Personal Learning Plan
The Personal Learning Plan (PLP) was an evolving touchstone document used to develop my learning goals and reflect on my growth a leader throughout my Masters in Educational Leadership program. Below are my responses to two of the most important Personal Learning Plan questions:
What are your hopes and dreams for your learning through this program?
“The ordinary leader simply must follow the rules, or follow the orders. He or she can follow the way that has already been defined by tradition or culture, or by his or her predecessors. An ordinary leader can also be innovative, courageous, even adventurous, but the realm in which he or she can be so is already circumscribed, and the right way to proceed is already given. But in times of rapid change, an extraordinary leader has little to follow, for the extraordinariness of the times rests precisely in the lack of guidelines, of stable structures, unquestioned and unquestionable institutions, of any clear sense of what is appropriate and what is not” (Solomon, R. C., Flores, F., p. 150). My goal in this program is to become an extraordinary leader. I’ve included this quote because I feel that it captures some of what I mean when I say that. Something I’ve been taught is to always be aware of the times in which we are living. In my opinion, these are times where extraordinary leadership is desperately needed. My hope is that this program will help me navigate the process of stepping away from any form of ordinary thinking and the process of stepping into my calling.
What are your professional goals and how can we support you in realizing them? (Residents Only: What would your ideal residency experience look and feel like to help you grow in this direction?)
When reflecting on my goals and pursuit of a Masters in Educational Leadership in the HTH Graduate School of Education, a quote that I once read comes to mind. “Equality of opportunity is not enough. When some people have to run a 100 meter race with sandbags on their legs, the fact that no one is allowed to have a head start does not make the race fair. Equality of opportunity is absolutely necessary but not sufficient in building a genuinely fair and efficient society”. Growing up as an African American male in historically disadvantaged and oppressed communities, I’ve experienced and witnessed first hand the impact of educational inequality. As a professional, I continue to see these inequalities in play within secondary and post secondary educational settings. My hopes and dreams for learning in this program are to deepen my knowledge of how to engage in leadership for school change and to develop a strong understanding of how to design equitable learning environments that effectively change the narrative for marginalized and/or underrepresented groups.
Deepening my knowledge of how to engage in leadership for school change and developing my understanding of how to effectively design equitable learning environments will provide me with incredible preparation for my long-term goal of becoming a university dean, provost, and/or vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion. While I began my career believing that the best way for me to help marginalized and underrepresented students was through direct mentorship and day to day interaction, I began to realize over time that impactful change from an institutional standpoint only mobilized when those in leadership level positions truly understood and cared deeply about creating an equitable environment for both students and the campus community as a whole. This realization marked the beginning of my interest in becoming a dean, provost, and/or vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I believe the Masters in Educational Leadership program will help prepare me for this role and the ability to implement culturally responsive policies, programs, and institutional initiatives that promote a thriving diverse, multicultural, equitable, ethical, and inclusive campus community where all students can succeed at high levels. With educational inequalities still very much alive and well, I believe as a society we are in desperate need of educational leaders who care deeply about designing learning environments through an equity lens. I believe this program will help me become just that.
“The ordinary leader simply must follow the rules, or follow the orders. He or she can follow the way that has already been defined by tradition or culture, or by his or her predecessors. An ordinary leader can also be innovative, courageous, even adventurous, but the realm in which he or she can be so is already circumscribed, and the right way to proceed is already given. But in times of rapid change, an extraordinary leader has little to follow, for the extraordinariness of the times rests precisely in the lack of guidelines, of stable structures, unquestioned and unquestionable institutions, of any clear sense of what is appropriate and what is not” (Solomon, R. C., Flores, F., p. 150). My goal in this program is to become an extraordinary leader. I’ve included this quote because I feel that it captures some of what I mean when I say that. Something I’ve been taught is to always be aware of the times in which we are living. In my opinion, these are times where extraordinary leadership is desperately needed. My hope is that this program will help me navigate the process of stepping away from any form of ordinary thinking and the process of stepping into my calling.
What are your professional goals and how can we support you in realizing them? (Residents Only: What would your ideal residency experience look and feel like to help you grow in this direction?)
When reflecting on my goals and pursuit of a Masters in Educational Leadership in the HTH Graduate School of Education, a quote that I once read comes to mind. “Equality of opportunity is not enough. When some people have to run a 100 meter race with sandbags on their legs, the fact that no one is allowed to have a head start does not make the race fair. Equality of opportunity is absolutely necessary but not sufficient in building a genuinely fair and efficient society”. Growing up as an African American male in historically disadvantaged and oppressed communities, I’ve experienced and witnessed first hand the impact of educational inequality. As a professional, I continue to see these inequalities in play within secondary and post secondary educational settings. My hopes and dreams for learning in this program are to deepen my knowledge of how to engage in leadership for school change and to develop a strong understanding of how to design equitable learning environments that effectively change the narrative for marginalized and/or underrepresented groups.
Deepening my knowledge of how to engage in leadership for school change and developing my understanding of how to effectively design equitable learning environments will provide me with incredible preparation for my long-term goal of becoming a university dean, provost, and/or vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion. While I began my career believing that the best way for me to help marginalized and underrepresented students was through direct mentorship and day to day interaction, I began to realize over time that impactful change from an institutional standpoint only mobilized when those in leadership level positions truly understood and cared deeply about creating an equitable environment for both students and the campus community as a whole. This realization marked the beginning of my interest in becoming a dean, provost, and/or vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I believe the Masters in Educational Leadership program will help prepare me for this role and the ability to implement culturally responsive policies, programs, and institutional initiatives that promote a thriving diverse, multicultural, equitable, ethical, and inclusive campus community where all students can succeed at high levels. With educational inequalities still very much alive and well, I believe as a society we are in desperate need of educational leaders who care deeply about designing learning environments through an equity lens. I believe this program will help me become just that.