Reflection of Growth as a Teacher Leader

During the course of this semester, I was challenged to honestly consider my

role and leadership at the school where I am working. I was encouraged to take steps

outside of my comfort zone and to assert my voice in meetings and professional

development sessions. Through these actions, I noticed that I was growing in my

confidence and being more willing to contribute.

Without the extra push, I would not have agreed to lead a professional

development session and to create content based on my experience and what I

thought was necessary discussions and training for all staff at the school. Even though

I have experience talking about social justice and equity topics in an academic setting

through my master's, it was nerve-wracking putting together a presentation for more

veteran educators and staff. I am grateful that the session was well received and that

many staff chose to be honest and authentic during the PD session. The discussion

brought up vulnerable topics of racial and ethnic identity, sexism, the education

system, and a lot of other issues that come up in education when trying to create a

more equitable environment. It is difficult to go against the status quo and the

systemic inequalities in our governing systems in the U.S. However, the conversations

produced a lot of reflection and actionable steps for staff and we were able to help

each other consider different perspectives and actions to improve the school

community.

Through this semester and having opportunities to reflect on my teacher

leadership, I realized that I have more to contribute than I thought. The leadership

assessments also helped me to consider different aspects of teacher leadership such

as thinking systemically about my practices and learning from experience as well as

promoting professional learning for continuous improvement. I am looking forward to

continuing to take opportunities to grow as a leader in my school community and

partnering with my colleagues to grow and develop not only as an educator but as a

school leader.