Many of us strive to influence the system we serve by focusing on building capacity in order to increase teacher craftsmanship and efficacy.
And yet I wonder, if we strive to build the capacity of those who are not in our direct sphere of influence. Do we strive to support all educators in our profession? What do we do on a day-to-day basis when we are interacting with the profession outside of our regular collegial circle?
About a month ago, I ran into an educational leader that I have always held in high regard. I’ve been fortunate to learn from this leader and garner inspiration to make a difference in education, specifically in the arena of teacher leadership. As we engaged in small talk, the conversation quickly turned to my current role in my district. I was excited to share that I was making an impact at the district level. I confided that the first 6 months were challenging as I found it difficult to not be at a school site on a daily basis. At the conclusion of my update, this individual informed that teacher leaders must work with students. This individual stated that if you do not work with students you are not a teacher leader. Then this individual walked away. I stood there feeling stunned as my professional identity was being defined for me, instead of my efforts defining my identity.
Less than a week after that encounter, I was invited to be a part of a Teacher Leadership Initiative (TLI) event. An event where alumni of the initiative were brought together to celebrate successes, identify areas of refinement, and recommit to the foundational work of the Teacher Leadership Competencies. One part of the event included a TeachTalk where I would address the importance of TLI at the National Press Club. No pressure.
An hour before the TeachTalk, a fellow educator asked me if I was giving a speech that morning. I confirmed that I was indeed speaking. After receiving confirmation, this fellow educator looked at me and said, “Don’t blow it.”
This time I walked away, but once again, I was stunned. Stunned that out of all the responses that I conjured as possibilities, the response I received demonstrated a lack of understanding about professional risk taking.
Two incidents in a short period of time. Now, these two incidents taken separately may have been insignificant, but together, caused me to wonder… Are we our own worst enemy? Does it matter that we strive to improve teaching and learning only to have our own react to us with questions, doubt, and a members-only club mentality?
Consider how many times you have looked at a fellow educator a made a snide comment, or questioned that educator’s intentions. Granted, not all educators have the best of intentions, but what might happen if we began to assume positive intentions and provided support for one another? What might be the impact? I wonder.
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The more I study teacher leadership as part of my doctoral work, the more I wonder if, in our attempts to define “teacher leadership” as a profession, we have confined it into a box of our own undoing. I consider myself a teacher leader. And I also might become a principal. Or maybe I’ll end up working in some hybrid position that has yet to be created on a district level… or maybe I’ll just stay in the classroom and keep my hands in a gazillion cool projects in addition to hanging out with kiddos every day… but like Baby in Dirty Dancing, I don’t want to be put in a corner! Why can’t we blur the lines of teacher leadership? The students that I serve certainly aren’t black and white, therefore neither is the complex work that we do as teachers who lead our profession. Complexity, flexibility, and positive intentions are, indeed, what we should be spreading to lift one another, and our entire profession, to new heights. I got your back friend.
Your post has me shaking my head, Daniela. I have felt derailed by fellow teachers’ narrow definitions of what teacher leadership is. I share your wonder…
I agree, I think educators are so swamped in the mire of negativity from the outside world of teaching that we sometimes bring that negative mindset into the workplace. It’s time to rise it and value positive mindsets!