How to Be a Top Teacher-Leader or Coordinator

by Guy E. White on 24 September, 2014

Every teacher will lead a program, cause, or club in his or her career.

Have you been handed the keys to a school-wide program, cause or club? Are you now in charge of a budget tied to dozens or hundreds of students? Here are the best behaviors that I think make one a top teacher leader or coordinator.

In the course of my career as an educator, I have been the lead teacher or coordinator for over a dozen clubs, initiatives, and programs. Additionally, I’ve worked with many other educators, advising (and listening to) them about how to be the best darned teacher-leader possible.

Here are some of the characteristics that I think make the best teacher-leaders or coordinators. This is not an exhaustive list – look for that in one of my future books. Top teacher-leaders and coordinators…

1. Own Their Role

Taking on a teacher-leader or coordinator position first requires that you acknowledge that you, in fact, are the person in charge of making a program or initiative succeed. If you can’t do it alone, it’s on you to delegate tasks, but the final result is inevitably your responsibility. If you don’t have what you need to get the job done, tell your supervisor: that’s part of your role.

2. Make Tough Decisions and Set Priorities

Part of the leadership role is saying “no” and “not yet.” Educators are often obsessed with consensus group thinking. Sometimes, this results in poor decisions and priorities on the part of the group. A true group leader understands that it is both his or her responsibility to: (1) facilitate group creative thinking to draw forth ideas, and (2) help the group make the right decisions about what will be done. Sometimes, teacher-leaders and coordinators need to set the group in the right direction, even in the face of conflict.

3. Actively Engage in the Details

Hiding in one’s classroom simply doesn’t bode well for one’s club, cause, or program. The teacher-leader or coordinator needs to facilitate movement toward the group’s goals by spending time with team members and expecting results. Passive behaviors, like not setting priorities or having expectations, often result in the group autopiloting straight to the ground.

4. Communicate Expectations Clearly

Great teacher-leaders discuss and assign roles with/for group members. They facilitate discussion about what’s expected moving forward, assign deadlines, and follow up with group members clearly about what’s needed, and when it is needed. Great teacher-leaders remind group members about expectations regularly via email and face-to-face.

5. Get Their Hands Dirty

Teacher-leaders and coordinators cannot enjoy the fruits of their hard work without first doing the hard work for themselves. Coordinating a program, club, or initiative takes a lot of work, and that work largely sits on the teacher-leader’s shoulders. Others can be recruited to take part in the work, but often it’s the teacher-leader that is provided release time or pay. These teachers should take care in fully accounting for their hours by facilitating the optimum function of the program and its team members.

Thinking about yourself or another teacher-leader with whom you have worked, what do you see as another strong characteristic?

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