As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.
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Give teachers 'green light' to become leaders
We tend to think of our schools as places where roles are well defined, jobs well divided. Administrators administrate, teachers teach, students study. That division of labor may have been good enough in decades past, but not now.
By: Cheryl Watkins / March 12, 2012
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Principal Cheryl Watkins, Pershing West Middle School
We run a lean operation at John J. Pershing West Middle School. The administration consists of just two people – me and my assistant principal, who also doubles as the high school algebra teacher.
As the principal, I’m the person teachers go to when they have a question. I’m also the person they go to when they have an idea. So when Chris Hennessy, the physical education and health teacher, told me that it was obvious I had too much to do and he was willing to take over some of my workload, I was thrilled to have the help. His leadership has proved invaluable.
We tend to think of our schools as places where roles are well defined, jobs well divided. Administrators administrate, teachers teach, students study.
That division of labor may have been good enough in decades past.
The problem is, these days, too many of our students are not learning, or at least not learning enough. And adults within our schools can no longer be content resting comfortably within their narrowly-defined titles, doing just their jobs.
In recent years, Illinois has joined a growing number of states around the country in passing strong education reforms that are intended to help administrators and teachers do their jobs better. The state is ramping up more meaningful teacher and administrator evaluations. It’s changing the way teachers are hired and fired, and the way that principals are prepared. All of these are positive changes.
But in order for these reforms to bring real-world results, we have to change how teachers work.
I’m part of a group of about 20 award-winning educators that Advance Illinois has brought together from around the state to think about that change. As a member of their Educator Advisory Council, I’ve had the chance to delve more deeply into how best to improve the teaching and learning that goes on in our classrooms.
And in our recently released report, “Transforming Teacher Work,” we talk about how to ensure we attract the best minds to teaching, and give those teachers the opportunities to use all of their talents to help our students.
We have to start by ensuring that teachers have the time and space to collaborate. One of the things I learned in my 11 years as a classroom teacher is that teachers are great hoarders. We never think there’s going to be enough, so we hoard everything – paper, dry erase markers, crayons. We also hoard ideas. We hoard experiences. But the teacher next door might benefit from hearing about, and learning from, our ideas and experiences. So we have to find a way to give teachers more time to talk to each other, and to use each other as resources.
Amanda Bernacki and Kelly Lane, my two 4th-grade teachers, are spearheading our move to the Common Core curriculum. Their lesson plans are phenomenal. We go back and forth about what sounds right and what doesn’t, what we should do and what we shouldn’t do. And because they know that I’m committed to their work as well, they’re not afraid to take that risk.
Another teacher, Monica Sims, is so energetic, committed and decorated that her list of awards could easily fill up this entire page. My job is to find a way to allow her to remain in the classroom, while also ensuring she has opportunities for leadership.
This is what professional development should look like. Not all opportunities have to be formalized; a workshop or training is not the only way. While those opportunities can be invaluable, so is the informal give and take that happens in my school.
By transforming teacher work, we can give all teachers the green light to take initiative, and work toward making their schools better for our kids. Just like Chris Hennessy has done.
Cheryl D. Watkins is principal of Pershing West Middle School and is a member of the Advance Illinois Board of Directors.
An environment of trust leads to teacher collaborations
I agree with Principal Cheryl Watkins. Many teachers are eager to collaborate to explore best practices and design meaningful professional development activities. Changing district structures limit opportunities for teachers to assume formal leadership positions. An environment of trust within schools emboldens teachers to find ways to creatively plan together for students' learning. In New Jersey, middle school mathematics teachers from two districts are beginning to meet together in a group with rotating leadership with these goals in mind.
Give Teachers Green Light to Become Leaders
As long as the system remains "top down", teachers will feel that their input doesn't count. This is an old story with CPS. I retired in 1993 as a special education teacher, before many of the "so-called" reforms came into being. Despite constant changes in curriculum and mandates, even then, many of us had the independence and encouragement from our individual schools to use our creativity. Today, not only are we test-driven, but teachers' basic creativity is being questioned. Public education is under attack. Requirements for learning and teaching are becoming even more rigid. Even if more time for collaboration is granted, if the restrictions on collaboration remain, not much will change. And this collaboration must occur, not only in individual schools, but with the communities and the teachers union. We must strongly push back on the idea that the teachers union endorses bad teachers. If there are teachers out there who should be encouraged to do something else, then there must be mechanisms to accomplish this. Today, all teachers are being tarred by the "sins" of a few. And the charter school movement is becoming a way to privatize education and move it further from accountability to the communities. We are allowing private foundations and well-to-do philanthropists to tell us, the public, what is best and how to do it. I don't know what Ms. Watkins' opinion of the union and community organizing is, but I believe this is actually a wonderful time to build the grass roots structures with the union and communities that will lead to outstanding public education. Finally, as long as there is inequitable funding for schools, there will be inequitable outcomes. This situation must be changed immediately. It has been documented that certain schools are favored, particularly the magnet and some charter schools. This must stop. The schools in needy communities need more, not less funding, particularly for support services for the children in those communities. This means, for example, more social workers, nurses, and truant officers, more extra tutoring, and overall individual attention.
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Beware of Advance Illinois. They might advertise a few good people and ideas, but they have a private agenda.
Give Teachers the Green Light to Become Leaders
Kudos to Principal Watkins for supporting what could be a powerful initiative if implemented districtwide! Being able to allow and encourage teachers to take on leadership roles within the building not only requires a culture of trust within the building, but a secureness with self on the part of the administrator. Releasing that 'power/control' can be difficult. Furthermore, it takes a true instructional leader to recognize the talents of staff and initiate structures to further develop those talents. I wish them the best at Pershing West Middle School!
Disagree
I could not disagree more. She is a self promoting bully with a high teacher turnover rate.
??
I dont know her...but we always get the "we want to hear you ideas" and "we are flexible" speech! but when we try to change a book or extend a lesson 2 minutes...we are called trouble makers...who need
"extra support"!!
principals, as i have seen, are like like fuedal lords!!
this peace sounds a little like propaganda!!
teacher leadership
I totally agree with Anonymous that in order for teacher leadership to truly blossom and take root, you must have a culture of relational trust and an administrator that is secure with self and doesn't view your willingness to learn more, do more, and lead more as a "threat" to their position. I've experienced first hand administrators that have killed a great idea or initiative generated by teachers to improve student outcomes just to prove "who's in control" and to feed their impossible ego. Some pay lip service to wanting and valuing teacher leadership, but such principals I feel are the exception not the norm in the world of CPS.
The idea is great! The
The idea is great! The unfortunate part is that this is written by a principal that we all know to have moles and favorites. I agree with the self-promoting bully comment from anonymous.
I hope that more teachers can be seen as leaders instead of being demonized for not working hard enough.
I became aware of this
I became aware of this article from a former colleague, and decided to check it out. I could not agree more about teachers serving as leaders. Teachers wear multiple hats anyway, shedding a light on it does teachers a great service especially now when there are so many turnarounds and school closures. Kudos to the teachers who are not afraid to take chances and be recognized for what they do.
Really? What about the court case Watkins lost for bullying?
It's interesting to see how some of the most egregious principals who go out of their way to bully staff members have taken the public relations route -create as much positive press about you and your school so people don't believe all the mean things you have done. Two prime examples are Cheryl Watkins and Millicent Clyburn Robersone.
Cheryl Watkins illegally retaliated against an employee who Watkins harassed. The employee won that part of the case: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2011/07/court_revives_school_e...
What about the teacher who alleges Watkins tormented and harassed? (See Emily's comment dated January 16, 2012: http://gapersblock.com/mechanics/2012/01/12/the-cps-grind-on-teachers/
Millicent Clyburn Robersone, Bright Elementar Bully +PR Savvy
Another prime example of a media-savvy principal with a long trail of allegations is Millicent Clyburn at O.T. Bright Elementary. The trail of allegations go back to 2002, under her married name Millicent Robersone and they continue: http://www.substancenews.com/archive/June02/letters.htm
http://www.substancenews.com/archive/Feb03/letters2.htm
http://www.ebosswatch.com/Company/Review/Bright-Elementary-School/134824...
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