
• Worked with department heads to help make informed curriculum decisions and use data to drive learning and alignment of curriculum in the core areas
• High School was Exemplary for two consecutive years from 2008-2010
• High School was one of the top two in the area in STAAR scores for 2011-2012
• Worked with community members in various booster clubs and parent organizations to expand community involvement in the high school
• Make budget and finance decisions on a daily basis 
• Supported our UIL academic teams to the fullest extent possible. They have consistently won district, regional, and state competitions over the last 10 years
• Work with central office administrators on a daily basis to make critical decisions affecting our students
• Hamshire-Fannett High School won a Silver Award in US. News and World Report for best schools in the US for the 2011-2012 school year. Only 3 schools from the area achieved this distinction. Only 22% of schools nationwide achieved this award.

Assistant Principal, Hamshire-Fannett High School, Hamshire, TX. 2003-2008

·         Administered discipline to students at the high school

·         Textbook coordinator for the district- Responsible for ordering and keeping up with textbooks for the entire district

·         Appraised and guided teachers through the PDAS system using our districts evaluation system

·         In charge of the attendance accounting for the high school along with filing truancy with courts

·         Responsible for putting together a work schedule for administrators for extracurricular events

Teaching Experience

Director of Behavoir Intervention Center, Silsbee ISD, Silsbee, TX. 2001-2003

·               Started and implemented the AB unit for Silsbee ISD

·               Responsible for children in grades 1-12 with behavior and emotional problems

Director Student Alternative Center, Silsbee ISD, Silsbee , TX. 2000-2001

·         Implemented a behavior management plan for students sent to DAEP

·         School representative at ARD meetings for students with disabilities

·         Oversaw daily operations at the DAEP including intake of  students, release of students and budgeting

 Special Education Teacher- Silsbee Independent School District, Silsbee, TX  1993-2000

·          Middle School resource science and history teacher, 1993-1995

·         High School resource math teacher, 1995-2000

·         Worked with learning disabled students to help them achieve a higher grade level and boost their self-esteem

Coaching Experience

Assistant Basketball Coach, Silsbee High School, Silsbee, TX. 1993-2000

·         Assisted the head basketball coach with developing basketball players on the court and in the classroom

·         Varsity team made the state playoffs every year during this time including being the #1 team in the state during the 1997-1998 school year

Additional Training

Flippen Group

·         Flippen Leadership Series 1-  Overcoming personnel constraints. Devised action plans to remove personnel constraints and capitalize on strengths

·         Process Champions- Mentoring employees in the Capturing Kids Hearts curriculum

·         Capturing Kids Hearts- Trained teachers to develop safe, trusting relationships with their students

360’ Walkthrough Training

·         Developed walkthrough management techniques to provide instructional feedback

·         Identified and developed an understanding of the best practices related to continuous improvement

·         Identified proven research-based practices and how they are used in the classroom