You Don’t Need A Formal Title To Be A Teacher Leader

TEACHERS ARE LEADERS

You don’t need a formal title to be a teacher leader

Teacher leadership is “the process by which teachers, individually or collectively, influence their colleagues, principals, and other members of school communities to improve teaching and learning practices with the aim of increased student learning and achievement” (York-Barr & Duke, 2004, pp. 287-288). But there are many different ways that process of influence can be achieved. Often, we think of teacher leaders as those with officially defined responsibilities outside their classrooms (Wenner & Campbell, 2017). But educators can also be teacher leaders in a more informal way, by stepping up to fill a need or lending their experience and insight to benefit students, colleagues, and the school as a whole. I stumbled onto this lesson by accident, but that stumble set me on a leadership journey

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References

Danielson, C. (2007). The many faces of leadership. Educational Leadership, 65(1), 14-19.

French, J.R.P., Jr. & Raven, B. (1959). The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in social power (pp. 150-167). University of Michigan.

Wenner, J.A. & Campbell, T. (2017). The theoretical and empirical basis of teacher leadership: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 87(1), 134-171.

York-Barr, J. & Duke, K. (2004). What do we know about teacher leadership? Findings from two decades of scholarship. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 255-316.

Kim Richardson

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Dr. Kim Richardson is a powerhouse in educational leadership and coaching. Dr. Kim holds a Professional Certified Coach (PCC®) designation from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and serves as Regional Engagement Director for Learning Forward Virginia. She’s also a member of the VASCD Annual Conference Planning Committee. Dr. Kim created the Radical Learners course, Coaching for Connection, Certainty, and Autonomy, for Jim Knight’s Instructional Coach Group, and she and her district’s coaching program were even spotlighted in Knight’s book, Focus on Teachers. In her current role as the Director of Induction and Development for Hampton City Schools, Dr. Kim leads professional learning for school and district leaders and teams, digging deep into instruction, coaching, and leadership development. Her work is inspired by her dissertation, where she found that great leaders, especially coaches, are enlisted and developed! Among her many roles, Dr. Kim’s all-time favorite was serving as an Instructional Coaching Coordinator, where she built and led the district’s coaching program from the ground up. This initiative has become a cornerstone of the district’s success, providing ongoing training and leadership for coaches and specialists. Her background also includes experience as an elementary school principal, technology specialist, coach, and classroom teacher. Outside the office, Dr. Kim is all about family time with her husband, three sons, daughter-in-law, and her one-year-old granddaughter. She also gets her groove on every Saturday as a Zumba® fitness instructor, dancing her way to joy and energy!