Instructional Leadership Challenge: Day 2

Question: When do you practice Instructional Leadership?

Instructional Leadership is not simply a planned event; sure, it does exist in this form as you have observation meetings and follow-up discussions about observations. But IL must also occur in the hallways as a “you got a minute?” conversation starts up or the teacher with a brainstorm above her head walks into your office unannounced. What if that brainstorm is the silver bullet in her instructional practice? 

Additionally, IL could occur as I read an article which may have content worth examining. Teachers are the expert in their trade; however, an expert must stay abreast of the new tech, new trends, and news that impacts their trade. When these articles appear, teachers should stop, read, and react to new concepts as they are presented by colleagues in and out of school. I see sending articles to teachers as brief check-ins of my own – sort of like a “what do you think about this?” in their inboxes. I don’t expect a response, but I can always check to see if a teacher read an article the next time we pass in the hallways <wink>.

As an administrator, I have to respect the needs of the faculty at all times. They are the cogs in the wheel; without them, we aren’t building anything.