Personal Vision Statement for a Supervisory Platform

By: Kelly Purdy

I believe that education should empower students to manage the challenges of living and working in a diverse
society. I believe that every student is unique and special in a multitude of ways. Students that come into the
classroom learn not only from the curriculum but also from their life experiences as well. My supervisory
philosophy reflects my teaching philosophy. I believe that instructional supervision is a collaborative process in
which there is a sharing of power and the building of potential. As all students vary in their interests,
intelligences, and in their learning styles, so do the educators who work with them.

I believe that to focus on making any change and thus working towards a shared vision, there must be
collaboration. Through collaboration people should be able to see their own value and contribution to the
bigger picture. "The central purpose of transformational leadership to be the enhancement of the individual and
collective problem-solving capacities of organizational members." Leithwoods model assumes that the
principal shares leadership with teachers and the model is grounded not on controlling or coordinating others,
but instead on providing individual support, intellectual stimulation, and personal vision. (Stewart, 2006).

I believe that everyone has great potential and without trust and relationships, true collaboration wont happen. I
believe that leaders should empower those they work with to manage the challenges of working collaboratively
towards a shared vision. Being curious and questioning what is known is essential to finding meaning,
knowledge and motivation in ones life. If people are unable to question why they are doing something and
unable to find the meaning in what they are doing, they lose personal investment and therefore motivation. The
ultimate purpose for supervision should be for collaboration on a plan of action; student achievement is a joint
responsibility.

My hope is to be a leader who practices what she preaches. I feel that the 3 core beliefs of a truly democratic
form of public education, according to Maxcy in the article by "Distributive Leadership, Civic Engagement, and
Deliberative Democracy as Vehicles for School Improvement" easily sum up much of what I believe about how
a successful supervisor works with and for people.

1. A belief in the worth and importance of individuals participating in decision making.

2. A belief in intelligence and inquiry.
3. A belief that individuals, working together within communities of learning, are capable of engaging in
strategic planning and problem solving."

To support teacher growth, I first need to get to know my teachers as individuals and learn their strengths.
When people feel heard and unjudged they begin to build trust. OAR 548 gives us some non negotiables about
what makes for a competent educator and how said educator measures achievement or progress of a students
learning; however, as a supervisor I will keep in mind that clinical supervisors of instruction, no less than
teachers, should make a deliberate effort to honor and legitimate perspectives and practices that differ from their
own preferred styles of perceiving, judging, and communicating about reality (Pajak, 2003). I will use the
mini-observations and clinical supervision to begin laying the ground for teachers to create individualized goals
for improvement and to collectively decide on professional development opportunities. The goal is to have a
collective learning community with a collegial environment focused on achievement for ALL students.

One suggestion that I have about how to improve the evaluation process for teachers and administrators is to
make it a collaborative process. This entails making sure to use the clinical supervision model with teachers
prior to setting goals for the year. Using data from the observations, conferences and post-conferences along
with student achievement or learning gains data, a true School Improvement Plan (SIP) can be made. From this
collective data teacher goals can authentically be crafted. When everyone works together and has a true stake in
and knowledge of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) a shared focus and plan of action can be attained and
achieved.
Fusarelli, L. D., Kowalski, T. J., & Petersen, G. J. (2011). Distributive Leadership, Civic Engagement, and
Deliberative Democracy as Vehicles for School Improvement. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 10(1),
43-62. Doi:10.1080/15700760903342392

Pajak, E. (2003). Honoring Diverse Teaching Styles: a Guide for Supervisors. Alexandria: Association for
Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Stewart, J. (2006). Transformational Leadership: An Evolving Concept Examind through the Works of Burns,
Bass, Avolio, and Leithwood. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, (54), 1-29.