Teachers, Writers, Leaders
Educational Leadership
Teachers, Writers, Leaders
Lieberman and Friedrich capture the essence teacher leaders. Much has been written about leadership, defining, what it takes to be a leader, lead a company, a project, a group; yet leadership in education is different. The authors proclaim that teacher leaders are the key to school reform. If this is truly the case, and I believe it is, then it would be a wise undertaking to understand what it takes to be an effective teacher leader.
Leadership among teachers is well defined and credit for school reform falls squarely in the laps of the teachers who establish those roles. However, the intricate details of how teachers take on these roles is something that needs more attention. The National Writing Project studies many aspects of teaching and learning. Included in their research was a close look at teacher leadership. They explored whether participation in the NWP Summer Institute along with guided exploration of leadership opportunities enabled them to lead in different ways.
Participation in the Summer Institute is often the first time teachers engage in learning within a collaborative context. The structure of the NWP SI model enables teachers to reflect, honor their own knowledge, practice their skills and explore creating ownership in learning through a community building experience. The authors asked participants to explore their leadership through writing.
It is risky to take a stand, sometimes outside of what is considered “normal” or “traditional” in your school environment. Paul Epstein, a participant in the study, says, “It is one thing to stand up in front of strangers…and ask teachers to try something they’ve never have tried…It is quite another thing to get up in front of your coworkers and tell them they should teach differently.”
Building community is a central belief of the National Writing Project. Teachers in this study agreed that relationships and collaboration were important factors in their ability to lead. It is important for teacher leaders to create a forum for teachers to come together in collaboration.
Key Quotes:
Even claiming the identity as a teacher leader seemed to carry an element of risk. (p. 2)
“When the group redefined leadership as making a commitment to students, taking responsibility for contributing beyond one’s own classroom and working collaboratively, teacher showed greater comfort in claiming the mantle of leadership.” (p. 2)
