0.5 Barton, l. (september 2011). moving to the dark side or into  (Page 9/14)

Both of these aspiring school leaders expressed hope and potential as they responded to why they were starting a principal preparation program.

Internal motivation

The majority of aspirants, nearly 80%, wrote that their decision to enroll in the program was in part if not solely motivated by internal factors including: financial benefits, having new challenges, just in case, wanting change, wanting more responsibility, and the desire for power. Those writing about the financial benefits of becoming a school leader reasoned that “a leadership role has certain financial benefits to my future family,” or “because the money is so much better,” or even earning an administrative credential “to bump my pay.” Other aspirants discussed enjoying challenges, like “I believe in challenging myself,” and “[I] feel like I’m ready for a challenge.” Others expressed their wanting to ready themselves for what might come later in their careers - to “prepare myself for the future” and get this credential that could “open doors for me in the future.”

Some aspirants were “ready to start something new” or “looking for change and needing personal growth.” Others expressed their need to be “the first in my family to earn my master’s.” One wrote, “I just don’t want to be a teacher stuck in their job that never went after anything else because they were afraid.” In terms of wanting more responsibility, one aspirant wrote “I feel I’m ready, with training, to take on more responsibility.” Another expressed his desire for power by writing, “I have always preferred to give orders rather than take them.”

The most frequently mentioned response to the Why Me? prompt, with three out of four aspirants responding, was internal motivation. The demographic characteristics of those focused exclusively on internal motives were similar to those of all participants, with one exception – a higher percentage of high school teachers (43%) reported their motivations as being internal compared to the entire population which contained only 34 percent teaching in high schools. More than half of those who mentioned internal motivations, 35 of 63, discussed them without any mention of external motivation or leadership skills. As one student stated,

Why not? ... I have always wanted to go back to school because I love being a scholar. Since I received my teaching credential, I’ve always had “more school – more school’ in the back of my mind. After my first year of teaching, I wanted to learn more about the education field…I am about self-evolution. I have been in public school my whole life. I have based my choices from my past because of mistakes, struggles, and positive experiences. Two and a half years from now I will be a different person; hopefully there will be improvements.

Another who was motivated internally discussed her personal needs being satisfied by pursing an administrative credential.

I feel the need to better myself. I have always been a learner and love a challenge and learning new things... I felt the need to pursue my master’s degree because I felt incomplete not completing my master’s degree. This year my goal was to finish my master’s…my goal is to be finished with my master’s by the time I am 30, and perhaps get married and have children of my own. But my education is my priority…