In “Overcoming Obstacles to Leadership” (p. 8) Susan Moore Johnson and Morgaen L. Donaldson report on interviews with “second-stage teachers” (proven teachers with four to ten years' experience) about their forays into established leadership roles within their schools and whether they felt truly able to collaborate and inspire change. These teachers approached leadership with great enthusiasm. But in practice they sensed built-in obstacles to change within their own schools. They found that, without formal supportive practices in place,The schools in which they worked remained largely unchanged, with an egg-crate structure that reinforced classroom boundaries and a professional culture that discouraged teacher leadership. (p. 9)Moore and Donaldson conclude that, because of certain traditions built into the teaching culture itself (like a focus on autonomy), “administrators need to provide formal support structures and build leadership roles into the structure of the school” if teacher leaders are to make a difference.
What formal leadership roles—if any—exist that allow designated teachers the freedom to guide, advise, and collaborate with other teachers?
What kinds of within-school structures support teachers who take on leadership tasks? How are these leadership positions defined? Are the teachers who come into them chosen from among admired teachers at your school or brought in from outside? How does this affect how these leaders are regarded by most teachers?
Do you perceive that coaches are freely welcome in all classrooms to share knowledge and make suggestions?
Is the discussion and collaboration between instructional coaches and teachers usually productive? Are coaches and teachers mutually respectful? Are there any frequent sticking points in communication or collaboration? If so, how might administrators, teachers, and coaches work to remedy them?
Read the three possible helpful stances that Laura Lipton and Bruce Wellman say instructional coaches can take in working with teachers (“How to Talk So Teachers Listen,” p. 30) Which of these stances do coaches at your school tend to use? Do they use different approaches and adjust to each individual teacher's style? You might also consider Lipton and Wellman's tips for “learning-focused consulting” on page 32.
Balancing Responsibility and Power
Teachers often feel overwhelmed by responsibility. According to Richard M. Ingersoll (“Short on Power, Long on Responsibility,” p. 20), that's largely because they hoist a weighty responsibility in helping socialize children but have little real control over how that socialization is structured within schools. Read Ingersoll's article and share your views on this key passage:Teaching is an occupation beset by tension and imbalance between responsibilities and power. On the one hand, the work of teaching—helping to prepare, instruct, and rear the next generation of children—is both important and complex. But on the other hand, those entrusted with the training of this next generation are not entrusted with much control over many of the key decisions concerned with this crucial work. (p. 22)
Teachers, Writers, Leaders
Brainstorm about a time in your teaching life when you provided leadership in a way that led to positive action, small or large. Write a vignette about this experience, including pondering what kinds of support you found in your school that helped you spearhead positive change. Share your vignette and discuss what it communicates about conditions that clear the path for leadership.
Lieberman and Friedrich note that the teacher leaders they studied sought to nurture communities of learning within their schools after participating in the National Writing Project. How might you create this kind of “social organization of learning” among teachers you work closely with?
