There are leaders among us, educators who guide, influence, and encourage naturally. There are those who are called into leadership positions because of necessity and those who have leadership opportunities just fall into their laps. Imagine, though, if those teacher leaders were guided by more than instinct and good habits, imagine if instead they were guided by research, best practices, and mentorship by other genuine leaders. Enter: teacher leadership programs.
What is Teacher Leadership?
Teacher leadership is exactly what it sounds like. It is individuals in a building who are seeking opportunities to intentionally and officially expand their practice. It opens doors that lead to creative challenges, common mistakes, and novice practices. Good programs expand teacher’s minds out of their own classroom, content, and even level to consider big picture solutions for issues.
For instance, have you ever considered the emotional intelligence of your colleagues, yourself, or the leadership in your building? Do you even know what it is? Learning about emotional intelligence (basically this is the ability to “read the room” and determine how others feel to gauge how to move a meeting) was something that impacted my practices immediately.
I shared the information with my hall mates and content area. We all took a DISC personality tests, took a deep dive into how our personalities affected our personal practices, and ultimately learned to be better, more considerate, and more deliberate colleagues in all future interactions. What a difference it made for my department. We kept the results of the personality test up in our workroom and regularly referred to those results during difficult conversations or during times when we had to have challenging data talks.
During my leadership program, I was able to network with colleagues from different counties, subject areas, and every single level of every single level. We had a really diverse group and it was always a beautiful moment when the honors secondary education teacher was able to learn something from the elementary school special education teacher.
This sort of experience is pivotal because we all chose to teach what we chose for a reason. It is often difficult to consider the experiences of others, but as a leader, that is exactly what needs to happen. Being solution-oriented is something else that these programs expose you to. One of the best classes is Educational Law. During the time spent in that course we analyzed several court cases where we had to consider the best outcome, regardless of how we felt. We had to consider who was at risk, what would best protect the students, who did what, and if there was already a precedent for that incident.
There were some heavy discussions during educational law where my cohort colleagues had an opportunity to share about experiences that had happened to them. We listened, talked about the ethics behind the situations, and shared our feelings. We learned a lot during that time. We let a little vulnerability in to our safe space and were able to really dig deep, generate plausible solutions for future issues, and got to really practice our active listening skills.
That is really the essence of leadership: learning. Teacher leadership programs help future leaders focus on actively listening to colleagues in order to find the best solution, offer the appropriate response, or even sit silent when it is necessary.
Reasons to Get a Master’s Degree in Teacher Leadership
A primary reason to get a master’s in teacher leadership is growth. There’s something about learning while working with other learners that activates a part of our brains that may have been stagnant since undergrad. During the time I matriculated through my program I was more creative than I had been in years. I was able to apply many of the skills I was learning to my classroom and building experiences immediately.
Further, because of the knowledge I was gaining, I was confident enough to apply for an advanced position in my building that moved me out of the classroom. If it had not been for the information I gained during my program, I would not have been able to answer questions during my interview with the confidence and genuine expert knowledge that I was able to provide. Personality can only take a person so far; a degree in teacher leadership carries legitimate clout that indicates a person is not only a master at their craft, but they are also a master learner, willing to lead while continuing to learn and grow.
In school buildings, teacher leadership capacities can range from being a department chair to an instructional coach. A teacher leader can be tasked with monitoring a few teachers in an instructional group or PLC, or maybe the lead of an entire grade level or subject. In other instances teacher leaders may be in charge of school-wide professional development or the monitoring of new teachers in the building.
Regardless of the capacity the teacher leader serves, a program will encourage them to lead with empathy, be assertive in difficult situations, but most importantly be an active agent for change. If you are already serving in a leadership capacity, why not make it official and become a certified teacher leader?
Other Benefits of a Degree in Teacher Leadership
Let’s begin with the most obvious: in most cases, it allows for a pay raise. We all know we don’t get paid quite enough for what we do. The pandemic has made that painfully obvious. However, many states will still allow teachers to get pay raises for teacher leadership degrees even if they remain in the classroom. Teacher leadership degrees allow you to have credentials that show you have expanded your practice and you are ready and willing to share that knowledge with others.
Getting certified in teacher leadership has really changed my life. I’ve been able to move out of the classroom and provide service to my colleagues. I’ve been able to attend so many workshops where I’ve learned about everything from childhood trauma to how to increase writing practices across the curriculum. I’ve been able to take that knowledge and share it with those who need it, and I’ve also been able to artfully share it with those who didn’t even know they needed it too.
I’ve been able to see the world a little different because all I learned through my teacher leadership program and would highly encourage anyone to take the chance and grow. Education needs strong teacher leaders and strong advocates for education, and a master’s in teacher leadership would put you well on your way.
