By far the greatest gift of my early teaching career was my newfound leadership ability. Latent until I headed a classroom of young people, my leadership capacity was awakened when the need for guidance arose and others looked to me for direction.
Make no bones about it – teachers are leaders. And leadership requires a high standard of personal ethics. Books on leadership provide educators with tips and strategies that are directly transferable from the board room office, soccer field or community centre to the classroom.
Being a teacher leader means being a consummate professional. And what is a professional? The word has powerful connotations of responsibility, authority and specialized expertise, but a big part of professionalism is confidence in your abilities. Trust your instinct, your intuition and your heart. You have learned more than you know. Your own life experiences, your studies, discussions with colleagues, practice teaching – all this and more form a solid foundation for your expertise. Try an affirmation such as, “I am a professional. I understand students and how they learn.” Believe in yourself. When you trust your own professional judgment, you will more forward with noticeable confidence. Living your convictions is one sign of a leader.
Once I recognized that I had unique strengths as a teacher and a person, many of the frustrations and obstacles I had initially faced began to melt away. I could respond to student misbehaviour in a caring but courteous manner. Though I have never been much of a comedian, I could often find the humour in a tense or potentially confrontational situation. Laughter has a way of dispelling negative emotions and clearing the atmosphere. It also creates and strengthens bonds between teacher and students.
At other times, a quiet word or frown directed at the chief troublemaker was all it took to restore order. A short conversation out of earshot of the other students … a promise to the class of “no homework if you get them all correct” … a glance to convey a nonverbal message … timing the lesson to engage short attention spans … all these strategies and more came quickly and easily as I become more comfortable in the teaching role.