Reflections on Leadership: After the Teacher LEADership Development Summit

If you did not attend the Teacher LEADership Development Summit this weekend I will admit you missed out on this amazing professional development. Reach out to me for the recording so you can see all of the wonderful presentations and feel inspired. I am so inspired by our time together, I can't help but share some of my take-aways and highlights. 

I was very nervous about hosting this for the first time, but as Dr. Terrie Noland reminded us in her keynote "leaders show up everyday, they do not let fear get the best of them, and leaders do what others are not willing to do." From the "backstage" standpoint, our summit was not without flaws, however, it ran smoothly overall and it proved to me with the right preparation, support, and dedication from our leadership team, we were able to host an amazing day for our participants. Not only am I not afraid anymore, but I already told my officers that we will be hosting it again next year! We have too! The lessons learned were too valuable to not share with everyone. 

One of the things that I enjoyed most was hearing from my fellow County Teachers of the Year about their thoughts on leadership. It's intriguing to see how we can all have a different take on a question about leadership. That's what makes teacher leadership hard to quantify and define, but yet gives it a beauty all its own. I realized at our summit that there is no textbook definition what teacher leadership its- we as educators define it! 

Leadership does not mean you have to be in front of a group or "lead" the group. It can be through sharing resources, giving support to a colleague, offering time and assistance to a novice educator, or sitting down with a seasoned teacher to hear advice. One of the things that stuck with me was from one of our thought leaders, Dr. Clinton Smith who created a video for us "We have to always remember our why, because when we loose our why, we loose our way." I always share with others that we have to find our "why" in education for ourselves too, not just our students. Of course we are in this profession for the students... that goes without saying, but it is not selfish to have activities that make us excited such as presenting, writing articles, creating content etc. that help us to feel re-energized and excited about our work. 

Speaking of the word "just," Dr. Terrie Noland reminds us that saying "I'm just a teacher" is a toxic phrase that many people have learned to say and (unfortunately) accept about themselves. Reframing it in other ways such as "I am justified" helps empower our message and makes us feel the strength we need to advocate for our profession. 

Teacher leaders are willing to go the extra mile, stand up for what is right, not let fear get in the way, and do what others are not willing to do. 

Of all the lessons I learned this weekend at the summit, I learned that one thing that really made an impact on me. Inside I always knew what a teacher leader was, and despite some of the negativity along the way, I know inside my mind and hear that I am a teacher leader. I'm going to make it a point to surround myself with those that uplift me and support me, so I am prepared to handle difficult moments with grace and understanding, as well as compassion for others. I am going to continue to step up for other educators and empower them to feel the leader in themselves so we can all continue to work hard to make a difference together. 

Final Thoughts: Keep growing on your journey through lifelong learning. Keep reaching out to and networking with others who inspire you and uplift you. Keep sharing your spark and energy with others- enthusiasm is contagious! Keep believing in yourself as a teacher leader!