Teacher Leadership: Standard 8

Standard 8: Present professional practice for the review of colleagues

It has really been an amazing experience going through this Teacher Leadership program here at Seattle Pacific. I look back at initial posts and reflections I wrote at the beginning of the program and realize how far I have come and how much I have grown as a teacher leader. We did a post back in Accomplished Teaching about our strengths and some challenges we face as educators. I am going to use phrases from the initial post and add some updates/new thinking to it.   

Finishing this program and my 4^th year teaching I have noticed that I am a very reflective individual, not just in my career of being a teacher, but in most aspects of life. As a teacher, I am constantly reflecting on lessons and conversations that I have with students and coworkers. I am the one that takes the job home and lays in bed at night thinking of lesson plans, creating anchor charts, which kids need to work on such and such strategy etc. My goal as a teacher is to be the best I can be, for my students. Working in a Title 1 school in a high poverty area, they NEED and deserve me at my best. Which sometimes causes my reflections of myself to be extremely high and criticizing. My strength in my individual self-reflection is that I am very goal and data driven. I am able to take the data and noticing’s I collected during my lessons and use them to drive my instruction further that would be best for my students. As for collaboration with peers, I find I do some of my best learning from my fellow teammates and colleagues. I love listening to their ideas and fresh perspectives. My first taste of taking on a “leadership” role, was last year being my grade levels representative on our buildings Instructional Leadership Team. This role allowed me to lead our grade level’s PLCs. I was the one to receive extra Professional Development on the new reading curriculum our district adopted and came back to my team and taught them how to use the curriculum with more ease. It was also a place that my team was be able to analyze data to drive our team goal for our students. My strength in this role was I am extremely passionate in curriculum and analyzing data to drive instruction. I always came to the meetings well organized and with a set agenda on what our team needs to accomplish during our time together, which I feel we don’t get much of. Taking on a leadership role is a little outside of my comfort zone. I am known to be a listener and an observer, rarely voicing my opinion and thoughts out of nerves or fear of being wrong. I am learning that even though I am the youngest and have the least amount of experience on my team, I still have a lot to offer. Reading this last line of my old post now makes me smile. Because this year I was the only 4^th grade teacher that was left at Horizon since I started 4 years ago. I really had to step up and take on, not only being on the leadership team as a representative, but as a team leader too.

Before reading the Hilty text, I have never heard of the different types of teacher leadership in schools. The three different types emphasize the importance of collective verses individual leadership. As stated on page 272, “Ogawa and Bossert argue that leadership occurs not though the actions of individuals but through the INTERACTIONS AMONG individuals. Because it occurs through the interaction, influence that is exerted through leadership cannot be assumed to be unidirectional; it can flow up and down levels and between units of organization...leadership is not confined to certain roles but is distributed across roles, with different roles having access to different levels and types of power and influence.” What I really liked about this paragraph was that it informs the reader that leadership doesn’t always have to fall on certain, established people at our schools. I have really taken this to heart this year and learning how to delegate tasks amongst my team, has definitely been a great learning experience. Seeing that some people need more “supports” in place to help them accomplish tasks. Just like our students, adults also need gradual release of responsibilities!

One of my strengths in teaching is my planning and organization skills. My classroom is well organized where my students know where materials are located and are easily accessible. I tend to have high expectations for my 4^th graders and work with them to be self-mangers and leaders within the classroom. In order for them to become that, it takes set procedures and expectations. I am known as the “sticky note” planner. I write all my plans on sticky notes, so that they are not “locked” in. You never know how a lesson is going to go. It may take two days, it may take another day to reteach and try and new approach. With my sticky notes, I am able to self-reflect and MOVE my day’s forwards or backwards depending on how each day went. I am the teacher that has the entire week and its materials planned and set in designated containers in case of emergencies and anyone could come in and find all materials and plans laid out.  Another strength I feel that I have is building a safe, positive, learning environment. I have had many peers tell me, “your class is like a family, and they all really love and care for each other. They support each other in their learning.” I always smile and think that this really does exist in my room. Each one of the classes I have had, we create this amazing bond. I am not really sure HOW I do it, but I am extremely proud that I am able to create that type of learning and supportive environment for my students. 

After reading the article “Developing a Growth Mindset in Teachers and Staff” by Keith Heggart, I made a realization that I need to practice what I preach to my students. He states that “the crucial point for individuals is that these mindsets have a large impact upon our understanding of success and failure. Fixed mindset people dread failure, feeling that it reflects badly upon themselves as individuals, while growth mindset people instead embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and improve their abilities” (Heggart, 2016) I am always telling my kids to take their mistakes and learn from them. That it is okay to make them because we learn so much more and become stronger learners. Just as James Morehead states “That struggling means you’re committed to something and are willing to work hard” (Morehead, 2012). I have really had to embrace that growth mindset as a teacher-student within this Teacher Leadership program and in the work environment. However, my experience with my past principal of 3 years, my team members at work, and my classmates with this program, have really put my fears to rest. That there is a correct way to deliver and receive feedback.

I personally love the section of ‘Errors need to be welcomed” in the Hattie text. I think that it is so ingrained in students that it is bad to make mistakes. That if they make an error, they will be viewed as stupid or incapable of completing tasks. It is important for us as educators to relay the message that errors are opportunities for further learning, and should not be seen as embarrassments, signs of failure, or something to be avoided-so they don’t participate (139). Which goes back to previous chapter readings of, creating a learning environment where it is safe. A place where students are respected and know they can trust their peers. Hattie informs us, that we need to consider the ‘nature and dosage’ of feedback. He states that “…it is more effective when provided in incremental steps…So often, feedback is dished out in long screed, encompassing so many different ideas and prompts, and this allowing the receiver to be selective or to miss the priorities, and possibly leading him or her to become more confused. Feedback needs to be focused, specific, and clear” (151). There is an importance of delivery, in which we need to teach our students to value and appreciate the feedback they receive, such as taking it as a new goal or challenge to complete, not as a criticism towards them as a person, something that I had to learn very recently myself and have become much stronger with.

Some challenges I have as a teacher is during some lessons following Gradual Release of Responsibility. Math is an area that I feared and “struggled” with as a student growing up. I had one teacher that instilled that fear and it has followed me up to my profession, where I sometime fear teaching math. Hoping that the strategies and skills I am teaching are reaching my students. So with GRR, I struggle with the “you do.” I have a hard time letting them go…knowing that they seem to be getting it with me. However, I am learning that letting them work together and on their own, is the time to gather evidence and data to guide further instruction for all or some students. I also feel that I struggle with differentiation with the wide span of learners that I have. I have to figure out how to offer the best support for my students who are new to America and just learning English to challenging my student who is at a 6^th grade reading and math level. Really setting those differentiated supports in place.

Reading about past challenges I have definitely gotten a lot better with these. It has taken a lot of work, but I have definitely allowed my students to take on a lot more responsibilities. My room has become a lot more student directed than me constantly directing them. During my time with this program I have had the opportunity to work with two student teachers, which allowed me to be very reflective in my own practice, as well as, guide someone in learning/discovering their own teaching practice. I have learned so much with working with the team of them, bringing fresh ideas to the table and their approach to certain lessons. It was such a privilege to be a part of their learning as teachers.

I have also learned so much with working with the members of this cohort. The opportunities to work together, discuss, provide feedback, really lent a hand in me growing as a person who is okay to share thoughts and ideas, and also receive constructive feedback. With working with many people from different districts, schools, grade levels, I was able to gain so much insight! This upcoming school year I am taking a step out of my comfort zone and teaching a different grade. I am looping with my current 4th grade class up to 5^th grade. Joining a new team and learning new curriculum is going to be a lot of fun. I am going to continue my work with the district implementation guide committee with our curriculum and I also have been asked to be my building ELA Coach with the curriculum. Lots of new and fun opportunities await as I wrap up this chapter and begin the next!  

References:

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on
learning: London: Rouledge

Heggart, K.
(2015, February 03). Developing a Growth Mindset in Teachers and Staff. EduTopia. Retrieved December 4, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/developing-growth-mindset-teachers-and-staff.

Hilty

Morehead, J.
(2012, June 19). Stanford University’s Carol Dweck on the Growth Mindset and Education. One Dublin. Retrieved from https://onedublin.org/2012/06/19/stanford-universitys-carol-dweck-on-the-growth-mindset-and-education/.

Ogawa, R. T., & Bossert, S. T. (1995).
Leadership as an Organizational Quality. Educational Administration Quarterly,31(2), 224-243.

Artifacts:

Synthesizing Elementsof Accomplished Teaching 

Math 2.11 Video