[Ous-lp-rp13] EDAD 6020, Answer to Question #2

[Taylor, Dakota]

Which of the structures, namely authoritarian, chaotic, professional, Weberian, and loosely coupled, most closely resembles and which of the structures least resembles the structures in your school? Please explain the basis of your response.


Through reevaluating my experience in my student teaching semester and my conversations about expectations with my new principal, I have come to the conclusion that I have not experienced a Weberian, authoritarian, or chaotic educational structure. I am thankful that I am not going to work under these circumstances because I firmly believe that creativity and the human side of teaching/educating is negatively affected by running a school like a factory or through showing power and aggressiveness on subordinates through cruelty and forcing conformity.

During my professional development hours, conversations, and discussions with two different schools/principals, I found that Green High School is certainly a professional structure. This school has recently adopted programs like ICU (behavior/academic focus). The ICU program is a program that keeps track of each student’s missing assignments. These missing assignments must be completed or they remain on “the list”. The students are consistently told that they are on the list and that they must get off before they can return to regular lunch room and not lunch help. I found this intervention to be extremely effective and proved itself as a professional structure because the schools focus is based on change and improving educational/behavioral aspects. This was just one example of how this school aims to change and show progression in their commitment to incorporating new structures within the school.

Throughout my several conversations with my new principal, I have found that he insists on his teachers being themselves, being coachable, and working in teams. There are 2 sets of teams within each grade level (6-8). Ashland Middle School is a larger school and the 6 grade alone has 300 students enrolled. The team concept within each grade level is awesome and each group of 4 content teachers is on a specific team (math, science, english, social studies). If there is a problem student or issue within the team then we are all expected to come together and discuss it. If there is an angry parent or a problem that needs to be talked about then all the team members within my group will come together to have the conference with the parent. This is just one example of how the school function is progressing and improving teacher protection. I get the impression that my new boss wants me to be creative within the classroom and be collaborative and resourceful among my team members.

EDAD 6020, Answer to Question #2




Dakota Taylor

Teacher/Coach

(304) 208-0198



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.ohio.edu/pipermail/ous-lp-rp13/attachments/20180615/e278f8b8/attachment.html>