Running head: INTERNSHIP REFLECTION PAPER 1

Internship Reflection Paper

Xinxin Zhang

Oakland University
INTERNSHIP REFLECTION PAPER 2

Internship Reflection Paper

The two years has past so fast. During the two years of internship, I learned a lot from

both of my mentors. Although one of my mentors was injured last December and is out for the

whole year which influenced my internship, I learned a lot from him and still keep in touch with

him. After two years in school, I am not familiar with both of my mentors and some teachers, I

am also familiar with the daily duty and works of a principal.

Visionary Leadership

Having a vision is very important in the leadership part of a principal. The most

interesting experience for me in this part was when I asked my mentor of his first day of being a

principal. During classes and the internship, there were a lot of times when I imagine my first

day of being a principal. I was kind of nervous and panic and did not know what the best thing is

to do during my first day when I think about it. So, when I asked my mentor, I was looking for a

“correct answer” which I could do the same. But he said he did not know what is the “right”

thing to do when he got the job. He said he was hired just before the school start, so he did not

have a lot of time to get prepared. He was nervous at that time as well. But he also told me that it

is important to let the teachers know your vision. He said now he thought if he got the job during

the summer, he would email all the teachers and staffs about his vision which I agree is an

important thing to do. The teachers could know me by knowing my vision of the school so for

the teachers, they could know a little about me before they see me in school.

Thinking about my vision for my future school, I think besides helping the students in

their adamic performance, I want to emphasis on their mental health as well. There are a lot of

bad things happened nowadays, students suicide or harm others. I think by stressing students’

mental health, it is helpful to reduce this kind of things happens.

INTERNSHIP REFLECTION PAPER 3

Cultural & Instructional Leadership

Creating a healthy culture in school is very important. The principal should be the one

who lead the change. I think it is important that the administrators to work with all the teachers

together to create the culture. I believe in the saying that “it is not a one man show”, I think only

when everyone in school work together, as long as the community and parents, we could best

help the students.

As for the evaluation part, as there is no perfect tool to evaluate teachers, I believe by

visiting the classrooms frequently is way to better evaluate teachers. Especially after listened to

my mentor’s story of being misjudging the two teachers, I learned that only by knowing the

teachers well, we could be fair to evaluate them. Besides, I learned that not making judgment or

assumption to both teachers or students is important as well. I think I want to have a team in my

future school in the evaluating process and listening to different opinions in order to avoid being

too subjective.

Management

I have observed and attended a lot of management part this year. There is a lot work that

the teachers do not know that the principal is working on. And there is a lot of work that I did

think is a principal’s duty. For example, I was surprised that when my principal asked me to

move all the paintings and chairs out of the media center because the media center is going to be

repainted so we need to move everything out to protect them. I thought this should be the

custodian’s duty to move out those stuffs. But my mentor said that he did not want to add those

extra work to the custodians as they are busy as well. He said that if he had time, he would do

those work by himself, but when he was really busy, he would ask the custodians to deal with it.

I think this is a management part that how a principal arrange things and distribute work, but it
INTERNSHIP REFLECTION PAPER 4

also shows his vision that he wants to serve not only teachers and students, but everyone in the

building, which is also a leadership aspect.

Another management duty that a principal needs to take care of is the building budget. As

we had the finance class last semester, I talked a lot about building budget with my mentor. I was

not surprised when he told me that each building in our district receives very little funding every

year, but I was surprised when he told me he spends about half of the budget in copy paper and

ink, which I have never think of it would cost so much money.

Besides, the placement meeting which I attended this year was interesting for me as well.

Last year I just helped my mentor to collect parents’ requirements or ideas about their kids, and

this year I attended the placement meeting with my mentor and 4th grade teachers to actually see

how they put the students into different classes according to suggestions form both parents and

teachers. There are a lot to consider, such as boy-girl rate, special need students, behind grade

level students, behavior issue and parents ideas about wanting their kids to be with their friends

or avoid kids that have problem with their kids. It is more complicated and needs more time to

work on than I thought before.

Partnership

I attended quite a few activities this years that worked with parents and there are two highlights

for me which was the Kindergarten Information Night and the PTA conflict.

The Kindergarten Information Night was meaningful for me because it was the first time during

the internship that I worked and acted like a principal during the meeting. I attended this meeting last

year, but I was afraid and nervous talking with parents and I did not know the answers to their questions.

But when I attended the meeting this year, I was more confident to talk to the parents and I could answer

most of their questions without asking my mentor or other principals. I greeted all the parents, gave the

folders and explain which form they need to fill in. Most of the parents were new to our district or first
INTERNSHIP REFLECTION PAPER 5

time to have a kid to attend a k-12 school so they do not know who are the principal or central

administrators which I felt like I was one of the principals and this experience was very interesting and

meaningful for me.

Another highlight for me was I observed my mentor dealt with a conflict between the PTA

president and the vice president about the PTA budgeting. For me, it was a difficult issue to deal with, as

the principal could not be on either side but the principal needs to comfort both sides and help them to

work things out but not be the one who make decision. I learned from my mentor that listen to both side is

very important. Show both side that he cares and respects them is more important than to make a decision.

Sometimes they just need this respect and attention more than actual solution. Besides, my mentor told

me that if they just hold different opinions and the things did not become a big issue, he would just let the

PTA to deal with it without stepping in. I think it is a very smart way to deal with this kind of problem

because as a principal, no matter which side we agree, it will cause a bigger problem, so let them deal

with within is the best way to deal with the conflict.

Ethic

There were some students problems happened this year and a few students were

suspended. One thing highlight for me was that I went through a suspension process with my

mentor. This kid had behavior issue that my mentor has worked with his parents before he

decided to suspend the kid. My mentor told me that once the kid was suspended, it would be

written in the student record so most of the time he does not suspend students. But there are still

a few suspension every year. And this happened when I was in school and my mentor told me he

decided to suspend the kid. I observed him call the parents and write a letter to them according to

the code of conduct.

Besides, there were two students suicided this year in our district. This also remains me

of the importance of students’ mental health. I talked with the middle school principal where one
INTERNSHIP REFLECTION PAPER 6

of the students was from and she told me that they have mental health program in school but this

kind of thing still happens.

Advocacy

I interviewed our district finance director this year about the district budgeting process. I

was surprised when he told me that about 80%-82% (various from year to year) of the total

budget goes to salary and benefits. Besides that, building maintenance, transportation and food

service also takes a certain percentage of the total budget. So, there are not a lot money that he

could control. When I reviewed the district expenditure before I met him, I noticed that our

district received a lot of money every year which I thought is enough to support all the programs.

But after talking with him, I knew that our district is still short of funding in starting new

programs or providing enough resources to every student according to their needs.

Besides, during the finance class, we are also required to write an advocacy letter about

public school funding to political leaders or other people who are able to influence the policy. I

wrote to religious leaders who are near our community. However, I found out that as religious

leaders, they do not care about public school at all. One of the leader I wrote to responded that he

are more supportive in private religious schools. For me, it is a problem that those people also

influence a lot of people in the community to not support public education. So as educators and

leaders, we need to find a way to let the community be on our side to support us.

Summary

The two years has been passing so fast, I cannot believe that it is over… I could still

remember I emailed all the principals in our district looking for a place to have my internship. I

think I am so lucky to have my two mentors although one of them was injured and I just worked

with him for one year. They are both super nice to me and taught me a lot during the two year
INTERNSHIP REFLECTION PAPER 7

internship. One of my mentor even attended my commencement in April. I am so glad to work

with them and I really learned a lot from them. I was very nervous at first because I did not know

what I could say what I should not. It took me a year to get to know them and be brave to ask any

questions I want to know.

Thinking back to my first day in school, I knew nothing about the school at that time and

now I know not only the daily routine, but also how to manage and arrange things, how to work

with teachers and parents as well as how to deal with students problems. One thing I changed

most during the two years is that I was afraid of being the “only one” in a building, I was afraid

that I do not have a person beyond me that I could go to when I do not know how to deal with

some problems. During the two years, there were times that I thought the problem was very

tough and did not know how to deal with it and I know it was also difficult for my mentors.

However, they got through those tough times. Looking at my mentors dealing with all kinds of

tough problems for the two years, I think I am not that afraid now. I am more confident than I

was two years ago. I now know there will be tough times, but everything will be fine. I am so

glad that I chose the program, although it was difficult for me at first, I enjoyed it a lot.