What does it mean to be a teacher leader? How does one become a teacher leader? What are the ways in which teachers can take leadership?
I've been contemplating these questions for a few weeks now following my brief involvement in the Teachers' Letters to Obama Project phone call with Arne Duncan. Several of my colleagues have written about this (read Heather Wolpert-Gawron's post here, and Anthony Cody's here) so I won't rehash the details. The purpose of this campaign is to provide venues through which teachers can give the U.S. Department of Education input on policy matters.
Clearly, this is one way in which teachers can play leadership roles, no only by engaging in conversations with decision-makers, but by becoming informed in these areas. In order to prepare for the phone call, I read a ton of articles on policy -- past, present, process, and key players. I learned an incredible amount. It's kind of scary how much of what goes on in a classroom is decided, either directly or indirectly, by people far away from classrooms who have never taught and may never have even attended a public school. But I also learned that I can't sustain an interest in reading, writing, or talking policy for longer than a few weeks.
Defining the Role
My passion on the topic of teacher leadership is around what happens within a school. My work includes supporting principals to develop teachers as leaders. Sometimes this happens within an instructional leadership team, sometimes it happens less formally. We look for attributes of leadership: teachers who are thinking outside of their classrooms, teachers who take risks within their classroom, teachers who aren't afraid to say that they don't know something, or who aren't afraid to share what they do know. We look for those teachers and we plan around how to develop their skills further so that they can lead their colleagues in refining practice and collaborating more effectively.
Some teachers know they want to move into leadership roles. I was not that teacher. In my first five years in the classroom I always felt like I had no idea what I was doing, but around me were experienced teachers and instructional coaches who nudged me into leadership roles. I wasn't confident in those roles either, but they kept nudging me along. I now acknowledge that I had the capacity to lead, and I did, and I'm so grateful to those who recognized that potential in me and supported me.
Accept the Calling
I know that if I hadn't had those opportunities to lead, I would have left teaching. For the first few years that I taught, every year, usually in the fall and again at the end of the school year, I always considered what was next: Graduate school? Research? Administration?
Maybe I'm just restless and enjoy new challenges every few years, but I also recognize that when I was a classroom teacher I craved the intellectual stimulation of higher education, I missed opportunities to feel like I was constantly learning, and I wanted to do something that would make a difference in education. Impacting one class of kids each year didn't feel like enough.
It's been the many opportunities I've had for leadership that have satisfied these cravings and kept me working in public schools for fifteen years. As a classroom teacher, I led my grade level or department, I supported teachers in doing classroom-based inquiry, I participated in summer professional development, and conducted workshops throughout the year.
I also mentored new teachers, and received grants, and launched programs that integrated art and music into the core curriculum. In addition, I wrote articles, presented my research and was paid to deliver workshops. Eventually I had to start saying no to leadership opportunities and getting very picky about what I did.
Now I work in leadership development with principals, teams of teachers, and organizations. I love my work. I really, really love my work. My daydreams about "what's next" have subsided and it's a relief. I'm very satisfied and know that I'm making a positive and substantial impact in education. When I look back and trace how I got here, I see that I followed all the opportunities towards leadership; there were very challenging moments, but also key people who supported me and pushed me along.
And for those who are interested in assuming leadership, my advice is to try all the opportunities presented, listen up for colleagues who are nudging you along, and don't be afraid to take risks -- that's what it's all about.
To our readers: What does it mean to you to be a teacher leader? How does one become a teacher leader? What are the ways in which teachers can take leadership?
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Teacher Leadership ~ Leading Through Relationship
As a recently retired district level Administrator, I asked myself many of the same questions I see posted here. Those questions served as the impetus to create a very unique and intensive professional development experience for teachers and educational leaders that approaches leadership through relationship.
Before I "officially" entered administration, I viewed my options in black and white....either I am a teacher or I am an administrator. Once I took the Admin step,I began to hear the deepest needs of the teachers with whom I was working. In my supervisory capacity for K-12 Instructional Coaches, I began tweaking what was emerging as a new way of leading.
Instructional Coaches found that establishing relationship was critical to inspiring and supporting teachers as they conceptualized leadership as occurring in the classroom, among their peers and within the community. Along the way, the IC team began to see startling changes when teachers could reframe leadership as "sharing what each knew and experienced, building connections and forming alliances."(as Elena quoted above) Perhaps most striking were the "aha" moments teachers experienced when they embraced Personal Leadership; Leading Yourself Before You Lead Others.
The Teacher Leadership Academy was born out of this experience. The instructors are the same Instructional Coaches who were crafting a teacher leadership model based on relationship and who passionately believe in its efficacy. As you can see, I am quite jazzed about the results we experienced...in teaching, in learning and in student outcomes!!
If you would like to know more, I'd be happy to share. It's a passionate undertaking and one that is about serving and supporting the possibilities.
Leading by caring?
In all my researches about teaching and learning (I am a school board member in rural Maine), in all my reading about PBL, giving children education choices, incorporating "deep practice" in classroom activities, I have also been trying to sort through the notion of what kids remember about their teachers, what kind of teacher makes a difference, and the answer is, love. Caring. The teacher who does not have to remember to be caring of all the children in his or her charge can do well with almost any teaching method.
Of course, caring teachers will think constantly about how to connect all their students with their dreams and hopes, which, IMHO, leads to methods like PBL. But it's the caring that comes first.
I have had contact with too many teachers in direct contact with my own children who simply cannot care about their students in any detectable way. Kids have very good radar for that. And I don't know if you can teach it.
How do you model it? How to you teach teachers to care?
Lisa Cooley
http://mindsofkids.blogspot.com
As a school administrator I
As a school administrator I find it extremely important to give leadership roles to teachers. We are a MS that operates in teams with team leaders that guide decision making for their grade level teams. A building leadership team discusses issues affecting the entire building. An RTi leadership team plans and implements RTi for the building. As a retiring administrator this year, I have also developed a consulting company to assist educators in understanding key components of MS and differentiated instruction. These PD topics are offered online to keep teachers in the classroom, where they need to be and to allow districts to get the most PD for the $$. Up to 75 teachers receive 15 hrs of PD for only 4K. Schools also receive a free "Kindle" for staff members to use while participating in the book studies. All from the convenience of the home/school computer. More info at mcqualityeducserv.com
It is good to be a leader provided that you are leading in a good direction. (No one wants to end up as the first lemming off the cliff.)I plan on creating an informal PLC this year as we have no formal PLC structure.I'm doing this, not with altruism, but as a vehicle to efficiently pick the brains of others and share what I have found that works well. It is tough being a beginner as you haven't the confidence and experience of your peers.
I am also thinking, "what's next"? No matter what profession I am in, I want to take my knowledge to the next step. I get bored of things very quickly, and always need something to look forward to. That's what I think is nice about being an educator. The possiblities are endless. I enjoyed your blog. I'm happy to know that I am not alone on this.
I think being a teacher
I think being a teacher leader is a person that gets involved in the schools and classrooms. One that is focused not only on their classroom but willing to help others too. A teacher leader is a expert teacher always on top of things.
Roy, Teacher
I am currently a teacher in San Bernardino,California and can relate to this article. This is my sixth year as a 8th grade teacher. In my first four years, I felt just like Elena that I was overwhelmed and did not know as much as other teachers around me. Last year, I read everything I could and would try anything to help students improve themselves. Many of my colleagues begin to ask when I would get my Administrative degree. At the end of year I decided to begin my Masters Degree in Educational Technology. This summer I got little time off because of professional developments that I attended. I really believe that this will help in the future. This was an excellent article and I am going to take the advice that was given by the author.
New Teacher Leadership
I work in an urban charter school. Prior to beginning my job there I worked 2 years as a long term sub. Each year my current school begins with new teachers spending one week learning school policies, working on curriculum and so on. During my own new teacher week one of my administrators asked me to take on a leader role within my group of newbies. I was reluctant to do this, but not wanting to disappoint my new boss I did it anyway. Ever since I have been seen as a leader at my school. Whether in team meetings or small group chat sessions in the hall after school, I am seen as a go-to person for ideas and advice from both colleagues and administrators. It is awesome for me to see how a role I was reluctant to accept has defined me as a teacher.
Reluctant leadership
I'm a first year teacher and was placed in a leadership role by the sink or swim method. Our grade level needed some new ideas in science and a set of common assessments including a final exam.My mentor more or less grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and tossed me in head first to produce these assessments which were to shape our science curriculum. I had to paddle very fast to keep my head above water but I learned quickly to collaborate and when this was not possible due to time, to forge ahead anyway. At the end of this project my mentor and principal asked me how it all went. I was surprised to realize that it went very well and the collaborative efforts were well received and appreciated (they merely smirked and told me that they had expected this all along). Sometimes it is good to be dragged out of our zone of comfort and shoved headlong into a leadership role.
Thanks, Elena, for this
Thanks, Elena, for this reminder of Teacher Leadership. Web20Classroom tweeted it out this morning, and I couldn't help but read it. We had a good discussion at our Summer Institute (Ozarks Writing Project, Springfield, MO)one afternoon about this topic. My principal was there and talked about how schools (admins) do a terrible job of training teachers to be leaders, and how often teachers are placed into leadership positions because no one else will fill the role, or possibly because they have the most experience (after I left my last school, a teacher in her 2nd year of teaching took my place as the Department Chair because she had seniority/longevity over the others in the department.) This I know isn't uncommon.
I do want to mention that being a Teacher Leader isn't always about "doing" new things, taking new steps, and looking for new opportunities. We have powerful teacher leaders in many schools who are the agents of change simply by listening, being present, and offering advice to fellow teachers when asked. Don't get me wrong. I consider myself a Teacher Leader because I try to be innovative in my classroom, I take initiative to present at conferences and share my expertise, I'm active politically in education at the local and national level, and I'm constantly pursuing learning. But, here's why I view myself as a teacher leader: last week I was working in my classroom on a day when the English II teachers decided to meet and work on their curriculum together (which was a first, too, and a giant step toward teacher leadership and collaboration!). At the end of their work, they bounced into my room and shared their ideas. They were so proud of the work they had accomplished together, they couldn't wait to share it with someone who cared just as much as they did, and I don't teach English II. I spent 10 minutes listening to brilliant and excited teachers share goals for each quarter, and what assessment would look like, and how they came to see the end result and the pathway that would take them there. Our true teacher leaders are the teachers down the hall from you and you just can't wait to share with them because you know they will listen, and you also know they might have some expertise to share back.
Maybe building that teacher leader does come from all of this "doing" outside of the classroom that builds reputation and leverage, but I can't help but think of those passionate teachers who are respected because of what happens inside of their classrooms and how they treat their colleagues next to their classrooms.
Obviously, I'm a little passionate about this topic and naturally, I write too much. :) But, I must add, because I noticed in the previous comments about rural and urban connections, that teachers from the Greater Kansas City Writing Project and the Ozarks Writing Project are collaborating this coming school year on lessons and online learning. Rural and Urban--working together. Maybe they would be willing to share some of their work on connecting these two. It was fun to read their tweets a few weeks ago at their first network meeting...especially when they were writing about assumptions each had about the other. Powerful stuff when teachers work and learn together.
Thank you for sharing your powerful thoughts on Teacher Leadership. I enjoyed the read and responding with my own thoughts. :)