WALO stands for wicked awesome leadership opportunity. WALOs are self-designed experiences intended to push one’s learning and leadership. Accordingly, a WALO should go above and beyond one’s daily responsibilities and involve collaboration with colleagues. Examples of WALOs might include videotaping one’s own teaching and then reviewing it with a colleague, inviting students to participate in a protocol (a structured conversation), visiting another school, or leading a professional development session. As a resident of the Teacher Leadership M.Ed. Program, I will complete three WALOs over the course of a year.
Book Club Begins! For my first WALO, I founded a book club open to families and faculty of High Tech Elementary. This reflection chronicles the origins of the club, how collaboration with colleagues informed the decision-making process, and our first meeting. For more information about the club and our current book, check out the book club section of this website.
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Watching the Tape. Over the years, I’ve heard many colleagues talk about the benefits of watching themselves teach. For others, including myself, watching oneself on screen can be a littler nerve-racking. For this WALO, I decided to face my fear and film my teaching. This reflection describes the planning process, the lesson, and the debrief session with my teaching partner. In light of my experience, I encourage all teachers to film their work with children and . . . watch the tape!
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Every Wheel Gets the Grease! For my final WALO, I confronted a common dilemma for classroom teachers. In a class of twenty-odd students, those who demand attention often get it and those who don’t can fade into the background; the squeaky wheel gets the grease, as the old saying goes. To combat this inequity, I designed a protocol to help teachers consider and plan for the needs of every child in their class. This reflection traces the evolution of this protocol, which is included as an appendix, and its first trial. The reflection also includes a few final thoughts about my growth as a leader over the course of the program.
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