My role as a “teacher leader” keeps me
on my toes and on the run. I write this blog post as I multitask lunch with a
Larabar and water bottle, because there is never enough time to do everything I
need and want to do. Between planning for teaching, reflecting on my practice
and actually working with students, where is the hour in the day to talk to my
family or do a load of laundry? Let’s not even talk about sleep. The “busyness”
can be taxing, and I suspect that the constant access, always “on” lives we lead
-what the creators of my favorite work tote call the “7am- 10pm” lifestyle- is
going to start causing more burnout and faster turnover in the world of
education. When I found myself possibly facing that kind of burnout, I did
something weird…I took on more work.

I have a lot of meetings, and I’m a teacher.
Teachers generally aren’t free during the day because they’re teaching, so a
lot of these meetings occur after school hours, which can make for a grueling
day. Or not. A long day that is also stimulating and productive can prove to be
a savior to someone in need of renewal. Enter The Chicago Public Education
Fund.

The Fund created a monster in 2013. That spring
I answered the call for The Fund’s Summer Design Program (SDP), and started one
of the most satisfying partnerships of my career so far. Contacts I made during
SDP -and the craving I got for more partnerships- have led to a number of
professional growth opportunities for me. More meetings, yes, but more
satisfaction with my work life as well, and it started with The Fund. As such,
many who know me are aware that when the Fund calls, I always answer; SDP,
Educator Advisory Committee (EAC), speaker at or participant in programs, I am
there. What is less obvious is that this is a quid pro quo relationship.

School closures rocked my school, South Shore
Fine Arts Academy, to its core. The fledgling program, not even 5 years old,
suffered an identity crisis after becoming the welcoming school for Fermi
Elementary, and we used the Summer Design Program to begin forging a way
forward. Three years later, with fewer than 10 of the original 30 faculty &
staff, we are still working to build a strong school community with fresh,
clear-eyed leadership from our Principal Vicki Lee and Assistant Principal Peter
Davis, but it is still an uphill battle because teachers can be solitary
creatures, inside our own 4 walls. Accomplished teachers at South Shore come
from various backgrounds and have diverse levels of expertise that is rarely
shared among peers due to a lack of sufficient funding which would allow us
time to observe each other, and a culture that associates observations with
performance rather than professional development. We knew that in order to
improve outcomes for our students, our goal had to be to build a cohesive
school culture by increasing community through teacher collaboration. We saw a
need and we wanted to create a plan to meet it, but how? Enter Teach To Lead.

According to their site, Teach To Lead Summits
allow participating teachers, principals, districts, supporting organizations
and states to:
Share ideas and best practices and learn from examples of existing teacher
leadership efforts;
Identify common challenges and create concrete, actionable teacher leadership
plans to address them locally;
Network and build relationships with other educators and leaders in their
region; and
Identify promising ideas for follow-up support through future engagement
events.

This was the technical assistance we needed, so
I harangued a group of 5 -including my principal- into creating a team. The
cost of the summit is covered by the US Department of Education, but they ask
participants to seek sponsorship for their travel. As my school has been
working on this problem since we participated in the Fund’s second SDP, and
because my stint on the EAC has contributed so immensely to the leadership
roles I have accepted since, the Fund was a natural choice! Armed with backing
from The Fund and school leadership on board, we were primed for success.

Aside from the gorgeous weather, and fun social
scene in Long Beach -including Compton High School Class of 1966 who really
know how to party at a reunion- this experience was invaluable, particularly
with our principal in attendance. The chance to look at our problem with a
thought partner and away from the pressures and distractions of our everyday
school experience allowed us to delve more deeply into possible solutions. That
our top administrator agreed to join us was a coup and really raised the
stakes. Teacher leaders can influence, sure, but principals can be the driving
force in a school community. Having Mrs. Lee’s input and commitment means we’re
a step closer to realizing our goal.

Our team left Long Beach with a
logic model and a plan to reach our goals in the short, medium and long term,
and we have started the work in our school. We’re excited to share our ideas
with our colleagues and have a solid outline for moving our school community
toward cohesion. Finally, we bonded as a team and benefited from being outside
of the walls of our school. It was good for us to see each other as more than
“Ms.” Someone and “Mrs.” So-and-so, and it reinforced what we conjectured when
writing the initial proposal…educators need to see each other in many ways to
build community. Our Teach To Lead Long Beach team is our goal in microcosm,
and an excellent seed for our future growth.