Teacher Centric Leadership

Teachers are exceptionally gifted at knowing their children. We know the student who is likely to arrive first to class. We know who grasps new mathematical concepts quickly and who flourishes with patience. We are taught that the best teachers know their class inside and out. They anticipate challenges, adapt their teaching and help every child make progress. We are taught to teach the whole child.

I wonder what would happen if we applied this type of approach to our teaching staff. Imagine a school that devotes just as much time to teacher nurturing, instead of just development. Schools have finite budgets and every day of release time has a cost. It is understandable that professional development is often aligned with strategic priorities. But I wonder if, in doing so, we sometimes miss an opportunity. Additionally, someone has to cover a class when a teacher is out, and we know how much more work and cost that can generate.

What if we sat down with staff and asked about their professional interests? We could even do this once the ink is dry on their contract, and then start to have an established plan for that teacher. A plan that has the ability to nurture them, allowing them to feel supported and seen. Imagine if every teacher had a personalised learning profile in exactly the same way we build learner profiles for children. That profile might include passions, expertise, aspirations, strengths, areas they want to explore, and people they’d like to learn from.

You might have a teacher that is new, that might not have any particular educational interests or pedagogical passions to follow. Getting them to shadow others or take a year to settle in might be worthwhile. New teachers deserve that support and a good mentor goes a long way.

Scaffold the support for the teacher to succeed, rather than expecting the teacher to support the school.

Schools rightly strive for consistency. We want every child to receive an excellent education regardless of which classroom they enter. But consistency should never come at the expense of individuality. We would never assume every child learns in exactly the same way, so why do we so often assume that teachers grow in exactly the same way?

What if we flipped this thinking and started celebrating and recognising teachers for their uniqueness and planned for it? A certain teacher might then be known for their experience in creating activities linked with robotics and engineering, whereas another teacher might be celebrated for their ability to bring painting and artistry into subjects. How wonderful that would be for a parent visiting your school to see that you recognise the teacher for their individuality just as much as you do the students.

Once you allow teachers to spread their wings and flex their individual creative feathers, then professional growth is easier to connect with each teacher. Imagine the thrill a teacher is going to feel when someone recognises their strengths and pushes them further towards mastering their ability. You also start to build a catalogue of unique professionalism specific to your school and wider community.

I want to also stress that not every teacher aspires to leadership. Some want to be extraordinary teachers, inspiring and delivering fantastic lessons. Schools should celebrate that ambition just as enthusiastically. If there is a teacher that you think is ready for the invigorating journey into leadership, that is a serious conversation. What are your long-term goals? How can we support you to excel elsewhere? If your school does not have the capacity to host every leader you train up, you will bottleneck promotions and cause frustration amongst your staff. It should be absolutely encouraged that staff are to fly the nest even after you have invested in them for so long. What greater legacy could there be than to not only have your children succeed but to also have a history of teachers speaking so highly of the personalised and nurtured development they have received.

We personalise learning because we believe every child deserves the opportunity to flourish. Perhaps it’s time we believed the same thing about every teacher.