The Qualities Of Leadership And Teaching

This past school year I have been social chair of Nursing Students Without Borders. I have organized, implemented and hosted social events throughout the Fall of 2016 and the Spring of 2017. This past year the leadership of NSWB has worked to make NSWB community focused which is why the position I held was added this past year. I have been able to mentor a pre-nursing student through NSWB. I was able to answer the questions honestly from a pre-nursing student and provide support during the application process. I have been able to participate in leadership meetings and have learned how to plan well and how to improve event planning.

The importance of effective leadership and its impact on improving student achievement are evident in today’s schools (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom, 2004). While the school principal is traditionally thought to be the school leader, Glickman (1989) proposes that “the principal of successful schools is not the instructional leader but the educational leader who mobilizes the expertise, talent, and care of others” (p. 8). Lumpkin, Claxton, and Wilson (2014) contend that helping “each school fulfill its mission and energize and expand the professionalism and professional contributions of teachers, the expertise of all teachers, especially teacher leaders, is needed” (p. 59). Teachers directly impact student learning, and

“Leaders don 't create followers, they create more leaders,” Tom Peter famously proclaimed. As the principal of Crestview Elementary, I have always taken this quote to heart by continuous striving to empower my faculty and staff. Most recently, I have decided to train my assistant principal, Kathy Robinson, who was appointed to her position this summer after ten years as a classroom teacher. I quickly recognized that she possessed many of the qualities that make great leaders. Kathy is an excellent communicator, a great problem solver, innovative, very personable, and cares about the students and staff (Sheninger, 2011). Therefore, I have decided to mentor her and hone her skills so that she will be prepared for a transition to the role of principal.

The first NC Standard states that teachers need to demonstrate leadership. Leadership means that one leads by example, shows respect and motivates people to do their best. This kind of leadership can be in the classroom or outside of the classroom. It also has to do with working with your fellow teachers to make sure your students have to the best education experience one can give them. When I was at Sunset Park and Codington elementary schools, I saw the teachers show leadership in similar and different ways. Both teachers showed leadership by working with other teachers. At Sunset Park, the two teachers did lessons on butterflies then released the butterflies at then need of the week. Through the respect the two teachers showed each other, their students were able to see an

Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders. This quote by Tom Peters best summarizes my philosophy of teacher leadership. As a teacher leader, it is up to me to inspire, direct, and encourage others so that stronger teacher, administrative, and student leaders may be born from the process. Teacher leadership involves collaboration between teachers, administrators, and teacher leaders with the goal of positively impacting the student learning environment. With student learning as the ultimate objective, teacher leadership “becomes an indispensable avenue for school improvement” (Coggins & McGovern, 2014, p. 21). So how do I as a teacher leader begin this process? I believe that teacher leadership can be achieved through three means: modeling, mentoring, and collaborating.

Orr, like many others, believes that a teacher leader is someone who “impacts education beyond their own classroom”; however, she is quick to point out that she believes it is more than just the work teachers accomplish with administrators within their own schools. Orr wants the idea of teacher leaders to encompass far more than that.

One of the main things to being a leader is being passionate in the field one is working in. If you do not care about the field you are working in, then someone else is not going to look up to you as a leader. All of the teachers at school show they are passionate about their job and therefore we look up to them to be leaders. Angela said, “Passion makes the impossible possible”. When we have to write a paper, we sit there for hours trying to think of a topic and think that it is impossible, but the teachers who have passion about teaching students helps us realize how it is possible and that makes them even more of a leader. If one is passionate about their area of study, then they are going to be teachable which will make them an even better leader.

Similar to other leadership settings, educational leadership has a reliance on individual traits such as respect, trustworthiness, and fairness. Similarly, skills are essential since they determine the effectiveness of headship. Cooperation of staff members requires leaders to have strong awareness and understanding of their complex organizational environment. Concurrently, choice of management style is essential while focusing on maximum effectiveness of educational leadership. Lastly, as postulated, educational leadership is a great influencer towards students

I think and every successful teacher will agree with me that promoting the success of every student is the main value of any educational professional and it is very important for a leader to demonstrate these traits. What is leadership? Some people think that it is good to be a boss and it is easy to rule any organization. Leadership is more than just to rule any organization. It is the development of a practice around a mission or vision and an ability to inspire others to do the same. There are three sets of practices make up this basic core of successful leadership practices: setting directions, developing people and redesigning the organization. Foster (1989) says, “Leadership differs from conventional administration in much the same way that education differs from training (p.10).” This speaks to results- to the why of teaching. And the value of a leader can be determined by their results. If their aim is high-quality education (an admittedly vague term), academic success, and well-being of each student then this is the standard by which they should be judged. Burns admonishes that “power and leadership are measured by the degree of

There have been times in my life in which I have sat back and watched things happen. I often wondered why they happened. I now realize that it is important to be a leader. Effective teachers need to take charge and make things happen. I am becoming a teacher to make things happen and not sit back and let them happen as I used to do. This is very important for a teacher to realize. I will take charge and make wonderful things happen in my classroom.

Over the years, I have worn many educator hats such as a Director of Resource, classroom teacher, Head Start teacher, special’s teacher, and as a teacher’s aide. My leadership experiences have not been ones in an administrative role, but I have had leadership experiences both informal and formal in nature. My years as a professional educator with a Virginia Collegiate Professional license has allowed me to teach in public settings as well as Catholic schools, at many different grade levels and for me, all of those experiences have influenced my leadership skills.

As the leader of a 21st century school one must embody the qualities that best reflect the ever-changing face of education. Traditionally, the leader of a school focused a large portion of time and energy on typical managerial functions within the school. These tasks, although important, will not propel a school to achieve excellence. Today’s school leaders must be visionaries who create a sense of purpose driven unity. As a transformational leader, one must also be the beacon of learning in establishing and effectively cultivating professional learning communities. One must recognize and further develop the leadership skills of those within the school in order to ensure the vision and mission of the school is achieved. Keeping in

Those who learn to be instructional leaders acquire many characteristics that are beneficial to their schools and communities. The writer concurs that Instructional leaders exhibit a clear sense of direction for their schools and prioritize and focus attention on the things that really

The concept and practice of teacher leadership have gained momentum in the past two decades. Teachers are assuming more leadership functions at both instructional and organizational levels of practice. Empirical literature reveals effects of teacher leadership practice, teacher leader characteristics, and conditions that promote and challenge teacher leadership.

When I first started teaching, I was told to think of a teacher who truly made me feel special. When asked to reflect on powerful leaders, I was able to remember the people who have truly modeled for me true leadership. In my academic career, I can only think of one leader who has made me excited for what was to come. My college principal, Julianne Malvueax was the most outspoken, ambitious and engaging leader I’ve known. In the week 4 discussion, I recalled describing the feeling of overall joy and excitement I felt when listening to her speak. Whenever she entered a venue, you could feel the electricity in the room. When students left her presence, we knew we wanted to change things. We knew that we were an integral part of the institution’s mission and she reminded us of this constantly. After thumbing through the resources, I realize that Malvueax was an effective leader. Not only did she get us excited, the goals she set for our institution were clear. We knew what she expected from us as