Teachers as Classroom Leaders

During Teacher Appreciation Week I like to watch you all a little closer than normal. I'm not looking for classroom management or expert lessons. Instead I look for those of you that show true passion for what you do. I have often held the belief that something magical happens to teachers after their 3rd year. Something clicks for them and they start to realize what their style is rather than copying someone else. They have their procedures in mind and classroom management becomes easier for them. They don't feel as hectic all the time and develop a focus on what is important. I saw these characteristics this week in Mrs. Gray. Mrs. Gray was asked to speak about leadership at the JROTC awards night. Her message was short but in a few words, she said a lot.

Mrs. Gray said that she has determined that teacher leadership involved conveying three things to all of her students. First, students should know that she cares about them. Second, they should be shown grace when they fail to meet expectations. Third, they should learn something about how the real world works. While I listened to her, I thought about how universal these three things are. They can apply to every teacher, in any classroom, regardless of subject or age. While these three things show students why you care for them, they also remind teachers why they decided to teach in the first place. As teachers we often can be discouraged when students misbehave or don't put their best effort into an assignment. Our vision of what a student "should be" is often clouded by what we remember ourselves as being. We forget that not every student is like us. But when we put Mrs. Gray's three leadership ideals first, we get a better idea of what our job really is.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of you. Thank you for working hard when others do not to improve our future. Thank you for refusing to give up and for inspiring others to not give up on themselves.