1. Alaina Backus
EL 501 Foundations of
Leadership
Decision Making
Analysis & Reflection

2. Decision Making Log
I spent an entire day tracking professional
decisions I made. I had everything from how I
was going to sort and organize my room while
packing up for the summer, to what goals to write
on an IEP for a specific child. After reviewing the
decisions I made as a leader within my
classroom, this is what I found.

3. What I did well:
I have a great
ability to
organize and
prepare myself
for the future
(next school
year).
I am able to look
at facts and
make decisions
for the
betterment of a
child in my care.
I consider the
feelings of
others when
making
decisions that
may affect their
work day
directly.
I am able to
communicate
respectfully.
I think about how
to improve
logisitics in my
classroom
(layout,
paperwork, etc.)
as well as what
will improve
efficiency.
SUCCESS

4. Overthinking
When my feelings were involved, I
found that I spent more time
overthinking decisions I made
rather than being confident in them.
Some of my challenges overlapped
and this happened when my
feelings took over and I thought
with my heard more than my head.
“Feelings” Interference
I found that I let my personal feelings
interfere with many decisions I made.
Between decisions made about
students and decisions made
regarding my professional position, I
often let feelings get in the way rather
than thinking about the bigger
picture.
Challenges within my decision-making:
Confrontation
When an issue arose with a
colleague, I felt more comfortable
venting to others rather than talking to
that person directly. I wanted to solve
the issue myself, in my own way,
rather than addressing it with the
person who would be making the final
call about the student. As a leader, this
won’t be the best way to handle it.
Improper Delegation
I found that more often than not, I was
willing to take over tasks that could
have been given to paraprofessionals
that are more than capable of
completing them. I have a hard time
allowing others to do things in case
they do it different than I would do.

5. Decision Making Process
I compared the decisions that I made to the themes from
the Clifton Strengths Assessment. First, I noticed the
themes of Responsibility and Discipline were prevalent in
my day-to-day decisions. I am committed to my values and
I take ownership of what I say and what I do, especially
when it comes to the betterment of my student’s education.
Second, it’s no question I enjoy routine and structure, that
is part of why I became an educator. The part of myself that
is disciplined prefers order and creating it within my world,
which is why I often times have a hard time delegating
small tasks to others. Lastly, the theme of Harmony
showed in my struggles to confront co-workers. I don’t
enjoy conflict and I want everyone to be on the same page.
This is not always going to happen and it is something that
is important for me to work on.
When making decisions, I am apt to step back
and think on the situation at hand before
jumping to solve the problem. If I’m
confronting someone, I want to have my facts
straight before entering the conversation. If I
am making an educational decision about a
child, I stop to analyze their personal and
academic needs/goals before jumping in. If I
am working with others about my classroom
as a whole, I often will stop talking for a few
seconds while I consider my options at hand. I
have a long way to go before I am a confident
leader who can take charge of a room
appropriately, but I feel that I am on the right
path and this project helped me discover more
about myself as a leader within my current
role.