Why We Don't Think of Ourselves as Leaders (and What You Can Do About It)

Hey, Teachers!

We've heard the Information Processing Theory buzz phrase "growth mindset" encircling our school environments for years now. Some of us take this to mean open-mindedness, a willingness to grow, and continued learning to become better and do better. Others of us stay fixed in our ways and nod agreeably while our colleagues work to apply certain theoretical concepts to classroom instruction effectively.

But what about your LEADERSHIP mindset?

Are you a TEACHER-LEADER? Being a leader in your classroom includes growth but goes far beyond strong classroom management, stewardship over a group of students, meeting deadlines, or chairing a committee or department. 

Being a TEACHER-LEADER centers on your professional identity. Professional identity in teaching is how you think of yourself as a teacher. It's your teacher self-image. And your teacher self-image is hinged to what you believe, value, and assume about your relationships and roles in education and on the job. 

Let's break down our common classroom teacher mindset over the years (it has definitely dominated my thinking in the last 30, and I'm sure it's affected yours).

1. Team Player: I'm here for students; I align with colleagues; I conform; I don't want to cause problems or become a target, especially by being too vocal

2. Meets Expectations: I value deadlines; I will sacrifice my own well-being including arriving early, staying late, or taking work home with me, to meet expectations; I evaluate myself based on what others expect; I am a good teacher who goes beyond performance expectations and often scores above basic in multiple categories

3. Compliant: I follow the rules; I uphold state mandates, district and school policies, and shared assumptions about who teachers are and what we're supposed to do in a day; I do not risk job stability; I dot every "i" and cross every "T"

4. Rule-oriented and Systems-follower: I follow lockstep protocols both at my school and in my classroom; my policies are clear, and so are my directions; my job duties are outlined and structured both in implementation and performance assessment; I don't question the system, especially what I can't control; I say "yes" when administration asks me to do something; I align instructional goals and outcomes to grade level or departmental goals and outcomes that stem from state standards; I struggle to challenge the status quo at my school site

5. Subservient: I accept my roles in the school building; as a teacher, I follow my administrator or supervisor's counsel, demands, or requests; I apologize if I make a mistake, whether I believe I was in the wrong or not; I don't assert myself often, especially to others who have been in the position longer or hold positions of authority; I have a different persona with some colleagues and administrators to avoid conflict

Why we don't think of ourselves as leaders:

💫Being a classroom teacher is a multi-faceted experience that includes challenges, triumph, and defeat. The system is set up as a hierarchy of events and interrelated roles, and many schools still function under archaic models of instruction, bell schedules, and superior-subordinate employer-employee relationships.

In this static and confining reality, teachers who want to (a) keep their jobs; and (b) score well on evaluations, "play the game". 

💫This doesn't mean we don't do a great work with students, infusing our personalities, strengths, talents, and love into the profession. But the harsh reality remains. We are functionaries in a larger machine, a machine that is destructive and unfeeling on many fronts.

To think of ourselves as "leaders" would mean challenging the institution at large, questioning our roles within it, or forming an alliance with other practitioners that could get us in the hot seat, written up, reprimanded, or fired. 

But we CAN think of ourselves as leaders.

💫It's all about your internal mindset, that teacher self-image. You can redefine teacher self-image to include leadership personally and professionally.

What you can do to develop a leadership mindset as a practitioner at any grade level:

1. Invest in yourself: consider advanced degrees; create side hustles or other jobs outside of the classroom space; increase your awareness and knowledge of your industry through books, webinars, conferences on your own time

2. Reframe the "employee" mindset: yes, you're an employee, but think of yourself differently in those roles; yes, you have to "play the game" often, but you don't have to be a silent observer; find creative ways to assert your authority on topics in which you are expert so you become a resource for others; command respect in your interactions with others based on your articulation, poise, knowledge, and genuine care and concern

3. Disrupt negative self-talk: take charge internally of your internal dialogue; avoid letting critical colleagues, students, parents, or administrators tell you who you are or how good you are at the job; accept worthwhile feedback and throw out the garbage; resist cyclical thinking that entraps you while working within the limitations

4. Recognize the power of positive influence: this is both in the teaching and learning dynamic, and also in your interpersonal relationships with colleagues and administrators; speak and act from a place of truth without trying to convince anyone of anything; the truth is never arguable (it transcends conflict)

5. Build self-efficacy: work on yourself to increase self-confidence and what you believe and value related to your teaching position; emphasize how you can strengthen your personal views about who you are as a teacher and what you are able to do

We teachers are leading younger generations every day. Leadership to some degree, is inherent to the position. But how you think of yourself plays a great role in how you work with students, model behaviors, respond or react to adversarial situations, and make decisions in the moment or based on reflection.

Magnifying leadership in teaching isn't easy in schools where we are afraid or devalued. To begin building a stronger teacher self-image that places you as leader inside of what you do, start by asking yourself this one question: If I could change something in my teaching world, what would it be?

The list of what we can't control is a mile long.

But what about the list of what you CAN control?

This is where we start moving from stifled to empowered, no matter how hopeless your situation may feel. Our thoughts can move the needle just a little. Thoughts lead to action. And action leads to change.