Directly after my observation of Ms. Park, special education coordinator with Clayton County Public Schools, we spent a few minutes to discuss the questions I had jotted down throughout the day. I had noticed the number of interruptions during her day and also that her “office time” wasn’t really spent in the office. Ms. Park explained that part of being a special education coordinator is being “on-the-go” and learning to multi-task while satisfying your “to-do” list. She explained that as a coordinator, it is essential that you learn to organize yourself and work well with your colleagues. During my observation I noticed that Ms. Park is very comfortable with people and interacts well in a variety of settings; she exemplified the positive impact of collaboration among professionals. Communication, a recognition of the importance of parental input and all other aspects related to ISLLC standards #1 and #4 were apparent in Ms. Park’s job performance and during our interview.

Ms. Peach, who has now been promoted to the position of School Principal, has experience as a Special Education Teacher and Assistant Principal. During our time together, I was able to observe Ms. Peach in the district wide leadership meeting and at her morning bus duties; our interview was scheduled for a date later in the week following my observation. Talking with Ms. Peach was very easy and she expressed herself clearly as she explained the purpose and regularity of the district wide leadership meetings. Before the end of our session, I was invited to come back at any time to observe or ask questions about the duties involved with being a school administrator. Ms. Peach’s explanation of the district leadership meetings spoke to the heart of ISLLC standard #6 and her handling of the disciplinary situation I observed early on showed her ability to enact the fairness intended in standard #5.

The observation of Mr. Dana was two-fold; I was also a member of the Extended School Year planning team so I was able to interact with him on a professional level while observing his interactions with the other members of our team. Mr. Dana was very knowledgeable in the facilities available for the extended school year program and was very helpful aligning our plans with his building’s maintenance needs to allow for maximum learning opportunities with little interruption. These skills are knowledge points outlined in ISLLC standards #2 and #3. Our interview allowed me to direct more specific questions to Mr. Dana regarding the upkeep and facility management practices needed to be an effective administrator.