Demonstrating Leadership in the Classroom

In December last year I was honoured to be named in Huffington Posts Top 12 Global Education Blogs of 2014. The bloggers on this list have been asked to contribute to Huffington Post’s Education blogs for 2015. This month we look to answer the following highly controversial question “What are the best ways a teacher can demonstrate leadership in the classroom? – here is my response:

Teachers are leaders.

They are leaders in their field, they are leaders in their community and most importantly they are leaders in the classroom.

As educators, we are role models every day for the students that we teach. This alone, is the single most important way that we demonstrate leadership in the classroom. But, in what other ways do teachers demonstrate leadership in the classroom?

Today I want to share the ways that I demonstrate leadership in the classroom. Not necessarily the best ways or a list of ‘must do’s’ but a practical list from an average, everyday classroom teacher.

As a classroom teacher I demonstrate leadership in the following ways:

• I make it clear from day one that the classroom is ‘ours’ and not ‘mine’. Ownership of learning space is one of the most important aspects of developing a rapport with students. We are all leaders in this space and we are all learners
• I am an advocate for the students! I support them and I give them a voice!
• I listen! (One of the most important qualities of a GREAT leader)
• I encourage them. I am a box of positivity – I tell them they are great and they believe it! I encourage them to go above and beyond expectations; I demonstrate this by stepping outside my comfort zone and taking risks in my learning
• I demonstrate a 24 hour learning environment. I show them that learning never stops and to make the most of all opportunities (I share my stories of twitter and my blog)
• I ask for feedback – a great leader seeks feedback from their ‘crew’. I ask for opinions, and provide opportunities to share – I get students to evaluate me (click here to read more about my experience)
• I encourage questioning! Questioning allows the curious mind to flourish (click here to read more about how I teach questioning)
• I model mistakes and let the students know that mistakes happen and that is how we learn. I teach them how to bounce back
• I encourage students to make a difference. I currently teach students who come from a privileged background and we aim to make a difference in someone else’s life with all learning that we do

As a teacher, I am a leader and so are you!

We make a difference every day and the actions that we model make a huge difference in our student’s future.

Be a leader, be a role model and most importantly, be yourself.

For more about leadership development in students click here