I am excited to debut our new Center for Teacher Leadership blog, From the Director's Desk. At CTL, our focus is on supporting accomplished teachers as they become passionate, effective leaders. You may be reading this and thinking that the whole idea of teacher leadership is intimidating. You are not alone! Leadership is not something I sought, nor I must confess, particularly wanted.
I think I am typical of most teachers who are attracted to teaching by the opportunity to teach. I was one of those teachers who thought that anything that took me away from my students, even for five minutes, was bad. I'll never forget one of my colleagues trying to get me out of class for a few minutes one day. She tried everything she could think of and finally gave up, saying "Terry, your students are trying to plan a surprise party for you. For heaven sakes, come down to my room!"
The irony is that our most outstanding teachers are often the most unwilling to try to effect change beyond their classrooms, preferring to leave that to others. But it is exactly those accomplished teachers - teachers like all of you - that we desperately need to become leaders. Until we as a profession accept a leadership role in the reform dialogue that is raging in this country, we will continue to be used as pawns in education reform and we will never be totally successful in our primary mission of teaching.
The simple fact is that teachers have not been taught to view themselves as change agents. Most teachers have never been asked for their professional opinions. After years of being treated as "hired hands" who were expected to be quiet and take orders, it is no surprise that as a group, we lack confidence in our ability to effect change and we make apologies for ourselves by saying, "I'm just a teacher."
It is precisely because you are a teacher that you must step forward.
Though we may not wish it, our teaching practice is inextricable from matters of educational policy and school reform. Our choice is not whether or not we respond to these broader issues, but how we respond: do we turn away and concede vital decision to people with no knowledge of our classrooms, or do we step forward and bring our voices to bear on these issues? Do we retreat to the security and sanctity of our classrooms, or do we work together to create an environment in which all teachers can be and are effective, and share a vision of educational excellence?
Let me assure you that while you may lack the confidence to be leaders, as teachers you do not lack the skills. As I've worked outside the classroom, I've come to realize that most people are either visionaries who don't have a clue how to make things work - or detail people who can't see the big picture. As I have found my confidence, I realized that I already had the skills I needed to lead. And so do you.
Think about it. You see the big picture. You have a vision of what you want your students to achieve, but you also know how to break things down into manageable pieces. You're organized. You speak extemporaneously in front of a questioning audience every day. To survive and flourish in our profession, you've learned to be flexible. You explain, discuss, persuade, and debate all day, every day. And most importantly, you have first-hand professional experience backing up every word that you say.
You know what works and what doesn't, because you are at the front line and on the line on a daily basis.
Like the Lion in the Wizard of Oz, you already have what you are looking for. You only need to believe in yourself, step out of your comfort zone, and determine a plan of action. Don't forget that one of the most important roles of a leader is to teach. You must teach others what it will take to make the meaningful and substantive changes necessary to ensure that all children can succeed. Together we as accomplished teachers can effect change as we lead from the classroom.