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After working as a special education teacher for five years, Amanda Lenzy-Flores decided to take the next step and attend ÐÔ°®ÌìÌÃ’s Master of Educational Leadership program (MEd). We sat down with her to discuss her experiences and her preparation for the required principal state certification exams: Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) and the Principal as Instructional Leader (PAIL).
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Q: Tell me about your previous teaching experience.
A: ÌýI’m a special education teacher for early childhood; I’ve been doing that for five years.

Q: What influenced your decision to start a school leadership program?Ìý
A: The opportunities it could open up. My ultimate goal is to become a special education director so being in leadership roles is helpful.Ìý

Q: Why did you choose ÐÔ°®ÌìÌÃ?
A: I chose ÐÔ°®ÌìÌà mainly because of the cost and that it’s only one year (The Master of Education in School Leadership is a flat fee of $15,000).

Q: What is your favorite part of the program?Ìý
A: The people you meet, the other members of the cohort, and the class discussions. On Saturdays, there’s an internship class where they bring in people from all over the country. They share their experiences, how they apply it to every day, and how it affects you.Ìý

Q: Which tasks from PASL have you observed the most growth in?
A: Coaching the teachers has been the best moment for me. It was kind of nice that I don’t have the authority, because they were more willing to do it and they see me as themselves. So after giving them feedback and techniques, they were more willing to try and see that it does work.Ìý

Q: What aspect of the program is the most challenging for you?Ìý
A: The state exams, because they require you to work with so many people. First, your principal, and they’re overwhelmed, just like every other teacher. And you have to manage the people you work with. And you don’t have authority to do the things you need to do, so it makes it hard.Ìý

Q: How has this program helped your teaching so far?Ìý
A: Since I’ve only worked with early childhood, it showed me the reality of teaching 1st through 5th grades, since I’ve only done pre k and kinder. It exposed me to new experiences I needed for leadership.

Q: Tell me about your future career plans.
A: My ultimate goal is to be a director for Special Education. My five-year plan is to be a general Ìýspecial education teacher. That experience will help me get to a vice principal position and a director from there.
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