What sets a leader apart from other educators?
Being an educator is a position that requires many roles and identities to be fulfilled. An educator is a teacher, role model, parent, older sibling, coach and counselor amongst many other roles. The title of “teacher” requires the investment of heart, soul, and time into a career and into the young lives being touched. Exemplary teachers exhibit their skills of leadership on a consistent basis. You might observe the results of a teacher leader’s efforts in education and wonder how he or she built such a proficient understanding of what it means to lead as a teacher. Teacher leaders typically distinguish themselves from other educators by obtaining further training or education, such as a master’s degree. Many of these programs are offered online, which is convenient for educators, who typically have a very busy and inflexible schedule. Above average teachers usually continue their related education to provide themselves with the credentials necessary to receive the intrinsic and financial benefits for their dedication.
What do teachers look for in a leader?
A leader is someone who commands a group in various situations. Teachers benefit from having a strong leader who is willing to be on the front lines of the education process. Teachers search for a leader with experience and a vast amount of knowledge about education topics. There are certain, difficult skills, within the field of teaching, that require teacher leadership and advice from someone who possesses more awareness. Topics such as current events in education, education laws, data/assessment interpretation and usage, and creative instruction strategies are reserved for the knowledge of the elite educators. New and developing teachers seek out the guidance of teacher leaders when faced with these challenging topics. A teacher who holds leadership abilities can be identified just as easily as the student in class who one day would like to be a comedian. Teachers seek direction from leaders who are confident about their effectiveness with the students, as well as their passion, willingness to assist, and desire to improve themselves as educators. A master’s degree for teachers, which can be obtained online, essentially translates into creating an expert teacher leader out of a novice teacher with untapped potential.
What do the best teacher leaders do?
If you are a teacher, you’re familiar with the frightening and intense performance reviews. Administrators enter your classroom with a clipboard and suddenly you feel like a lab rat in observation. Many teachers see these reviews as either a form of potential punishment or as a way for the administration to have an effect on their compensation. Teachers who are leaders may see these observations from a different and more positive point of view. Instead of stressing about being observed, these teachers see this opportunity as a time to either display their abilities or as a time to grow and learn from a new perspective.
Think of the best supervisor you have had; or to reach even further back, recall the most memorable teacher you have had. What made these people so memorable? What did they do to have such an extreme and positive impact on your life? The best teachers seek out those who offer guidance and advice, and share strategies that have had positive results. Teacher leadership includes someone who is passionate about the growth and improvement in the current education system in order to benefit the students, teachers, and community. Educators who have obtained, or are in the process of obtaining, their master’s degree in teacher leadership realize that greatness will not come to them by simply sitting around and waiting for it; greatness is achieved by continued learning and knowledge building.
Why be a “good” teacher when you could be unforgettable?
Every teacher has at least one at his or her school ““ the teacher who has the “perfect” classroom and meets all of their grueling deadlines by months. Leadership is not defined by the number of posters on classroom walls or amount of flawless students in class. Teacher leaders utilize their extensive knowledge of common aspects of education to contribute to the growth of their fellow teachers, the students, and their campus as a whole.
There have been many attempted interpretations of teacher leadership and many efforts to define the term. The reason for the inability to create a single, concise definition is that teacher leadership could be seen as many different roles depending on who benefits. New teachers might identify a teacher leader as someone who assists them with planning their lessons. Data analysts might see a lead teacher as someone who properly uses assessment data to create their future student interventions.
As an educator you already wear many hats and devote your time and soul. But perhaps you’re interested in more. Maybe you want to become a leader for other teachers. Some universities offer online master’s degrees for teachers that enable students to be more than just decent teachers, but impactful players in the education community.
Learn more about Lamar University’s M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership online program.
Sources:
T. Dozier. (2007). Turning Good Teachers into Great Leaders. Educational Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/Turning-Good-Teachers-into-Great-Leaders.aspx
A. Harris. (2003). Teacher Leadership as Distributed Leadership: heresy, fantasy or possibility? School Leadership & Management. Retrieved from http://www.lyderiulaikas.smm.lt/Atsisi%C5%B3sti%20failus:,/article/654/Teacher%20
Leadership%20as%20Distributed%20Leadership_heresy%20fantasy%20or%20possibility.pdf
