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Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Leveraging the Veterans

I must say I am extremely fortunate to work with a group of passionate, talented and experienced educators. Within my first few weeks of being an administrator I had identified 3 key teachers that hold up the entire school. Our entire staff is hard-working but these three teachers take on extra roles, organize entire programs and lead grade levels and teams of teachers. All of them have been at the school more than 8 years, two of them have more years in education than I have on Earth and one is the former principal of our school...I know!

I am also fortunate that none of them have undermined my authority but instead have been extremely supportive. They all participated in my research project and often offer to help with additional tasks.

How do I build on this relationship with critical veterans without forming a "special" group? I want them to know they are valued without showing favoritism. How do I garner their support without making other teachers feel slighted? I know this sounds like a great position to be in but I really feel like we could use our veteran teachers a lot more. This would really push my school from good to great!


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1 comment:

  1. Patrice-Your thoughtfulness in this post and your last say a lot about your insight into leadership. I also struggled with a similar dilemma. To speak bluntly, there are teachers who contribute more and are also easier to work with on a regular basis. However, you are right to be cautious about painting them as your favorites. Simply being cognizant of the situation puts you ahead of most. I would recommend that you really focus on maintaining professionalism and offering opportunities to all. You will probably find that your key group still ends up playing your key leadership roles.

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