Teachers as leaders

While there might be a certain level of legal authority to function as a leader through the various pieces of legislation that govern the Teaching Service, teachers enjoy moral authority to a greater extent.

This reality makes the power of the teacher all the more potent.

Such moral authority can either be enhanced or diminished based on the conduct, behaviour and attitude of the teacher to the task of teaching.

It is no wonder that so many teachers move on to occupy many leadership positions, since teaching serves as an excellent opportunity to enhance and develop leadership capacity. Very often teachers emerge as leaders in the communities in which they live, owing to the fact that people look up to them.

Moreover, as a teacher one is given the golden opportunity to significantly impact upon the lives of people both in and out of the classroom. Thus their actions and behaviour should always be beyond reproach.

Bearing this in mind, teachers should remember that their actions are under constant scrutiny by people within the school environment as well as by the wider community.

Unfortunately, many teachers fail to embrace this opportunity, ignoring the vast potential it holds to make a positive difference to the society.

Too many people restrict their practice to the mere delivery of academic curriculum, ignoring the moral and ethical responsibility to lead and inspire in and out of the classroom. This narrow view of the job that some people adopt significantly diminishes their output and at the same time reduces the level of intrinsic satisfaction that the job can bring.

All the people operating within the ranks of the teaching profession should understand that as agents of moral institutions, they have an obligation to maximise their impact by acknowledging their leadership roles and exposing themselves to opportunities to develop and refine those leadership skills.

As a teacher, this can be done very easily within the school setting by seeking out and accepting responsibilities to be involved in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Assuming responsibilities to lead committees to plan and organise functions and programmes are excellent opportunities to gain leadership experience and thus should not be seen as extra work but rather as a chance for personal growth and development.

This experience can then be easily harnessed in situations outside the school setting, thus laying the foundation for one to enhance their impact on the lives of people around them. Teaching permits opportunities for the teacher to realise potential that many people do not even know they have.

In seeking to become a great teacher, one cannot escape the fact that one must also be perceived as a great leader. The moral authority associated with great leadership enhances one’s capacity to deliver curriculum. Great teachers inspire as do great leaders.

One cannot go without the other.

However, people aspiring to be great teachers must be mindful that moral authority is earned and not demanded. It is earned through the exemplary behaviour one displays, projecting the image of a true professional at all times, with humility and selfless service being the philosophical foundation for action.

The genuine desire to make a positive difference to the lives of one’s charges must be the driving force of any great teacher. Many g r e a t teachers are ultima t e l y g r e a t leaders.

History is replete with examples of such people.