Illinois Professional Teaching Standard Eleven | Professional Conduct

The competent teacher understands education as a profession, maintains standards of

professional conduct, and provides leadership to improve student learning and well-being.

Description:

This artifact, from Fall of 2009, is a response to the article Ackerman & Mackenzie,
“Uncovering Teacher Leadership,” which discusses teacher leadership in schools and role
young teachers play in the professional community. In this response, I address issues such as
what qualities a teacher leader possesses, how they interact with other staff members and
administration, along with challenging my own qualities and the possibility that one day I will
become a teacher leader.

Meeting the standard:

My discussion of this article speaks to the importance of being a professional when educating
along with the value of teacher leadership in a school. The text stems from what I have seen
as a teacher’s aide at the middle school level and in the field during my tenure at the
University of Illinois. This dialogue provides examples of what it takes to be a responsible and
professional teacher such as being able to speak up when students are being negatively
affected by events in a building or supporting fellow professionals as a mentor or union
representative. However, this writing also addresses the potential pitfalls teachers (myself
include) might have, which are also important to recognize when attempting to be a
professional educator.

How this demonstrates my development as a teacher:

This artifact shows my development as a teacher in that it has made me reflect on my

strengths and weakness as a professional, along with the ways I am viewed in the school
where I work. As an aide, I learned quickly to stop talking and observe the professionals
working around me. I learned the attributes of great teachers along with characteristics of
teacher leaders. In some cases, I unfortunately observed how to be unprofessional. This
caused me to become aware of my tendencies and improve upon them in order to become a
better educator. To be a great teacher leader, you must respect your coworkers and work
with them to create a professional learning community which helps build great teachers rather
than one that exploits the weaknesses of individuals.
Response to Ackerman and Mackenzie – “Uncovering Teacher Leadership”

According to Ackerman and Mackenzie in “Uncovering Teacher Leadership,” they provide a long list of
the characteristics of a teacher leader. First and foremost, the teacher leader’s head must always be in the
classroom. A teacher leader always strives to make the lives of student and staff in the classroom better.
Teacher leaders also need to challenge the status quo, which means that a teacher must be willing to address
difficult standards when he or she feels like a change needs to be made. By going against the grain, a teacher
leader must be willing to handle the consequence for their actions. If an administrator or fellow teacher
criticizes a teacher’s attempt to change the system, they must face those comments and hold his or her
ground. Along with this, a teacher leader must be honest and steadfast, proving that he or she has integrity
and will not easily be silenced when a true change is needed. With this, that same teacher leader must have
the humility to admit when he or she is proved incorrect. Finally, teacher leaders try to make their coworkers
better by sharing classroom information, helping make sense of new policy or curriculum, and through true,
open collaboration. All of these characteristics, and more, are the make up of a teacher leader.

Of the characteristics embodied in the article, I feel I embody most of them. Since day one of this school year,
my head has been in the classroom. As I’ve trudged through the readings of my education and masters
courses, about half of the notes I jot down pertain to classroom setup, specific lessons, units, classroom
management, etc. I cannot wait to be teaching students on a full time basis. I want to be back in the
classroom.

I have a tendency to speak my mind about things I feel are wrong or need improvement, perhaps too
much in some cases. I know that as a future teacher, I can’t fight everything I dislike. I must learn to be
selective in the battles I fight. I sometimes have difficulty with humility. When I chose to fight an issue, I do
not concede easily. Even if the odds seem to be against what I argue, I have a difficult time admitting that my
position is wrong. This hard-headedness can be an asset, but when it becomes an issue of pride it can be
dangerous. The good thing is that I am aware of how I can be. The hard part will be recognizing it in the
moment and to not let me pride interfere with argument.

I believe I am an honest person with integrity, but really I believe that this is something that requires
feedback. I am of the opinion that people rarely think they do not possess these qualities. The way to
determine this is how people respond to you, whether this is in the classroom or from fellow staff members.
The same thing goes in terms of collaboration. I feel like I am able to communicate well with others, both in
collaboration and in a leadership role. During my time in this teacher training program, I feel that as a former
teacher’s aide I am able to guide my own thoughts and my peers towards the reality of schools. During my
experience lat school year, I had many professional discussions with teachers, asking for help and guidance,
and also offering my opinion when it was asked. When speaking with those I knew well, I even offered my
opinion when it wasn’t asked, and they were usually receptive.
This article has challenged me to think about my traits in terms of teaching. It allows me to examine my good
qualities and the bad. What is interesting about this article is that every person can have all the traits that are
mentioned at one point or another, but not all the time. The best thing you can be as a teacher leader is
consistent. You cannot choose to be good or bad day to day. Many teachers have told me that students like
structure and consistency. If a teacher can maintain these qualities in their classroom and with their peers,
they will embody integrity and be looked to as a leader.