Leadership Is About Behaviors

I am so fortunate that I get to be in and out of classrooms in my school district.  I know that leadership is about behavior.  In the past week during our Instructional Rounds visits I saw many teachers who fit the model of a leader.  I was able to see young children cared for, valued, and celebrated for their contribution to a lesson.  This only happens when their teacher embraces the role of a true leader.

During my classroom visits I was so pleased to see teachers encouraging their students to be active participants in the learning process. These teachers were willing to change a lesson that they easily could stand and delivery, into one that allowed students to discover through collaboration with their peers.  Great leaders strive to create an atmosphere of trust – these classrooms are safe places for students to think, speak, and discover.

Great leaders passionately believe they can make a difference.  The teachers in my district use their magnetism and persuasion in teaching to help their students see their potential as learners.  In several lessons I witnessed students who shared a wrong answer, but were given an opportunity to ask a fellow student for help.  How powerful is it when we allow students to continue to gather information and contribute to the learning process.  Leaders enable others to act.

I am so pleased that I get to see great leaders of learning in my schools.  Leadership is about behaviors – I ask myself often if I am leading the way for others.  I want to be the leader that others see the passion in.  I want to be the leader that models the behaviors others see as proactive and supportive.  I want to be the leader that others see the excitement I have for learning and supporting the vision of learners in the future.   I want to be the leader that keeps hope and determination alive, the leader that makes others feel value and worth.  I want to strengthen others.Take stock and make sure you are modeling the behaviors you want other to see.  

Reward Exemplar Work

I have been fortunate to have principal support in implementing two initiatives in my school district this school year, Instructional Rounds and Standards Based Bulletin Boards (SBBB).  I have been amazed at the teacher and student growth in both areas.  I will focus this blog on the success of our SBBB initiative.

In the past, walking through our elementary hallways was a bit of a coloring display, or simple QR codes on pictures that led to never-never land.  But not anymore!  Our expectation is that the displays reflect the exemplar work our students and teachers are doing in their classrooms.  We use a rubric for which these SBBB are graded.  Each month by myself and the other Assistant Superintendent walk our buildings and review each new bulletin board.  Here is what review for each board:

• is the student task aligned with the intent of the TEK, 
• is the task at a higher level of Bloom's,
• does the task integrate writing and or technology, 
• is their written feedback about why the work is exemplar from peers or the teacher. 

It is such a great experience to look at the work from every classroom in our three elementary schools. Teachers and their students are rewarded by being selected as the monthly winner of their campus SBBB.  They replace their SBBB with a "Winner" poster and display their work at central office.  At the monthly school board meetings the teacher leads our board members in a learning walk about the exemplar work she and her students are doing.
  District Initiatives can be a win-win - this one sure has been.  

Lifelong Learners

I had a conversation over the holiday break with a friend about why educators continue to go to school.  It occurred to me that people on the outside of education don’t often get our passion for what we do – to teach others that learning is powerful.  The question came in the conversation…will your degree ever reap you financial benefits?  I honestly never asked myself that question; I simply wanted to achieve that next goal of getting a higher degree.  That is when it dawned on me how many teachers we have in our district that pursues a Master’s degree in order to better their practice.  Is the field of education that different from other professions that we feel an innate desire to learn more?  

School is something that I did not enjoy as a youngster.  It was something that I had to do to stay in good graces with my parents.  I struggled with school so it wasn't exactly what I looked forward to daily.  Looking back I had to think long and hard to pinpoint when my attitude changed about school, what made me want to pursue another degree (or two).  It wasn’t what, but who – it was the educators in my life.  A former principal told me that an education was a powerful tool and to embrace the chance to continue learning.  It was a college professor who made hard content relatively easy by being creative and persistent in her expectations.  It was the AD that gave me my first job and stood in the wings ready to help me if I needed it, who lent me a shoulder and gave sound advice.  It was teaching alongside great teachers who were creative, caring, and took every test score personally.  It was the staff that worked with me at CHS who were so committed to students it was obvious when you walked into the classrooms.

My desire to learn came from the people who made an impact on me in the field of education.  I am not always the greatest at reflection, but I do know that money has never been the motivating factor for continuing my education – it has been the innate desire to influence young people and teachers the way those who taught me had done.  I thank those who have impacted the way I see learning, and I hope I too can spread that love of learning to those I encounter daily.  

To answer the question---Is the field of education that different from other professions that we feel the desire to learn more?  Yes, It is!