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Shannon Garrison ECI 508 Teachers as Leaders Final Leadership Essay

Teacher Leadership Teaching is the profession that makes all others possible. Teaching impacts people every day in our world. Being a teacher leader is a title that requires passion. Teacher leadership is embraced by teachers who have integrity and stamina. They assist others and work collaboratively with their peers and establish positive relationships among others. Teacher leadership means stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks. This type of leadership also embodies patience and perseverance. Teacher leaders develop their skills throughout time and are empathetic to others ideas and problems. Themes There are four recurring themes throughout this semester that I have thought as prevalent and powerful for my role as a teacher leader in my own community and school. Taking risks and going out of my comfort zone, building relationships within the school, creating a strong culture, and outside viewpoints and perspectives from the world were all themes that I have recalled many times throughout my leadership log, class discussions, and readings. Taking Risks You cannot discover new oceans unless you risk losing sight of the shore (Barth, 2001). This was the most powerful quote to me for the whole semester in the Teachers as Leaders course. Taking a step of faith or courage into something new is not an easy task. I have learned this throughout my life with changing to a private school in 7th grade and then going to Appalachian State for college, where I didnt know anyone when I stepped foot on campus for the first time. Also, moving to Raleigh where I only knew a few friends and started over in a new city with a new job in a grade I had no experience. As teacher leaders, we must be willing to take risks in order to accomplish new ideas and have our voice be heard. Barth says, The trouble is, if you dont risk anything, you risk everything and Dont give up on a dream, if we really know what it is we want, we can find ways to get there (2001). When we take chances in our lives,

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especially in our teaching profession, we have the opportunity to succeed or possibly have failure, but we can learn from these mistakes, which is how we grow and develop as leaders. When I first started teaching after graduating from college, I was scared but wanted to share my ideas and try new things. It was a lot of pressure and sense that other colleagues might not appreciate what I had to say. With almost 9 years of experience behind me now, I have found that taking those risks and learning through the challenges and mistakes has made me a much stronger leader and teacher. Its important to have a routine, its important to be creative and continue your learning by trying new things (Barth, 2001). With being in the same grade level for many years, I have to try to find innovative ideas to keep me inspired and passionate and also engage the students. Also, technology is changing constantly, so as teacher leaders we need to be learning new tools to teach our students to equip them for the future. Building Relationships The second theme that I recognized often this semester was how building relationships is essential to becoming a successful teacher leader. The ability to build positive relationships is critical to becoming a teacher leader (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009). One of the reasons that I have enjoyed teaching and have stayed at my current school for 9 years is because of the relationships that I have established with the other teachers, students, and families. When we took the Teacher Leadership Readiness Instrument survey and also had class discussions about working with our colleagues, I recognized that building relationships with people is a crucial skill to learn in life, not just in the teaching field. What we bring to relationships is important and how we approach others can build or break a relationship. Katzenmeter and Moller stated, Understanding strengths and weaknesses is the first step towards accepting each other (2009). In my teaching career thus far, I have learned my strengths and weaknesses within my kindergarten team setting as well as in the whole school environment. I have learned that gaining trust and respect of my peers is important. I am constantly learning to respect others ideas and to be supportive. Over the years, I havent always had a positive attitude and sometimes I have been critical and realistic. But, I have learned that being accepting of everyone and finding the strengths and areas that different people bring is key for having the right collaboration. In my particular team, I have stepped up as a leader in the last few years, offering support with new

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lesson ideas, how to incorporate technology in the classroom, and being an advocate for kindergarten students and our team with administration and other teams in our school. Getting involved in your school is a great way to establish positive relationships in your school setting. I have had the opportunity to be involved in extra- curricular activities such as the talent show leader, club leaders, being on several committees, and having a presence in school-wide family events. I got to know many teachers outside of school through social events and by being the chairperson of the committee. Having friends on different grade level teams and throughout the school really helps with relationships and understanding when new perspectives are brought to a discussion. Teachers are the ones who can be counted on to remain through administration turnovers (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009). Throughout my leadership log, I mentioned having 4 different principals since I started at my school. It hasnt been an easy transition, but my community of teachers has stayed strong and we care and have compassion for our school community. We might not always agree with our current principals at the time, but because we have established strong relationships with other colleagues, families, and students, leaving is not an option and we focus on the students and what is important for their success. Creating a Culture One of my other favorite quotes from this semester is, Our actions always affect others and help set the tone at our school and that is a type of leadership (Zemelman & Ross, 2009). Creating a positive strong culture in your own classroom as well as your school is important. When I began my teaching career, I didnt think I was having much impact on other teachers or maybe even my students. I had little experience in the kindergarten setting and tried to seem confident on the outside, but felt lost on the inside. I have always been a positive, happy person throughout my life. People always knew me as smiling or laughing and looking for the good in others. I like to think I am still that way even as I am older. I have tried to be positive and encouraging to my students, even though I have had to learn that being strict in classroom behavior management is key to success in teaching. New teachers have thanked me for saying hi to them in the hallway or just organizing social events within our school to encourage them to feel accepted and welcome.

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I wonder how many childrens lives might be saved, if we educators disclose what we know to others (Zemelman & Ross, 2009). I have learned through teaching that collaboration is a part of my job and sharing new ideas will help my colleagues and other students. One of my past principals wanted us to look at our students as belonging to all of us. This is a great statement because sometimes we get caught up in the fact that we must get our own students to a certain level. But, we should focus on supporting each teacher around us and sharing ideas that work. We have many required meetings each week, so sharing fun ideas isnt always convenient or easy, but it is so valued and really does make a huge impact on students. Barth says that Experience is not so much as what happens to us as what we make of what happens to us (2001). It is easy to dwell on the bad things that happen and the trials that occur within our own classroom walls, but we have to learn from these experiences and use them to help make us stronger. I have had many hardships in my years of teaching, and I have leaned on my colleagues and the relationships that I have built to help me through. Ive always heard the quote Teaching is not for the faint of heart and I wholeheartedly believe it. It will not always be easy; parents will question you, students will have bad behavior, testing will overwhelm you, paperwork will pile up, endless lesson planning will consume your time, meetings will happen before, during, and after school. But, throughout all of the struggles, you will remember that teaching is your passion and you love the kids. That is what gets you through. Having a strong culture and environment can be something that you help to create and it will make teaching seem more fun as well. Outside perspectives America has a love/hate relationship with teachers (Barth, 2001). I think its so easy for people t o blame teachers for problems in schools or why students dont test well. In the recent uprising of technology and with social media sites, I think teachers have taken a lot of backlash for being underperforming. When one of our classmates brought up the WRAL website where people commented on their views of teachers and how much we make, it was disgusting and so repulsive to hear. I have also seen many articles and Americans comment on teachers and our abilities. Also, people seem to know a lot about the new standards even though they are not a teacher.

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It is hard to not get defensive, but I have a strong passion and commitment to what I do each day, and I think we should advocate for teachers and our students. I do think that teachers are starting to have more of a voice with social media sites and it can be a really great thing to help support teachers in the future years. I feel that more of the public is starting to become informed which will hopefully bring positive change. Barth also says, I personally think teachers are crying for respect. They want to feel they are valued and productive members of the school community (2001). I have felt this way for many years. The more I teach and persevere through the struggles; I think I become more passionate about teaching. I am always advocating for students and hope to continue to do this. I think the community and nation are starting to finally see the lack of respect teachers have and this is showing through the low pay, teacher shortages and ones leaving the profession. Leadership Plan of Action I hope to continue to be a strong leader in my school. I am currently on the RTI (Response to Tier Intervention) team and am head of the Social Committee. I am also a Teacher Leader Corps team leader for the next 2 years (3 year commitment) at my school with 3 other teachers. We help to lead staff development on every early release day and have our own trainings 5 times a year outside of school. Some of the goals I have for my leadership in the future would be to start being more of a voice in the community, not just at my school setting. I havent really been involved in any outside organizations thus far, but would like to see how I can get involved and make a difference. I also would like to mentor another student teacher in the coming years. I have had the wonderful opportunity to mentor 3 student teachers so far. Another goal would be to take a part on the leadership team by being my team chairperson. Next year will be my 10 th year on the kindergarten team, so I feel I bring expertise to my colleagues. Through this semester on leadership, I have learned that I should try to find the strengths of my teammates and learn to communicate effectively. This is a skill I would like to work on and learn to be accepting of everyones ideas. I think I also have to be careful to not criticize as much, because Ive realized that I have become more opinionated the longer Ive been a teacher. I want to continue to share ideas and encourage my teammates. I think this is a way I have already become a leader within my grade level team. I am also learning to successfully

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communicate with my administrators. This plays a big role in gaining respect and being a professional and leader within the school.

References Barth, Roland. Learning by Heart. Jossey-Bass, 2001. Katzenmeyer, Marilyn and Gayle Moller. Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Helping Teachers Develop as Leaders. Corwin, 2009. (3rd edition) Zemelmen, Steven and Harry Ross. 13 Steps to Teacher Empowerment. Heinemann, 2009.