Power Dynamic At School Sites

The power dynamic at my last school site was one in which the Principal and Assistant Principal valued and recognized the skills and talents of the professional teachers they worked with.   They would encourage us to work in teams, share our expertise, materials, and opinions, and gave us opportunities to lead and facilitate trainings.

I want to use that experience to bring to the school districts in my new area because I think it was a balanced example of leadership.  When teachers are looked to as mentors and coaches and feel like they are valued professional leaders in an effective and efficient learning community, it is exhibited in positive students’ achievement and the feeling of a welcoming school community.  I would like to work to help teachers develop and grow their leadership skills and potential so that more teachers will step into leadership roles as mentors and coaches of integrating best teaching practices so all students will have access to a wonderful, meaningful, and positive learning experience.

I think that PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) have gotten a bad reputation because many teachers feel they are not best uses of their time.  Some administrators are micromanaging PLCs and it defeats their purpose.  I have taught workshops for training in-service time and during them, we shared some specific techniques, brainstormed solutions for areas that were challenging, and then let teachers work together and create materials they needed for their upcoming lessons and units of instruction.  We really practiced what we preached.  Everyone thought this format was fantastic and it was a successful real PLC time in action.  Have you had any positive experiences with PLCs that makes you feel they are a life changing use of your time or do you think your time is better used elsewhere?  

I think as a leader we always need to be mindful of that saying, "If you are leading and nobody is following, you're just someone going for a walk."  Being a leader is a tremendous responsibility that impacts others in an enormous way.  Use it wisely to make a positive difference!