What do you respect most about your supervisor? What does your supervisor do that you find especially helpful? I took an informal survey of practitioners around the state. Here are the responses, in their own words.

"A hands-off approach, meaning that I'm trusted to act autonomously, with limited direct supervision. I'm... held accountable for my performance, but it gives me great satisfaction to not have someone looking over my shoulder, scrutinizing my every task."

"I... find that the freedom to explore and initiate new projects with the knowledge that I can look to her for support is invaluable. I value her confidence in me so that I may work independently while knowing I have support when I need it."

"...my current supervisors... grant me intellectual freedom in the classroom and... encourage, but not try to micromanage, my professional growth."

"...working with a supervisor who shares a similar vision of the mission of adult education is key to my job satisfaction."

"(My supervisor) is culturally competent. Not only has he acquired an impressive array of Vietnamese vocabulary, he is aware of the factors that influence the Vietnamese-American adult ESL learner."

"The supervisor I have now knows what's going on in the classroom and she brings in articles and resources that pertain to our lessons."

"He (supervisor) is a cookie jar of ESL/Classroom ideas (yummy!). His experiences both as a teacher and administrator are rich and readily tapped."

"Assistance with goal setting."

"I find specific feedback to be the most useful from my supervisor."

"Willingness to process issues, change, and innovation in-depth... or a long enough time that collective ownership had a decent chance of emerging."

"Sharing frustrations, challenges, and triumphs and encouraging others to do the same..."

"We are not bogged down with unnecessary paperwork, and if we have a meeting it's important. If we have done something noteworthy she shares our successes with anyone who will listen."

"A good supervisor makes sure everyone gets paid in full in a timely manner."

"I... value a supervisor who will stand up for workers when necessary."

What's missing, or what doesn't work well?
"Not modeling reasonable work/life boundaries."

"Trying to maintain lines of communication when working part time and when my supervisor is gone to so many other meetings."

"Things I would have respected: matching words with actions more often."

"(In one class) (the supervisor)... exploded and berated me in front of the students."

As a supervisor what are you most proud of?
"Reflecting over time on how people have grown in their jobs developed new skills... new ways of solving problems... seeing staff develop a sense of teamwork."

"I am most proud of being able to foster a professional environment where there is a lot of genuine sharing and support."

"Of engaging folks in a way that is deeply respectful of their own goals and needs."

As a supervisor, what is most challenging?
"Being transparent enough in my own thought processes (hopes and fears and needs) in a way that begins to diffuse some of the inherent power dynamics."

"Unclear roles, unclear expectations, unacknowledged tensions get in the way of managing well."

"The most frustrating part of an (ABE) supervisor's job is the constantly changing grant reporting requirements and the lateness of approval for funding. Right now we're still hiring for courses that have already begun, a typical fall situation. Teachers hired on the fly cannot plan their courses rationally. Our students suffer."

"Managing a staff that is part-time, off site, and has little time to spend on program development and maintenance."

"Conflict resolution that sometimes occurs between staff members. Remembering the importance of feedback to staff -- both positive and negative -- and... making time each day to let staff know that you're available and appreciate their efforts."

Other comments from supervisors
"It would make a world of difference to have the DOE and/or SABES get more involved with training/mentoring managers. Also, these (management) positions, no matter how small the program, should be full-time, for what's expected."

"It's very important for directors to develop a vision for their program with their staff and to maintain that vision afterwards-to be the management/peers, and I like it."