Do teacher leaders feel like “odd ducks” when navigating their hybrid roles in and outside of the classroom? Or does teacher leadership feel natural and accepted in our schools today? Follow this teacher’s reflection on how she feels in a teacher leader role.
After writing my previous post, Teacher leadership’s gaining momentum—Where are we going?, I began to look at what my colleagues had written about teacher leadership. I came across this great post from fellow blogger Bill Ferriter called, What do teacher leaders need from administrators? In it, he shares some interesting data, quotes from teacher leaders, and this slide:
Would you say teacher leaders might feel like odd ducks in your teaching context? In both my current and former school, I would say not so likely. I often feel like an odd duck in terms of my teaching style, which tends to be more constructivist than that of my colleagues. But I see teacher leaders in school-based roles becoming more and more commonplace.
What does not seem commonplace—and what often makes me feel like an odd duck—is the idea of a teacher taking on leadership within the field of education, but outside the school context. Teachers’ involvement in education policy and politics is still odd from where I stand. Having been the rare teacher at a few policy events, I know that we are sometimes the odd ducks in both worlds. Still, I’m convinced that teacher leadership at all levels is becoming more accepted and understood. What do you think?
