It was refreshing to see Jim's post and leadership viewed in a broader
context. While our TE projects focused at the opposite educational
pole (many systems we worked with were small rural schools,
sometimes with only one K-8 school and as few as ten teachers in the
"district"), leadership through collaboration and team building were
much more productive than the simple in service model. We had a
number of teachers who were natural leaders and who, with some new
ideas and encouragement, did much in their own and other systems.
We had others who were receptive but needed some help with their
teaching situations -- recalcitrant administrators or problems with
supplies, for example. But a significant number of teachers were not the
chargers who led change but were more focused on their own
classrooms. They were there because they wanted to do more for their
students.
In terms of leadership this last group was something of a disappointment
at first, but over time it was apparent that several provided influence in a
more subtle way and in a way that was probably more meaningful in a
small system. They were local success stories and word of their
success spread through parents to other teachers, administrators, and
the school board. The situation made others more receptive and we
were surprised that they were able to influence a number of their
colleagues who "had been teaching this way for twenty years" and
dead-set against change. Much of their influence came from the
community where the parents recognize their efforts. Word got to other
teachers, administrators, and the school board. (It seems to me that
when we talk about systemic change, parents and the community are
sometimes left out of the loop.)
Recently we've been thinking about this in the context of pre-service
training. While I agree with Dennis that individuals are born with some
leadership traits, others can be taught and indeed ought to be an
important part of pre-service and in-service work. Things like teaming
with peers, thinking of instruction in the context of the community,
promoting an openness to change, and providing a level of comfort with
content all are important.
_____________________________________________________________________________
TEECH Leadership Development Discussion
To send a response, send mail to teech_leadership@teech.terc.edu
To unsubscribe from the list, send mail to ntlist_manager@teech.terc.edu
In the body of the message: unsubscribe teech_leadership <email-address>
View or post messages from the Web at http://hub.terc.edu/terc/teech.html
______________________________________________________________________________