The Master Teacher Blog

Teachers do not always see themselves as leaders. In fact, some may even argue that leading is not their role; leading is the responsibility of administrators. Of course, principals and other administrators certainly have leadership responsibilities. However, leadership is less about the position one holds and more about the influence one exerts on the thinking, perceptions, and behavior of others. 

With this perspective in mind, it is not difficult to see how the role of teachers embodies leadership in the lives of students. Most of us can point to the influence a teacher has had on some aspect of our lives. In fact, many of us can point to a teacher whose influence led us to choose education as our profession.

Leadership also takes multiple forms. Some leadership influences are subtle and nuanced, while others are highly visible and direct. Leadership can be carefully planned and orchestrated or be spontaneous and improvised. Leadership can result from formally granted power or be bestowed in response to demonstrated behaviors and revealed characteristics.

One thing is certain: Teachers and leaders in other fields share many sources of influence and demonstrate similar impacts. Consider these five examples of teaching leadership and their parallels in other leadership roles.

Teachers build and shape culture. This role is shared with leaders of any successful organization, including CEOs of major companies. Teachers manage norms of behavior, establish parameters of risk-taking, and define what it means to belong—all of which influence the daily experiences of students. They also manage and distribute power within their classrooms. While these actions occur on a small scale, they share important characteristics with leaders in all sectors of society.

Teachers establish expectations. A longstanding adage about leadership is that leaders get the performance they expect. A clear parallel is that the level of expectations teachers hold for students is a primary predictor of student success. Consistency and follow-through create a sense of security and predictability and promote credibility and trust. Subtle and explicit cues, such as the amount of attention, quality of feedback, and nonverbal communication signals to students our confidence in their potential and reassurance of the support they can expect.

Teachers make impactful decisions. Leaders make decisions that matter, including what to focus on and what to ignore. Minute by minute and second by second, teachers decide what to emphasize and what to minimize. They decide how much student input and participation to invite and insist on. They decide what content will be elevated and what will be skipped. The choices teachers make shape the learning path and define what students will be accountable for. Like other leaders, teachers’ choices reflect priorities and articulate values.

Teachers guide and support through confusion and uncertainty. In times of disruption, conflict, and crisis, leaders provide the stability and reassurance needed to make sense of and navigate situations. Students depend on teachers to give them hope and support when they face difficult circumstances. During times of crisis and chaos, teachers step up to manage the situation and ensure the psychological and physical safety of all. Teachers, like other leaders, are the stabilizers of events and interpreters of reality. 

Teachers are watched and followed models. Leaders use their behavior to reflect their values and beliefs. The way teachers model respect, fairness, curiosity, and persistence shapes how students behave and treat others, approach learning, and respond to setbacks. Students watch how teachers respond to challenges, handle mistakes, and navigate conflict. They take lifelong lessons from teacher behavior, often without either’s awareness.

Leadership is not always a conscious act, and we may not always see the impact we have. Yet, students watch, listen, and learn from our leadership every day. There is one thing of which we can be certain: What we do matters, and the difference our leadership makes can be lifelong.

One of the great regrets in life is that we often understand more about our experiences when we look back at them. Retrospection often leads to new insights and levels of appreciation that were absent during some of life’s most important occurrences. After all, the old adage says that youth is wasted on the young.

An obvious example for many of us is our failure to appreciate the people who guided and shaped who we have become: our teachers. Of course, as students we were likely to dismiss and push back on what they expected of us. We thought that we knew what was best. Unfortunately, we did not have enough life experience and perspective to make every decision on our own. We needed to pay attention, heed their advice, and follow their guidance. Too often, it was only after we left school that we came to appreciate the difference our teachers made. 

In this season of gratitude, take a moment to consider that only later did it become clear to us that the teachers who pushed us to lift our aspirations and increase our investment in learning did so because they saw in us potential that we did not yet realize we possessed. 

The teachers who challenged us and pushed the boundaries of our learning knew that the most valuable learning we would develop would come with struggle and frustration. They reminded us that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. They urged us to use errors and mistakes to adjust our approach and guide our learning. 

The teachers who held high expectations and refused to lower them when we failed to make our best effort were teaching us a valuable lesson about life and learning. When the work was hard, they urged us to focus on the quality of our effort and strategies, not on how to “work the system” or find an easier path. 

The teachers who resisted providing us with immediate answers were not necessarily being difficult. Learning where and how to find answers for ourselves was a lesson we continue to rely on. Knowing how to solve problems on our own serves us well in situations when we face dilemmas and no teacher is present to provide a formula or show a clear path forward. 

The teachers who pressed us to focus on what we were learning, not just the grades we received, guided us to focus on what was most important. They reminded us that grades are nothing more than symbols. At their best, grades do little more than capture the progress we were making and learning we had gained. 

We might agree that, at the time, we did not show our teachers our full appreciation. Of course, at the time we did not fully know, let alone appreciate, the impact they were having on us and our lives. Only now, years later, have we come to understand how they changed our lives and helped us to become who we are today.

Thank you, teachers, for your investment in the learning and the lives of our most precious resources—our students. They are the future, and you help shape it. Some of us did not, as students, realize the impact you were making on us. It took some of us a long time to understand and appreciate your significance in our lives. Though it is belated, we hope that you feel the depth of our gratitude. Thank you.

American Education Week is a time set aside to recognize and celebrate the commitment and contributions of the educators who teach and nurture our youth. These are the people who prepare the citizens and workers who will contribute to our economy, preserve our society, and lead our nation in the coming decades. For these reasons and innumerable others, educators are worth celebrating.

Yet, it seems fair to say that most educators today do not feel as though they are seen as celebrated heroes. Hardly a day passes without media reports on how students and schools are underperforming. Educators are singled out for not correcting societal ills that originate in contexts beyond their control, often in families, communities, and even in broader society. Educators are expected to counter calculated strategies to students who are addicted to social media, compete with powerful and rapidly changing technologies, and respond to conflicting visions of how schools should operate and what schools and education should accomplish. Meanwhile, educators are asked to perform with inadequate resources and support, engage students who are distracted and disinterested, and prepare students for a future that is uncertain and constantly evolving.

While this picture may sound discouraging, it ignores the amazing tasks educators perform, the unwavering resilience they demonstrate, and powerful and lasting influence they have on the students they teach. If we silence the noise and consider the work of educators at an individual level—where the work of learning, growing, and developing happens—we can see a different picture. Despite the lack of clarity, inconsistent expectations, and inadequate support, educators are doing crucial work on behalf of our society, and this work should be celebrated, not just criticized.  

Consider that every day educators engage in the work of:

• Building human capital. Educators spend their days nurturing new skills, building confidence, and instilling hope. They inspire students to see more possibilities in themselves than they can imagine. Educators are shaping young minds and spirits into confident learners and capable citizens.
• Creating safe harbors of caring. Students often face incredible life challenges and suffer from deep emotional wounds. Educators administer kindness, care, and attention for students who desperately need support, and create spaces where students can risk, fail, grow, and try again.
• Protecting opportunities for all. Educators often are the only advocates that students can consistently depend on. Educators are champions for students who otherwise may be ignored. They ensure students receive the support they need to succeed regardless of background and experience.
• Creating future possibilities. The foundation of learning that educators build today will be the support that opens doors to every profession, career, and service today’s students will pursue and that every community depends on.
• Nurturing tolerance and civility. Teaching students to listen, respect, and consider the perspectives of others, resolve conflicts through peaceful dialogue and understanding, and accept others who may not share the same culture and life experiences are crucial tasks for educators and are building blocks for a healthy, safe, and sustainable society.
• Sustaining democracy. Educators are among the few professions that are charged with and work diligently to instill respect for and understanding of the importance of our democracy. Teaching critical thinking, nurturing reasoning, and building an understanding of the structures and functions of our government are crucial to the success and sustainability of our society.
• Providing positive role models. Educators are daily models for students to observe, learn from, and emulate. For many students, they may be the only positive, consistent role models they have. The perseverance, integrity, curiosity, confidence, courage, and commitment of educators can be the inspiration students need to see what is possible and instill the hope that is necessary to make it reality.

Obviously, challenges remain and we always need to do better. However, educators should be considered heroes, not villains. They should be honored, encouraged, supported, and given credit for the crucial work they do.

Teachers, 

We wanted to take a moment in this season of gratitude and reflection to focus exclusively on being grateful for and reflecting on you, and we want to thank you for your continued dedication to what can so often feel like a thankless job. Although you deserve more than gratitude, we want you to know that we see you, we hear you, we believe in you, and we advocate for you. 

In many ways, today’s classrooms bear little resemblance to their predecessors from even a decade ago, and the nature of teaching has changed as a result. Be it due to the pandemic, generational or societal factors, or a combination of those plus other contributing elements, the fact of the matter is irrefutable—teaching is different now. Thank you for hanging in there. 

Between increasing class sizes, the push to embrace trending buzzword concepts, conference periods being eaten up by additional asks, and increasingly challenging student needs—it can feel like the job is becoming less possible by the day. For whatever reasons that compel each of you, you are choosing to remain in the classroom and shoulder the expectations and demands put upon you from so many directions, and for that we thank you. 

Unfortunately, the innumerable positives unique to teaching often get overshadowed by all the “other stuff.” Being intentional about noticing or seeking out the bright spots that exist in the world of teaching is a must, because they are very much still there and as bright as ever. There is nothing quite like a class of students united by laughter at a funny noise or an innocuous joke. There is nothing quite like finally connecting with a student whose defensive walls have begun to crumble as a result of your hard work chipping away at them. There is nothing quite like the camaraderie that exists between teachers, especially now. 

Schools have always been special places that exist within and yet somehow sit adjacent to the rest of our society, and that dynamic has not changed. Some days are easier than others, and some students, colleagues, and moments can make all the “other stuff” seem less pressing—but the core of your teaching experience is you. It’s whatever is in you that makes you right for this job at this time in your life and in the world around you.  

All too often, teachers are urged to “remember your why,” so much so that it's typically and understandably met with eye rolls; however, despite the fact that it does not solve many of the very real problems teachers face, it certainly cannot hurt to reflect on your reasons for having become—and still being—a teacher. Even though it is certainly overused, there is still a great deal of truth to the importance of focusing on your why. There are many factors beyond your control in this job, but focusing on why you are here can help you to focus on the things you can control. After all, your why is unique to you. Why are you a teacher? Why do you teach what you teach? Why do you teach it the way you do? 

Something in you was attracted to this monumental job, and if it was the allure of summer and holiday breaks (or “breaks”), well, that probably hasn’t been a very sustainable attraction. Do you teach because you want to inspire the love of your content area in others? Do you teach because you want to prepare the future generations with the knowledge you feel as though you missed out on? Do you teach because you want to be a safe space for the kind of kid you were when you could have used a safe space? Do you teach because you loved school and want to play your part in making school something your students love, too? 

Regardless of your why—or because of it—you’re here. You’re teaching, and we thank you. We thank you for showing up, day after day, even on the days when you don’t want to. We thank you for planning lessons, even on the days when you doubt how successful they’ll be. We thank you for being there for your students, even on the days when some of them make it hard on you. We thank you for representing the pursuit of growth, even when it isn’t linear, and of lifelong learning. We thank you for holding this integral position in our society even when society doesn’t always show its thanks enough or in the right ways. We thank you for continuing to walk this walk. We thank you for being a teacher.

Now more than ever, we thank you.

A reality of present-day teaching is that we are more likely to hear from our students’ parents and other caretakers when they have a question, concern, or request than when they want to thank us. Yet, their silence does not necessarily mean that they do not appreciate us and what we do. They may not show or tell us, and they may not even know specifically what we did, but they can see and feel in their child the difference we make.

The truth is that our days are filled with hundreds of actions that make a difference in the lives of our students. Because they matter to our students, they matter to their parents—even when they are not aware of what we have done.

For the time and effort you invest in planning and delivering instruction—and the other seemingly innumerable tasks that fill your days and, for many of you, your nights and weekends, we want to say thank you. Additionally, on behalf of the parents and guardians of your students, please accept our gratitude for the things you do without planning, expected recognition, or even a second thought that make a significant and lifelong difference for the young lives you touch each day!

Thanks for the minute you took to engage when my child wanted to share a story, celebrate a victory, or grieve a setback. Your listening made my child feel valued and cared for.

Thanks for the excitement you shared when my child reached a goal, overcame a struggle, or made a new friend. You made my child feel important.

Thanks for the confidence you offered when success was not obvious and my child began to doubt. You instilled hope when my child needed it.

Thanks for the encouragement you shared when my child needed a boost and could not see the path forward. You made my child feel competent.

Thanks for the nudging you did when my child was ready to take the easy path. You reminded my child that life’s challenges are to be engaged, not bypassed.

Thanks for the commitment you demonstrated when my child struggled and needed more tools, time, and tenacity. You reminded my child that using the right resources and giving their best effort can bring success within reach.

Thanks for the flexibility you offered when my child did not follow the obvious learning path and needed more options and time. You provided reassurance that success is not always linear and the path to learning may not always be straight.

Thanks for the compassion you showed when my child did not make the best choice. Your understanding helped my child learn from the experience, not just regret it.

Thanks for the knowledge you imparted that sparked a passion in my child’s learning. Your excitement for learning is an inspiration.

Thanks for the patience you revealed when my child hesitated and lacked the courage to do what was hard and risked not finding success. Your willingness to stay positive while pressing forward gave my child the support and reassurance needed when it mattered most.

It is true that we often are not thanked when we deserve it. What we do may not always be noticed or fully appreciated. Yet, what is most important is the difference we make in the lives of our students. On behalf of the parents and caretakers of your students, THANK YOU! WHAT YOU DO MATTERS!

This is not the typical season when many or most of us set aside time to watch the classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. Yet, its message is important for our reflection as the school year approaches its end. George Bailey, the film’s protagonist, spent his life in Bedford Falls running a small family bank and serving his community. Sadly, he failed to see the important difference he was making in the lives of those around him. Then, though, he was visited by an aspiring angel who helped him to see how the small, everyday things he did changed lives, created opportunities, and opened doors for those he touched.

People on whom others looked down benefited from George’s confidence, compassion, and encouragement. People with dreams were able to pursue them with the support George provided. The lives of the people of Bedford Falls were improved because of George’s everyday actions. Fortunately, the community was able to tell George this and show their appreciation at the conclusion of the movie. Still, the difference he made was profound and lasting—regardless of whether he was aware of it.

It is not a stretch to make comparisons between George Bailey and the work educators do with children and young people every day. It is true that much of the impact we have will not be visible to us. In some cases, the difference we make in the lives of our students may not even show up for years. In fact, the difference will not always even be obvious to the students whose lives we change. Regardless, it is important for us to pause and reflect on the profound and lasting impact we have.

Consider:

• When we plant a seed of possibility with a student and lift their dreams and aspirations, we may be putting them on a path to a life and achievements beyond what they could have imagined otherwise.
• When we take the time to help a student build a key skill with which they have struggled, we may be giving them a tool that will become a lever for their future success.
• When we notice a budding talent and encourage an emerging passion, we may be paving the way for a future artist, entrepreneur, social or public service worker, community leader, or diplomat.
• When we nurture an insatiable curiosity, we might be opening the door to a future inventor, researcher, scientist, or designer.
• When we take time to listen and understand, we may be preventing someone from harming themselves and instilling hope that carries them through a tough time.
• When we commit to teach, rather than default to punish, when students behave inappropriately, we might be building skills that may prevent a future tragedy or make a neighborhood or community better.
• When we choose to believe in the inherent goodness and potential of our students, we make it possible for them to believe in themselves and to persist and overcome what life places before them.

The fact is that we do George Bailey things every day that make a difference to those around us. We may not immediately see the difference. We may never even hear about many of the positive impacts we have had on the lives of our students. However, these facts in no way diminish the importance or lessen the value of the important work we do.

Teachers, 

During this nationally celebrated week of teacher appreciation, we at The Master Teacher wanted to extend a heartfelt thank-you to each and every single one of you who holds such an integral place in our society. In such a challenging profession, and in such challenging times, your continued efforts are not going unnoticed. Examination will reveal that whenever our country has faced a huge task, America has turned to the schools and all the people who work in them to get the job done. 

In the last 120 years, we have had three different eras that required the country to change drastically. Schools, and the entire school team, performed magnificently in each of these eras to keep this country a world leader. Indeed, in the past 120 years, one decade after another, the entire school team served with distinction. We need to be proud of the role teachers and staff are still playing. Remembering success in the face of past challenges can serve all of us well today and tomorrow. 

First was the manual labor era. In the 1800s, it took 95% of our population to feed the nation. Planting, tending, and harvesting crops were regarded as more important than schooling; as a result, a minority of children were educated. School schedules revolved around the labor needs of the family farmer. Additionally, it was assumed that anyone could teach. 

Later, requirements to teach were enacted. To teach professionally, a person had to have attended school for one or two grades beyond the grade they taught. Still, manual laborers made up the bulk of workers in both rural and urban environments. The workday was 12 hours… and the work week six to seven days. Less than 5% of our population entered college. Thus, the standards and requirements in schools were not very high. “Come when you can” was more of the rule for student attendance than “come every day.” 

Then came the industrial era, and everything changed. It brought a migration from the farm to the city with a need for a large workforce that could read and write as well as operate industrial machinery. As the complex needs of producing, operating, and maintaining equipment increased, so, too, did the need to have a workforce that could read and write in addition to building, running, and maintaining industrial equipment. 

In response, the call to meet the needs of our country changed, and our schools were counted on to meet this need. We realized that to support a mass-production economy, we had to have a mass-consumption society. To get more kids in the classroom and have them be successful in the workforce, we implemented a system of mass education that included students from every background and social status. Our country prospered and thrived as a result. 

Then came World War II. The government promised all GIs a free high-school or college education when the war was over. To facilitate their success, funding was provided to support education opportunities for them at unprecedented levels. 

By the 1950s, over 50% of all eligible young people were in high school. We increased teacher certification requirements again; our teachers had to have more skills to teach their students with a wide variety and level of abilities. Both worker and management needs in business and industry as well as demands for professional skills increased—and college enrollment rose to 10% of the population. 

The industrial era also brought social and labor unrest, rebellions, and demands from minorities for more rights in the 1960s. Again, the country turned to our schools to integrate, include more students, teach our minority students, and educate children with different physical and mental needs... And our schools responded. By the late 1970s, over 90% of all our children eligible to be in school were in our classrooms. Teachers took a more respected place in society. Employment as a teacher without a degree was not allowed. Requirements for continuous teacher certification included additional college study and certification periodically. Master’s degrees became common, and even more advanced degrees were not rare. 

Then, the 1980s introduced the high-tech era. The computer brought the need for even greater skills and more sophistication in the workplace. Accelerating the trend of the industrial era, fewer people were needed to produce greater quantities of work. In fact, fewer people were needed to get more work done a whole lot faster and much more accurately. Again, our country turned to our schools to prepare students for a new kind of work and job. And again, as they have through history, educators did the job. 

We have now moved to a skill-based society that values a high degree of technical knowledge. Most jobs are no longer in the manufacturing sector of the economy. Education now faces the challenge of meeting the needs of this latest era. 

The wide range of comprehensive services schools provide to students, parents, and society now exceeds those of almost any public institution—and more seems to be expected of schools as the days pass. 

Leading up to, during, and after the COVID-19 crisis, schools continue serving students in unbelievable ways. In addition to providing an educational foundation, schools bus children to campus and take them home every day. Schools feed students both breakfast and lunch on campus and even bring meals to their homes. Schools provide healthcare and counseling services, and attention is given to the social and extracurricular needs of students. Schools compensate for the mental and physical strengths, challenges, and needs of students. Schools implement services and support programs for students with special needs. Schools have had to teach students at home and at school. During the pandemic, many teachers taught their students online and then had to turn around and teach their own children at home. School has looked a little different ever since, and you are still here. 

These realities should make every teacher proud. Teaching can be a thankless job, and it can seem daunting and fraught as we face an uncertain future. Teachers have done the exceptional during one of the most difficult times of our history—and will continue to do so as history continues to be written. 

To you all we say thank you, thank you, thank you. Teachers have done more good for more people more consistently and more effectively than we would have thought possible just a few years ago. The tradition of superior performance continues in our schools. Bless all of you. Just take a moment to take pride and joy in what you have achieved. You are all wonderful. You are vital. You are appreciated. 

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, and thank you. 

Educators, 

In this season of gratitude and reflection, we wanted to extend a heartfelt thank-you to each of you who hold such an integral place in our society. Examination will reveal that whenever our country has faced a huge task, America has turned to the schools and all the people who work in them to get the job done. 

In the last 120 years, we have had three different eras that required the country to change drastically. Schools, and the entire school team, performed magnificently in each of these eras to keep this country a world leader. Indeed, in the past 120 years, one decade after another, the entire school team served with distinction. We need to be proud of the role teachers and staff are still playing. Remembering success in the face of past challenges can serve all of us well today and tomorrow. 

First was the manual labor era. In the 1800s, it took 95% of our population to feed this nation. Planting, tending, and harvesting crops were regarded as more important than schooling. As a result, a minority of children were educated. School schedules revolved around the labor needs of the family farmer. It also was assumed that anyone could teach. 

Later, requirements to teach were enacted. To teach, a person had to have attended school one or two grades beyond the grade they taught. Manual laborers made up the bulk of workers in both rural and urban environments. The workday was 12 hours… and the work week six to seven days. Less than 5% of our population entered college. The standards and requirements in schools were not very high. “Come when you can” was more of a rule for students than “come every day.” 

Then came the industrial era, and everything changed. It brought a migration from the farm to the city with a need for a large workforce that could read and write as well as operate industrial machinery. As the complexity to produce, operate, and maintain equipment increased, so did the need to have a workforce that could read and write, as well as run, fix, maintain, and build industrial equipment. 

The call to meet the needs of our country changed. Our schools were counted on to meet this need. We realized that to support a mass-production economy, we had to have a mass-consumption society. To get more kids in the classroom and have them be successful in the workforce, we implemented a system of mass education that included students from every background and social status. Our country prospered and thrived as a result. 

Then came World War II. The government promised all GIs a free high-school or college education when the war was over. To facilitate their success, funding was provided to support education opportunities for them at unprecedented levels. 

By the 1950s, over 50% of all eligible young people were in high school. We increased teacher certification requirements again. Our teachers had to have more skills to teach their students with a wide variety and level of abilities. Both worker and management needs in business and industry as well as demands for professional skills increased—and college enrollment rose to 10% of the population. 

The industrial era also brought social and labor unrest, rebellions, and demands from minorities for more rights in the 1960s. Again, the country turned to our schools to integrate, include more students, teach our minority students, and educate children with different physical and mental needs. Schools responded. By the late 1970s, over 90% of all our children eligible to be in school were in our classrooms. Teachers took a more respected place in society. Employment as a teacher without a degree was not allowed. Requirements for continuous teacher certification included additional college study and certification periodically. Master’s degrees became common, and even more advanced degrees were not rare. 

Then, the 1980s introduced the high-tech era. The computer brought the need for even greater skills and more sophistication in the workplace. Accelerating the trend of the industrial era, fewer people were needed to produce greater quantities of work. Fewer people were needed to get more work done a whole lot faster and much more accurately. Again, our country turned to our schools to prepare students for a new kind of work and job. And again, as they have through history, educators did the job. 

We have now moved to a skill-based society that values a high degree of technical knowledge. Most jobs are no longer in the manufacturing sector of the economy. Education now faces the challenge of meeting the needs of this latest era. 

The wide range of comprehensive services schools provide to students, parents, and society now exceeds those of almost any public institution—and more seems to be expected of schools as the days pass. 

Leading up to, during, and after the COVID-19 crisis, schools continue serving students in ways that are unbelievable. In addition to teaching them, schools bus children to school and take them home every day. Schools feed students both breakfast and lunch at school and even take meals to their homes. Schools provide healthcare. Counseling services are provided, and attention is given to the social and extracurricular needs of students. Schools compensate for the mental and physical strengths and weaknesses of students. And services for students with special needs are provided. Schools have had to teach students at home and at school. During the pandemic, many teachers taught their students online and then had to turn around and teach their own children at home. 

These realities should make the entire team of every school proud. The entire team means everyone: administrators, teachers, counselors, paras, coaches, administrative assistants, nurses, cooks, custodians, bus drivers, members of the board of education, and support staff. Each member of this team is vital to meeting the needs of our students. They have done the exceptional during one of the most difficult times of our history—and they will continue to do so. 

To you all we say thank you, thank you, thank you. The entire school team has done more good for more people more consistently and more effectively than we would have thought possible just a few years ago. The tradition of superior performance continues in our schools. Bless all of you. Just take a moment to take pride and joy in what you have achieved. You are all wonderful. 

Thank you.