CEDO 565 - Leadership and Planning Week 2 - Strategic and Interpersonal Leadership

This week I learned even more about leadership and the qualities of leadership. After reading chapters 2 and 3 of How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader, by John G. Gabriel, I realized that I am fortunate to have been in a school that has helped groom me for roles. I have served on the school’s interview team for several teacher candidates, been in charge of organizing book fairs and school programs, mentoring field students from universities and am now an active member of my school’s learning team. In his book Gabriel pointed out part of good leadership starts with assembling a good team.

Gabriel presented a scenario where teachers at a school found out about a new hire for their department after they hadn’t been a part of the interviewing process, this ended disastrously. Should school leaders include teachers and other staff in the interview process? I believe that they should. The teachers who will actually have to work with the new hire, assist and mentor the new hire should have some input on whether they feel a candidate would be a good fit in the area that they will work with them in. Administrators who may operate their school in this manner might learn also learn, “Teacher leaders can be integral agents of change when involved in interviewing.”

Another essential characteristic of good leadership is the ability to articulate expectations effectively. When I say effectively, I mean in a manner that expresses thoughts in a respectful and clear way without demoralizing those they are leading. Gabriel says that, “Clear communication is essential to a team’s success.”

This week leadership and leaders accepting input from those that they are leading were at the forefront of my mind as my school district and other public school districts across the state were thrust into a political fight in Madison WI. The opposing sides are fighting about the right to have a say in how the schools are operated. With the fight continuing this week and probably weeks to come, what I am going to learn will probably be immeasurable.