“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." Henry Adams
After I watched the video Everyday Leadership by Drew Dudley, I remembered two third-grade students from a math class that I was subbing. They struggled with multiplication, so I pulled them to work one-on-one until they finally got it. At the end of the day, when we were preparing for dismissal, one of the girls gave me a folded piece of paper. When I got into my car, I opened it, it was a drawing of me with a flying cape and a note that said: Mrs. Lopez, you are my hero!.
Teachers can be heroes for their students. Because of this, I got inspired to return to school and make a difference in students learning.
Going through every page in my ePortfolio, I saw my growth and all the work I had done during these ten months preparing myself to lead and implement my project. Because of the numerous benefits of digital portfolios, my Innovation Plan is a proposal to implement them with my students. I understand their great value as a learning tool, and I want to give them the fantastic experience I have with it.
Where am I in my Innovation plan? I am still in the planning stage. I have made significant progress in my innovation project, which revolves around enhancing technology in the classroom to improve engagement through the ePortfolio implementation. While I have made substantial headway, there are still aspects of my project that require completion. I need to finalize the communication and promotion of my plan. Some administrative changes are causing a delay. When I started this project, I talked with my principal and one of the fifth-grade teachers about my initiative. They liked it and offered me support for the pilot. Unfortunately, our principal is gone, and I still do not have approval from my new principal. In my original innovation outline, the pilot would start in the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year. As a suggestion from the assistant principal in our last PLC, I am moving the date for the pilot to the beginning of the next school year, trying to avoid the pressure of the state test. It may take longer to make this dream a reality, but I will not give up until it is done. My ADL journey has been a learning experience of adaptability and flexibility. What worked initially may need adjustments later. Involving stakeholders during the planning is essential for feedback and the project's success. The experience and skills I gained with this program prepared me to lead new initiatives wherever I go.
References
Dudley, D. (August 15, 2013).Everyday leadership. YouTube [video]. Retrieve from https://youtu.be/uAy6EawKKME
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