3 Traits of a Potential Teacher Leader

   Every school needs teacher leaders. People who are always seeking to make their classroom and their school better. For many years these teacher leaders have served more of a “representative” role as department chairs, association leaders, and curriculum developers. It’s time that principals allow teachers to become real “leaders” that enact change. Teachers have daily contact with learners and are in the best position to make critical decisions about curriculum and instruction. So how does a principal know when they have a potential leader on their staff? How can he or she be sure that this person can be entrusted to carry the ball and enact positive change? Let me stop and paint a picture of what a potential leader looks like.

Three Traits of a Potential Leader

1.       1.  Passion- No trait is more noticeable than passion. In short, these people love what they do. They have a sense of mission that comes from the heart. A sense of pride and enthusiasm that is contagious. These people tend to push the pedal to the metal and make the most of life. They feel that they must use this day to its fullest, it’s dying tick, tick, tick.

      2.   High Energy- Being an educator has never been more difficult and time consuming. The line between work and home is increasingly blurry. Teachers have to prepare lessons, grade papers, evaluate curriculum resources, communicate with parents, develop benchmarks, assess data, tutor at-risk students, gather documentation to support their evaluation, serve on committees, and constantly engage in professional learning in order to stay relevant. All these things require an enormous amount of stamina. Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Ours is a life of action, of strenuous performance and duty. We must live in the harness of striving mightily. Let us run the risk of wearing out rather than rusting out.” The key to high energy is passion. When you love what you do, you have high energy to do a great job. Passion and high energy always go together.

3    3.  Inner Peace- Great leaders always have a certain inner peace about them. It feels good to be around them. I’m not talking about charisma or someone who is naturally outgoing. It is much more difficult to describe. A sense of inner peace may sound counter-intuitive given the demands of teaching. People don’t want to follow chaotic people. Scattered thinking wastes energy and zaps motivation. You can focus and achieve what you want when you are calm. I believe inner peace comes when one is gifted and confident in what they do. When one is not gifted in their current position inner turmoil is the result. Other sources of inner peace include self-confidence and a strong support group. For me, I get inner peace from my faith in God. I know in whatever I encounter during my day, He is with me.