What do Teachers bring to Leadership? by Gordon A. Donaldson Jr.

I came across this article a few days ago and have found it a very affirming, quick four page read. I like it as it gives backing to the role of teacher leaders within schools. As I work with many clusters who want to build leadership capability across their schools, I found this a potentially useful article to use with leaderships teams. Here's why.

"Leadership is a particular kind of relationship - one that mobilizers other people to improve practice." (Page 1). We recognise the importance of relationships - I found this article though collated key findings about teachers role in school effectiveness.

"...relationships already exist among teachers, principals, specialists, counselors and support staff. The question to ask is, How do these relationships influence the adults in this school to do good things for students?" (page 1). ...relationships determine who communicates with whom, who shares professional wisdom with whom, and who ultimately influences the quality of teaching and learning (Darling-Hammond, 2001).

Key ideas from the article
- Relational leadership
- Teacher Asset - Building Relationships
- Teacher Asset - Maintaining a sense of purpose
- Teacher Asset - Improving instructional practice

A Complementary Mix of Leaders
"The leadership litmus test is, Are the relationships in this school mobilising people to improve the learning of all students? If that test comes up positive, then we can ask, Who's contributing to this leadership - to strong working relationships, to a robust commitment to good purposes, and to relentless improvement of practice?" (page 3)

Article can be found on Leadspace NZ http://www.leadspace.govt.nz/leadership/articles/what-teachers-bring-leadership.php

Fierce Conversations

Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time!
What a book by Susan Scott! If you haven't read it yet, put it on your holiday 'must read' list. It gives strategies and processes for tackling tough conversations and her website is also very useful. This quote above (and there are many many more) are from her book. Once you've read it, feel free to add your comments and reflections about the book and more importantly, how you might use some of the strategies. Enjoy.

My turn now

I've put it off and finally have put time aside to start this blog! This will be a space for sharing bright ideas, wonderings and key ideas from people I really respect. Here we go!

Texas NSDC Conference

I recently attended a conference in Texas (yes - I know!!!) and attended a number of fantastic workshops with key speakers Robert Garmston, Susan Scott, Jennifer James and Bob and Megan Tschannen-Moran. To say it was an amazing conference is an understatement!

Check these people out - over the new few days, I'll be reviewing some of those sessions.