The Principals Role as Leader of Service

Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership

and Postsecondary Education
University of Northern Iowa

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the
Master of Arts in Education

by
Lori L. Netty
Waterloo Community School District
Waterloo, IA
July 7, 2014

Dr. Dewitt Jones

June 17, 2014

Entry Plan:
What a brilliant idea to create an entry plan. It makes sense to research the school and show that Ive
done my homework. Its good to know that my cohort and past UNI cohorts are privy to the entry plan
concept that Dr. Jones presented.
Cover Letters/Resumes:
The underutilized career center will be getting my business. I have not touched my resume in over 15
years and I know that it needs work. It is quite a benefit to have the career centers service available to
help me with my resume.
June 18, 2014
Connection to theater and leadership:
As I went into the day, I couldnt imagine how there would be a connection between theater and
leadership. I was quickly swayed as Dr. Taft presented ways that leaders act in their role as a principal
of a school from what they wear in public to how they handle situations in the office.
Diffusing agitated people:
Lt. Beckner presented some very good tips for diffusing agitated people. As a leader what I will take
with me, besides the obvious of calling 9-1-1 in case of an emergency, are the first three bullets Beckner
talked about in starting out right. Make a good 1st impression and have an immediate impact within
the first 7 seconds by smiling, nodding and mirroring remembering that less movement is more. Body
language is important and should reflect confidence, eye contact and open gestures. Tone of voice
should be firm, but pleasant maintaining control of your emotions.
June 19, 2014
A Day in the Office:
As I prepared for A Day in the Office, I got myself very nervous. I suppose it was fear of the unknown. I
was praying I would not get an irate parent to work through this activity. I am naturally a calm person
and believe that I can calm people down, but I dont like to deal with angry people. I feel that I handled
my situation well, when a parent came into my office to complain about her daughters bus and the
inappropriate behaviors taking place. I was able to use my prior knowledge of bus issues at my current
school and I built from that. I think the real benefit was listening to others and seeing how they handled
their situations. I look forward to debriefing and reading the feedback from my peers.
June 24, 2014
#unithinkinclusive:

How can leaders make schools inclusive? Leaders should see people NOT labels. Leaders should
presume competence. The Golden Rule will work as well.
The moment I typed, I became human Jamie Burke
Cafeterias are benches for separation. Solution: Break down barriers. Create a culture of
understanding. Tracy Thresher
These are a few takeaways from some very inspiring stories of Tuesdays keynote speakers at the 2014
Midwest Summer Institute Inclusion & Communication for All. I sat in awe listening to Jamie, Sue and
Tracys stories.
June 25, 2014
Poverty Simulation:
Taking part in the poverty simulation brought back memories from my childhood days. I remember
seeing my parents decide which bills to pay with each paycheck and trying to make ends meet. I
remember standing in line with my mother to pick up the government cheese and powdered milk.
My role in the simulation was a disabled grandfather with partial paralysis. I primarily sat at home and
did nothing. As the time passed, I did what I felt I could do to help my family without coming out of
character. I understand, as a leader and even as an educator, there are many students living under
similar situations as demonstrated in the simulation. I will continue to be mindful of the diversities that
come through the doors of education.
June 30, 2014
Day in the Office Debrief:
It was nice to review the comments from my classmates. There is always room for improvement and
the questions asked in class were beneficial to continue the thinking process.
Amber Boyd Dissertation:
Amber had some great information about African American females. The main take away for me is the
Girls to Women Program Study. I like the idea of working with a small group of girls and being a
mentor to them. I think this is a good idea for all girls, not just African American girls. There are many
young women in schools that need a good role model. As a leader of a school, I would like to work to
get groups like this for students to build character and gain an understanding of their lives.
July 1, 2014
Dr. Steve Gray Stress Perception of the Public School Administrator and his spouse:
Dr. Grays personal account of his early years was an excellent example of a new leaders transformation
of figuring out the profession and managing his time and well-being. Im thankful we were fortunate

enough to listen to his study of the stresses that go with the profession. With Dr. Grays insight, we are
all now aware of the hazards of not taking care of ourselves or our spouse along with the profession of
being a leader.
Administrator & Spouse Panel:
I appreciated the fact that we had a panel of spouses to share how they make it work living with an
administrator. Being a single parent with my children almost grown, I would have liked to listen to a pair
(or even a single parent administrator) that were later in their careers with older children and how they
balance everything.
July 2, 2014
Community Power Structure:
Although I would have loved to hear about stress management, I believe what Dr. Jones presented
about community power structure was excellent. I love that Dr. Jones shared personal strategies with
our class. I initially thought the power in the community would be those with money. However, I was
wrong with that thought. Key communicators will convey your message to the community. I will look
for Fred the barber in my community when I become a principal to help convey my message and get
the communitys support. I plan to be the face of my school and by meeting with community
members is an excellent way to get my face noticed.