Second Posting: Reflections on Leadership Connections

From: Susan Fahey
Email: sufahey@sbcglobal.net
Date: May 21, 2007

Comments

The Leadership Connections Conference was the perfect administrative retreat to address my personal professional growth and development. All the accomodations were well thought out and attractively arranged. The selection of speakers and topics was top notch and provided the in-depth knowledge and expertise we have come to expect at this conference. All the workshops provided "food for thought" regarding program improvement and addressing new NAEYC standards, which were a priority for me. I purchased an array of new professional books, and relished previewing them after listening first hand to the author. The actual "food for the conference" was equally nutritious and delicious. No one does it better than CECL and NLU - including the "goodie bag", which was filled to the brim with handouts and new materials!

Michael Brandwein's Time Management training was the a good review of basics, which I needed to review to prioritize the ambitious center goals for teacher training, technology and the new NAEYC accreditation self-study. My summer will be busy breaking down the vision, writing out in concrete steps, then creating teams of teachers to delegate different slices of the job.

Holly Elissa Bruno's Legal Issues training is the necessary workshop every director must take advantage of to keep on top of potential legal issues to safefguard children, families, and center staff. Even seasoned administrators were taking notes on important jargon to know and use, what to document and why. I realized the need to review and update policies, forms, and handbooks. Hearing the perspective of a trained lawyer looking at the early childhood programs and policies was enlightening. I was delighted to learn that Holly would host an on-line session May 21-26th. Ironically, the week following the conference I had a challenging issue regarding a child with special needs, and I felt confident calling for legal and medical advice - careful to document everything. There were a shortage of handouts in this session!

Kay Albrecht's Curriculum training was a good overview of the challenges for administrators to select and promote best practice and appropriate curriculum for infants through pre-kindergarten. As we prepare for NAEYC accreditation, our center is carefully reviewing how well our center philosophy is reflected in our everyday activities in the classroom. Presently, our teachers use a wonderful array of appropriate materials and resources, but it will be necessary to provide better documentation and assessment of the learning experience. Kay's new books provides some excellent examples for our Curriculum Coordinator to consider, especially for the infant and toddler classrooms.

Finally, Tim Walker's Communicating Your Message to the Digital World was fun and exciting. Our classroom team leaders will recieve their first laptop computers this month, with wireless connection to the internet. The timing of this training was super! This summer our teachers will receive training to create new classroom newsletter with thier digital photos included. I will be able to share much of what in Tim's training immediately, which will reinforce my own learning.

The best part of being a director is the diverse aspects of the job. There are so many things to be good at! The Leadership Connection Conference is a nice catalyst for the center technology goals and NAEYC accreditation standards to be addressed the new school year. Inspired by the presentors, and armed with new information and resources, I am eager to "take charge of the change(s)" ahead.

Thanks to all the CECL staff for providing the excellent trainings in such a wonderful format and setting. It was a terrific conference!