Reflective Essay

Dena Fisher
Reflective Essay
EA 8940
The last two years in the Ed. Specialist program at Oakland University has been a journey
of personal growth, along with educational growth. During this experience, I have gained
knowledge that has developed me into the leader I am today. The classes throughout this two-
year journey were intentionally designed to push me as a person, continually being pushed
throughout, to be mindful and evaluative of my leadership goals and visions. I honestly could
not have asked for a better experience, and I am grateful to all my professors. One of the best
concepts of the program is the structure, which is done in a cohort manner. By being with the
same classmates throughout, I was able to gain perspectives from others. This was especially
beneficial because after spending hours upon hours together, I was able to trust my other
classmates. Having support from others, the kind words, encouragement, and being able to feel
respected, and open to share opinions, allowed me the opportunity to grow among other working
professionals. Not only was that growth as a leader important to me, the valuable friendships I
have gained will truly last me a lifetime. For that, I am grateful, and believe in our future
leaders. I know my classmates will remain firm in the stance that failure is not an option. I
think this type of closeness among us was afforded due to the cohort model and I firmly believe
in this style of teaching.
An important part of this program was the internship experience. This process was done
in a way that was practical for working professionals, which was a concern for me when I first
started the program. The internship experience included 220 hours over a two-year timeline.
During this time, I was able to work closely with my mentor to gain a better insight into the
leadership skills needed at a building-level. The internship experience was thoughtfully done
using the Michigan Standards for the Preparation of School Principals as the focal point. A plan
was developed at the beginning of our program that allowed me to focus on goals that I wanted
to accomplish throughout my internship. During this time, I was able to relate my goals to the
Michigan Standards, which allowed for a deeper understanding of the standards. My mentor was
able to guide me in developing my plan, allowing me to expand in my knowledge of distributed
leadership, school visions, collaboration at the administrative level, and community needs while
continuously keeping high-quality education for all children at the forefront. This internship
experience was essential, as it pushed me out of my current role as an early childhood director
and allowed me to understand the role of a building-level school leader.
It is without a doubt that I have grown throughout this program, as reflected in my pre
and post ELCC survey. When starting this program, I was in my second year as an administrator
leading our early childhood department. Throughout this process, I have grown more confident
in my ability to lead staff, students, and families. Throughout each class, I took the knowledge
learned from readings and applied it to my work environment. I shifted my thought process as a
leader. Equipped with this new knowledge, I was able to instruct best practices, cultivate
collaboration, and lead by example. I have always known that leadership is about teamwork. To
drive success, you must always take that risk as others watch you. Throughout this program, I
took risks that I may not have done on my own, while remaining true to my core values.
Something I have always valued throughout my career is the stance on positive
relationships for all children, which speaks of ethics, integrity, fairness, and collaboration in
standards IV & V. This was my personal growth area. While the value of the standards was
always the priority of everything I do, throughout this program, I was able to gain a deeper
understanding of how to articulate this to others. Advocating for children to have an adequate
and equitable school education is something I must continue to do. Gaining a better
understanding of how schools are funded was a meaningful process for me. Furthermore, it was
during a Proposal A debate that I was able to voice my stance and advocate for the fairness of all
children. My self-awareness during this process was truly heightened and I will continue to be
reflective as a leader.
My goals for the future are to continue to be a leader that is willing to learn and keep up
with current research. During this process, I have learned so much and want to continue with
that growth mindset. Simply put, I want to be a leader that makes a difference. I know in order
to do that, I must stay firm in who I am and make decisions with integrity. Days may be long
and hard, but it will always be worth it. The field of education is what I love. I may not know
the next steps in my career, but I am hopeful that I will continue to lead in a way that allows for
greatness. I know for this to happen, I must lead from the heart, with others. Without a doubt,
when you have a team working together, greatness is bound to happen.

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Dena Fisher

in this style of teaching.

able to guide me in developing my plan, allowing me to expand in my knowledge of distributed

and allowed me to understand the role of a building-level school leader.

Something I have always valued throughout my career is the stance on positive

when you have a team working together, greatness is bound to happen.

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