Interview/Observation: Learning to be a Leader
I had the privilege of interviewing the current principal, Mr. John Graf, at my school, Forest Lane Community School, located in Montello, Wisconsin. Mr. John Graf is a first year principal; he graduated from UW-Oshkosh in the spring of 2014. I was very excited to have the opportunity to interview someone who is fresh out of teaching and extremely new to the role as principal. I was on the committee that interviewed Mr. Graf, and I knew from the start that he was extremely bright and that he had a passion for the role as principal. My interview and observation Mr. Graf proved to be very insightful. Throughout the whole process I learned a great deal about the role of a principal; I believe Mr. …show more content…
When Mr. Graf and I sat down to talk I asked him about his values and his answer was amazing. He stated, “My educational values, first and foremost I believe that all students are capable of performing at high levels regardless of external factors.” His other values were honesty, commitment, positive attitude, and reflection.
Values are tremendously important to me, and a great deal can be told about a person based on his/her values. When reflecting on Mr. Graf’s values I felt that I would have many of the same educational values, but the top of my list would be honesty. I never thought about positive attitude being a value. I asked Mr. Graf about this because I found it interesting, and he told me that a person’s attitude really affects his/her work ethic. After we talked about it, I could not agree more! Mr. Graf leads through his values. He is open, honest, and appropriate. He pushes students and educators to reach their goals and he continually expects excellence. I believe that our leadership styles are similar. Mr. Graf did not walk into a school that was a high achieving, super successful school, but he did not care and he got to work. When I become a leader I hope to be as fearless as Mr.
I had the privilege of interviewing the current principal, Mr. John Graf, at my school, Forest Lane Community School, located in Montello, Wisconsin. Mr. John Graf is a first year principal; he graduated from UW-Oshkosh in the spring of 2014. I was very excited to have the opportunity to interview someone who is fresh out of teaching and extremely new to the role as principal. I was on the committee that interviewed Mr. Graf, and I knew from the start that he was extremely bright and that he had a passion for the role as principal. My interview and observation Mr. Graf proved to be very insightful. Throughout the whole process I learned a great deal about the role of a principal; I believe Mr. …show more content…
When Mr. Graf and I sat down to talk I asked him about his values and his answer was amazing. He stated, “My educational values, first and foremost I believe that all students are capable of performing at high levels regardless of external factors.” His other values were honesty, commitment, positive attitude, and reflection.
Values are tremendously important to me, and a great deal can be told about a person based on his/her values. When reflecting on Mr. Graf’s values I felt that I would have many of the same educational values, but the top of my list would be honesty. I never thought about positive attitude being a value. I asked Mr. Graf about this because I found it interesting, and he told me that a person’s attitude really affects his/her work ethic. After we talked about it, I could not agree more! Mr. Graf leads through his values. He is open, honest, and appropriate. He pushes students and educators to reach their goals and he continually expects excellence. I believe that our leadership styles are similar. Mr. Graf did not walk into a school that was a high achieving, super successful school, but he did not care and he got to work. When I become a leader I hope to be as fearless as Mr.