Home School coordinator 1/2012 to Present
Assumes responsibility for serving as a liaison between the home and the school, facilitating the involvement of community businesses, organizations and agencies in the school program and involving parents and community persons in meaningful relationships with students and the school staff.
Develops an on-going procedure for establishing and maintaining a positive working rapport with parents of the target population.
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Assists in the recruitment of students for summer youth employment and other educational and career opportunities.
Serves as liaison between students who are involved with support groups, their families and the school and coordinate other human resource services.
Involves community organizations and businesses in developing and implementing incentive programs for attendance, academic achievement, and behavioral improvement.
Provides training experiences for parents.
Assists with problems, concerns, complaints, and grievances relative to student rights and responsibilities.
Duties may include the performance of health services, for which training will be provided.
Performs other duties assigned by the Principal/designated supervisor.
Athletic Director 5/6 to present Kentucky High School Athletics Association
Design and implement the activities and athletics events in a fair and equitable manner throughout the school district.
Work cooperatively with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association and serve as a liaison between member schools and KHSAA.
Administer and enforce activities and athletic policies, regulations, and rules.
Investigate all allegations of infractions and make recommendations for appropriate remedies or corrective action.
Implement, enhance and review the tutoring learning centers and the homework hotline services.
Implement and review eligibility standards and student participation processes.
Critique the management of local school athletic/activity funds, determine compliance with policies, and
Implement a plan to fund district-wide activities not covered by the operating budget that pertains to this office.
Work cooperatively with identified community agencies, structures, athletic leagues, and organizations to ensure an open dialogue with the school district.
Provide leadership, supervise and evaluate assigned staff.
Perform all other duties assigned by the Assistant Superintendent for Academic Achievement K-12 Area 5.
Assistant High School football Coach 8/2011 to present
Provide training direction, encouragement, motivation, and nutritional advice to prepare athletes for games, competitive events, or tours.
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Plan, organize, and conduct practice sessions.
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations.
Plan and direct physical conditioning programs that will enable athletes to achieve maximum performance.
Instruct individuals or groups in sports rules, game strategies, and performance principles, such as specific ways of moving the body, hands, or feet, to achieve desired results.
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Louisville Metro Corrections Officer 10/2005-12/2011
Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.
Public Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Monitor conduct of prisoners in the housing unit, or during work or recreational activities, according to established policies, regulations, and procedures, to prevent escape or violence.
Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs.
Law and Government — Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Maintain records of prisoners' identification and charges.
Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Clerical — Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Introduction
Learning is a continuous process that does not end until one ceases to live. Throughout my professional life, I did not know the wealth of experience I had until I organized all the work areas I have thus engaged in. I have noticed that a particular pattern emerges that emphasizes the type of person that I am today. I am a bona fide leader with all the necessary skills to succeed not only in the field of education but also in different sectors that I might be assigned to. My professionals and interpersonal attitudes have significantly assisted me in becoming an efficient person that was able to hold various influential positions in correction, education and sports. However, this has not come without challenges. I have experienced numerous stumbling blocks in my road to the top but thanks to mental fortitude, interaction, and mentorship, I have managed to achieve whatever I wanted.
The O*NET played a significant role in searching and matching all the positions that I have held throughout my life. In my career as a Home School coordinator, some of the key competencies according to the O*NET search include administration, management, mastery of English language, personal and human resource, and personal service among others. I also worked as a correctional officer at Louisville Metro. The search illustrates that some of the knowledge areas that I needed to incorporate her include psychology, administration, management, law and government, English language, and public safety among others (O*NET, 2019). Additionally, the skills that I had to leverage in accordance with the O*NET search include active listening, coordination, critical thinking, monitoring, and social perceptiveness. The O*NET search shows that as an athletic director, some of the areas of knowledge that I have to depict include education, training, English language, psychology, administration, and management. In terms of skills, I must leverage areas such as instructing, speaking, and the management of personnel resources. Other additional skills include monitoring, judgment, and decision making. As an Assistant High School football Coach, some of the areas of ability include oral expression, speech clarity, deductive reasoning, oral comprehension, and lastly problem sensitivity (O*NET Online summary report for coaches and scouts).
Concrete Experience
Throughout my entire career, I have come to believe in the common adage that asserts that experience is the best teacher. In a period of about seven years, I have managed to break ceilings and accomplish some of the tasks that I couldn't have imagined before. I will never forget the words of one of my biggest teachers and mentors in high school. In 2009 during a guidance and counseling session, she said to me, "You were born a leader and therefore don't wait for someone to appoint you one." Such words of inspirations have always guided me in my journey towards self-fulfillment. My first ever career was as a correctional officer at the Louisville Metro where I worked from September 2005 to December 2011. I entered this job with a lack of motivation owing to the fact that I did not have any idea of what to expect. From the previous stories I received, working in a correctional department was one of the tedious and less appreciating jobs that one could engage in. However, I remained optimistic hoping that I would eventually succeed and make the most of my opportunity. Little did I know that this was going to be my stepping stone towards not only professional advancement but also the appreciation of various critical aspects that increased my knowledge base.
I became more cognizant of several tenets of law and government such as legal codes, court procedures, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political processes among others (O*NET Online summary report for correctional officers and jailers). I had initially sought to resign because the work was tiresome. Before the creation of the integrated online data system, everything was manual and arranging files was tiresome. I would in many occasions go back home late in the night and arrive at work early in the morning. However, I remember the words of the Chief Correctional Officer to the recruits that kept me going. When he noticed some form of demotivation in an employee, he would shout, "Success is the only thing that does not happen with a chance." After almost six years of hard work and part-time training to be a football coach, I eventually landed a job as an assistant football coach at the University of Louisville. I was motivated to join something that I have always wanted to be. However, it was always not going to be easy given that I was marking a sharp transition from the correction department to the education/sports sector.
However, self-motivation has always been one of my significant characteristics. I remained determined to progress my career and prove to myself that I was born a leader. The knowledge that I acquired over the three years in part-time college gave me the opportunity to pass knowledge on training and nutrition that would assist the students to compete at different levels. I have always believed that ambition is one of the most critical factors that should differentiate human beings from other inanimate things. After gaining the position of assistant high school football coach, I remained adventurous and learned from my seniors. Luckily in 2012, I landed a job as a home school coordinator with increased responsibility and job description. Here, I was supposed to demonstrate liaison between home and school endeavors by integrating the ambitions of the school and that of the community. The highlight of my career thus far has been to assume the position of an athletic director working with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA). It taught me that determination, ambition, and hard work are vital aspects that define how successful an individual turns out to be (Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS): High School Head Football Coach Paraprofessional).
Reflective Observation
Looking back at my career thus far, it qualifies to be regarded as a Cinderella story. Before even thinking about working, I never imagined myself employed in a correctional facility. Most importantly, who would have anticipated the sharp transition I made from working in a prison department to an education and sports sector. However, the most critical factor that has since struck my mind regards how I have been able to climb from being just a worker to the level of a leader with increased responsibilities and powers. The only time that I was under immense instructions was when I worked as a junior in the correctional department. I am highly indebted to the opportunity that I received in this working area. It is only when one works as a subject is when they can become sensitive leaders in the future. My first leadership position was as an assistant coach of football where I also appreciated the importance of working as the second in command. You get to learn the treads of leadership, and it also prepares one to become a complete leader by receiving assignments from time to time.
I have since used my position to implement change wherever I worked. For instance, while coaching football, I used my skills to introduce a diet system that would help athletes function to their optimum. As a athletics director, I have enhanced creativity in the competition by advocating for a change in rules especially in indoor games to ensure that participants enjoy the sports. Obstacles are part and parcel of any endeavor. As I previously noted, mental fortitude remains one of the most critical aspects that have helped me to overcome my challenges. Some of the most difficult moments I have experienced as a leader include when I was new in a particular area. No one tends to take you seriously until you stamp your authority and create an air of familiarity. Secondly, when implementation change, the opposition usually comes from various quarters and without resilience, it is easy for an idea to crumble altogether.
Abstract and Conceptualization
Overall, I have worked in two broad areas that include the correctional service and the educational/sports area. Throughout my leadership endeavors, I have primarily used two concepts to define my work. The first one is the evidence-based leadership. Here, I tend to use quantitative measures to define how well my team operates based on the figures achieved. I have developed philosophical thinking that states that everything is measurable so long as one has the willingness to do so. For instance, while working as a football coach, I would measure the nutritional response of the players by tracking their weight or the Basic Metabolic Index (BMI). In competitions, I determined the effectiveness of the tactics by the score margin. The importance of this strategy is that it ensured that I had an evidence-based system to hold the athletes into account and further use it as a basis for making new objectives and goals.
The second concept that I developed was a goal-oriented kind of leadership. I learned this vital tenet while working in the correctional department. The authorities would create daily objectives which without completion the day would be regarded as a failure. We were therefore asked to work harder and ensure that all the daily goals were achieved to avoid any effect on a subsequent day. When working as an athletic director, I have quarterly and annual objectives that assist me to gauge how I want sports to improve in the region. For instance, I have a running program at the moment known as sports-for-all which aims at targeting the disabled members of the society to participate in sports competition. By the end of 2019, I hope to have recruited ten trainers and 200 trainees who would kick start the process and ensure that it becomes successful.
Application of Concepts
I am lucky to have worked with different leaders from different professional spheres. As such, this has helped in creating a holistic individual with a wide array of knowledge and skills that could be applied in new situations. Working as a correctional officer has improved my knowledge of laws and statutes. It has also given me various skills in governance that I can extend to other areas that require compliance with legal tenets. Working as a coach has enabled me to interact with athletes, understand their problems, and appreciate their opportunities. Therefore, when given a chance to work in the higher hierarchies of sports in the country, I will use this as a basis for considering the needs of sports. As a home-school coordinator, I have managed to receive vital information regarding policies aimed at integrating the home and the school environment. Therefore, this will allow me to identify problems in the two environments and work towards solving them (Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS): Athletic Director).
Conclusion
The exercise was vital in allowing me to recall and reflect my professional story. It has allowed me to identify my strengths as a leader and most importantly, the obstacles that I have come across and how well I could convert them into opportunities. As I recall the words of I mentor that I was born a leader and no one will ever appoint me one, I am now a living testimony of the words. Surrounding oneself with ambitious and self-motivated people remains one of my vital goals heading forward. I want to grow and use my position to mentor potential leaders. I remember an important question the sports executives asked me, "What do you want to be your legacy as a leader?" Although I cannot answer this at the moment, I believe that my biggest focus is to inspire people.
References
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS): Athletic Director. Retrieved from: https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/csearch/#?cludoquery=athletic%20director&cludopage=2
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS): High School Head Football Coach Paraprofessional. Retrieved from: https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/department/human-resources/job-descriptions?page=12
O*NET Online summary report for coaches and scouts: Retrieved from: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-2022.00
O*NET Online summary report for correctional officers and jailers. Retrieved from: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/33-3012.00
