The Story of Us:
TEACHER LEADERS ENRICH SCHOOLS AND ENHANCE EDUCATOR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE BY DR. REBECCA HORNBERGER
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ften, the voices of fellow educators can provide the most rich and insightful descriptions about what makes schools – and teachers – better. Several years ago, as part of my dissertation research, I was afforded the rare opportunity to spend hours interviewing teachers in order to bring their stories of professional growth to light. Teacher after teacher shared with me the profound impact that teacher leaders had upon them – shaping them into more confident and competent educators. Take a moment to read how their teacher leader colleagues inspired them to be the best possible teachers for their students: “Collaborating with my colleagues grew me as a teacher. Talking with colleagues and going in their room and observing the things that they do helps to improve my teaching practice. [These experiences] make me rethink the rationale behind what I am doing. I think our new teachers need to have mentors.” “To assure other educators grow professionally, [we need to] stick them with a mentor. You have those certain individuals in a building that are proving year after year after year that they know how to grow their kids, so why not use that to your advantage?” “Seeking out teachers who I want to emulate has improved my effectiveness in the classroom. I‘ve worked with some great teachers. Bouncing ideas off of each other and collaboration are huge. Professional growth for educators is a collaborative process; we seek out teacher experts in [various] areas throughout our building. You
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become a tight-knit family; you become a team. And I think that‘s where growth occurs; it is not necessarily trying to do it all yourself, but knowing where your support is and who to go to.” “Working with other teachers that I respect and value, and being part of the decision making for my building and district [inspires my professional growth]. Staying connected to the teachers above you and below you and feeling like we have some skin in the game because [our opinions] are taken into consideration. That is what inspires teachers. And then sprinkle in some coaches who bring you new ideas or offer book studies or classes. The solutions are not that far out of our reach, but the people who are making the decisions don‘t get it” (Hornberger, 2017). Throughout Ohio, in recent years, we have seen a shift in the understanding as to the benefits for principals when there are strong teacher leaders in our schools. In 2017, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) assembled an Ohio Principal Workgroup by partnering with by the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA) and the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators (OASSA). This workgroup “concluded there are many existing effective principals, as well as quality supports in our state. But many of these supports remain untapped…The advisors then outlined strategies for addressing gaps with recommendations for professional development opportunities and additional support structures” (Ohio Department of Education, 2017a, p. 3).
