Teacher leadership: roles, responsibilities, and professional impact

Teacher Leadership Teacher leadership is critical for the long-term growth of educational quality, consistency, and development of students' potentials. The role of a teacher who is also a leader in more than just the classroom is critical to the growth and maturation of the potentials in each student. To be a teacher who leads, a teacher must extend beyond the bounds of the minimal levels of expectations; they must work to find where their passion is and define their own leadership and development agenda. The greatest teachers who are leaders look for these opportunities where unmet needs for guidance and support in both their primary tasks but also in the extracurricular activities in the school community. The relentless pursuit of self- improvement with a constant pressure to improve and mature as a teacher is one of the greatest attributes of a strong teacher-leader according to Berry, Johnson, Montgomery (2005). The researchers also find that the ability of teachers who are leaders is much more pronounced in those communities that provide teachers an opportunity to fulfill unmet needs in their specific area of interest. An example would be a teacher highly schooled in a foreign language sponsoring an after-school program to give the students an opportunity to learn not only the language but the culture, customs, and differences of one culture to another. The teacher who is a leader seeks out these opportunities to share from their own backgrounds to enrich and give the students greater insight into the broader world around them. The fact that teachers who are leaders are constantly looking to improve themselves, showing intellectual curiosity and a commitment to a field of study they are most passionate about also is critical from a role modeling perspective. Teachers who have these attributes are much more likely to become leaders in the classroom and in student's lives from the standpoint of showing how a strong commitment to an area of high interest can yield significant personal growth and competency. What is the most critical aspect of a teacher's leadership skills however is their ability to make their students actively question and grow their perception of who they are and what their strengths are. A true teacher leader can guide students to what they are excellent at as well, giving them insights into how best to find the intersection of their talents and passions. The true test of a teacher who is leading is in their commitment of constantly being willing to also get measured by their peers and the certification organizations that periodically test teachers for competency according to Anderson, Rolheiser, Kim (1998). In summary, the teacher leader is one who has found a passion for service to others while the same time having a strong passion to continually learn new techniques for teaching, for pursuing their own personal academic interests and sharing the insights gained with students. The teacher leaders who are making a significant impact on their communities also bring a sense of purpose to their work, with passion for the subject and the fulfillment of their own professional and personal development goals as well. The bottom line is that teachers who make excellent leaders strive to serve communities as thoroughly and as responsively as they can while staying interconnected with their own areas of expertise, so they have much to share in terms of personal learning experience and guidance so students can achieve their full potential. References