Strength-Based Leadership: Building a Positive Community of Practice

I'm spoiled. Yep. I admit it! My school is amazing. I love love LOVE the people I work with and for, the district that strives to push me beyond where I thought I could go, parents that would do just about anything for me, and students that light up my day with their creativeness, thinking, and compassion for one another. How in the world did my school become so amazing you ask? Positivity. Community. Strength.

I've always wondered what it would be like to work in a building where the focus was constantly on what was  wrong with instruction, student learning, behavior, and so on. I have to believe that the overall feeling is dread, anguish, and certainly exhaustion. How would that environment change if the focus was strength instead of weakness?

Working in a community of practice that has leadership who is focused on strengths of the people within it, really does make all the difference! As far as I can see, everyone in my building is valued, respected, and celebrated by teacher leaders on a consistent basis. Knowing this, it is clear that the staff at my school has the desire to continue to build on their strengths, learn, and grow as professionals. As evidence of this, all classroom teachers at my school either are working on a Master's degree or have already obtained one! We consistently collaborate as grade level teams sharing what is working in our classrooms so that all students can benefit. The overall moral is high and feeling in the school positive. That affects EVERYONE that steps foot in our building. I am proud of that.

Leadership that Inspires Leadership

Here we go... 

Deciding whether or not to start another Masters degree was a big decision, but reflecting on where I am as an educator and where I want to be, made it pretty easy decision to make. Working at my school, I have been inspired by several AMAZING teacher leaders and see qualities in each one of them that I would too like to possess. Essentially, their leadership has inspired me to become a stronger leader!

As I viewed the course outline, several topics peaked my interest. School politics is something that now, as a 6th year teacher, I am becoming more aware of. I am interested to learn more about the typical stakeholders and their role in decisions being made. Also, I am excited to learn more about leadership styles and how they can affect a school. I hope through this course I can identify who I am currently as a leader, what direction, and philosophy I will take on as a teacher leader!

Throughout this course and my Master's degree, I hope to grow in my leadership skills, taking on roles and challenges that I may not otherwise volunteer for. My goal is to begin applying what I am learning into my daily school life and reflecting on the results. Overall I know that I am in the right place and ready to grow and learn as an educator. Let the journey begin! :)