Leading from the Classroom

Leadership is important.  Last spring we talked about the need to select the right leader for Saline High School.  As the November election approaches, we will again be choosing persons to be our leaders.  We talk about developing leadership skills in our students.  However, we seldom talk about how important teacher leaders are to the success of a school district.  The ability of teachers to be leaders is essential to students, to schools, to communities and to the teaching profession.

Teachers often have formal and informal leadership roles within a building or district.  They become leaders by being respected by their peers, by being approachable and using their influence to improve learning environment for students.  When I think about the teacher leaders in Saline, they are student focused.  They understand that a collaborative culture where they share their knowledge can have a significant impact on student achievement.  On the administration front, we need to give teachers opportunities to participate in decision making at both the school and district level.  Using the expertise that already exists in our teachers will only serve to improve our results.

As we bring on new staff, the role of our teacher leaders has never been more important.