As Teacher Leadership expands and we embark on this change in our world of education, we grapple with the idea of many voices. We should. We have many uniquely gifted and passionate teachers and leaders in the District. There are uneasy feelings about what this change might bring for us as individuals, but it's important to know that the Teacher Leaders have ONE VOICE.
One People, One Voice, a song by the Wailin' Jennys, gives us the inspiration to work together in harmony. If we collectively answered the question: “Why did you enter the teaching profession?” we likely entered with one voice. Students. We wanted to help students become the best they could be. Part of the mission of the Teacher Leaders in the Ames Community School District is to work for the purpose of increasing learning for all students. One people, one voice.
ACSD Teacher Leader Mission Statement
Teacher Leaders work for the purpose of increasing
learning for all students by strengthening teaching practices
through job-embedded professional development.
The second part of the mission is to strengthen teaching practices through job-embedded professional development. When it comes to job-embedded professional development, Teacher Leaders have ONE VOICE. Steve Barkley says, “[Teacher Leadership] is all about reflection and learning and not about fixing lessons.” Teacher Leaders were not hired to fix lessons. The lessons aren’t broken. Job embedded professional development allows Teacher Leaders to be visible, to open the doors of their classroom, to collaborate and reflect all with the purpose of continuously growing professionally.
We know that each interaction is going to look and feel a little different. The same thing happens when we are working with students in the classroom as we differentiate our supports to reach the intended outcome. We might be singing in a different octave, but we know the notes are the same. We know that by singing the same song, the mission of Teacher Leadership becomes a reality.
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