One of the primary goals of any leader is to build capacity around them. Whether you are trying to create more leaders or moving teachers towards growth in their practice this can be a tricky thing to do and requires a variety of skill sets. Some helpful tips include avoiding micromanaging, positive feedback and encouragement, as well as being non-judgmental in the growth process. You need to meet teachers where they are and build on their strengths rather than highlighting their weaknesses.

With the current teacher shortage this is now more important than ever that we work harder to build up the entirety of our teaching force. Teachers are the most valuable assets we have in education! And though this is titled 'staff growth,' it should include our substitutes and term teachers as well since every teacher who is skilled up, is another one in the pool so that we all benefit. Besides, we may hire them one day and having a more talented pool of candidates for a position is never a bad thing! 

Generally I have found that when trying to support teacher growth, you encounter three major areas of support that is needed. Because this is not a critique of teacher performance but rather how leaders can support them we will simply call them Category A, B and C. 

Category A

In this category, teachers are unwilling to change their current practice, which can be tricky depending on why a teacher is unwilling. It could be because they feel they have mastered the craft and feel it does not get any better than this. It may also be because they believe that they have ‘made it’ in teaching where they developed their lesson plans and are now done. There are some teachers who are very proud of their binder that they have developed and simply reuse the same material in the same way each year. To be fair, there are also a lot of leaders that have been doing things the same way for years without change as well so it is critically important that we model what we ask of others. Often these educators subscribe to the ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’ mentality. 

Whatever the case, the first step is the ‘Hearts and Minds’ campaign. You will never get any traction until you can connect with them as people before trying to connect with them as teachers. Have the conversations, really listen to where they are and their concerns. Help them see that growth does not mean what they were doing was wrong, and it is certainly not a character reflection, but that it is a process that we all go through. Teachers need to be learners in order to keep up with the changing dynamics of the world that our students find themselves in. 

Many have seen initiatives come and go, or feel that we are simply recycling the same ideas with a new name on it. In some cases, they are absolutely right! If it is something you passionately believe in, then you will need to work hard to show them the value of what we are doing. Talk to them about why you think the last implementation failed, what were the problems, are they able to be overcome? How is this one different? Is there a nuance that they are missing? Having an avenue for them to voice their concerns and be heard is important and helps them to feel more invested and that their contributions are valued.

Be sure to celebrate small positive changes and offer positive feedback. There is nothing worse than getting someone to try something new and then they immediately snap back to old practice when it does not go the way they want immediately or if they hear criticism from admin or peers. Be involved with the process as a partner and be mindful of where the setbacks may occur and take steps to address them quickly.

Category B

This is one of my favorites since these are teachers who are interested in growth but just don’t know how. They may not have the tools they need or the confidence to implement them. These are teachers who need some coaching and encouragement in terms of trying new practices. With these teachers the hard part is done! They are convinced that growth is a good thing but lack the skills. Your job as leader is to help  with skill building, connections, supportive conversations and praise. To be clear, you do not need to be the sole provider of all of these things, but you will likely need to be the one to put them in touch with the person or people who can.

Professional learning opportunities, connecting them with other educators, all are great in building capacity. In many ways it is good to have another party help with building capacity since some may be hesitant to try new things and risk failing in the eyes of their school leader. Non-judgement is crucial to helping them grow and develop here. You need to make sure that they are comfortable trying new things and that it is ok to fail. One way to do this as a leader is to model it and show your own vulnerability.

Progress may be slow, and you may not elevate them to the level of superstar teacher, but, you will definitely notice a return on your investment if you put the time in. Slow and steady growth is fantastic, it won’t happen overnight but it will happen. It is easy to miss the small subtle changes, but when you step back and look at where they are from their starting points, you might just be blown away.

Category C

Category C support is when you have teachers that are amazing at what they do and are always refining and trying new things. For a long time I had the (mistaken) mantra of just get out of their way. I would check in now and then, see the great things happening, hopefully remember to tell them they are doing a great job and then move on to the next teacher. I realize now that this was not the work of a supportive leader,  these were the actions of someone avoiding my duty as a leader!

For staff who are taking the educational world by storm you need to be able to support them with things they need to make this work, these may be time, resources, etc. You also need to celebrate their journey in a way that inspires others to do the same. This can be a difficult thing at times since some teachers may feel singled out and may face resentment from peers. The end result can actually be a teacher who pulls back to avoid this rather than a teacher who inspires. It can be a balancing act if your school culture is not built to let teachers soar as high as they want to go. I know that it is easy to dismiss these concerns since if some do not want to excel, then it is tempting to move on without them, but in this instance it is less about them and more about protecting your superstars as well.

These are the teachers who can help be your capacity builders, either by working with teachers directly or by helping to further school goals and initiatives simply by what they are doing in the classroom. These teachers tend to need more PL and not less, since they can also be capacity builders in your school if they are willing. It is not fair to expect them to be solely responsible for their own professional development. To this end, beyond time and resources you also have to keep learning yourself so you can have engaging conversations to enhance their pedagogy. You don’t have to be a master but you do be able to hold your own in conversation so you are able to engage in a meaningful way. No one who does this job well does it alone. But when you are operating at a high level it can be sometimes difficult to find peers to collaborate with in a mutually beneficial way. By growing your own practice you can make yourself a real partner in their journey. 

Final Thoughts

This is just a quick take on supporting staff growth. There is a lot of literature out there around hiring the right people, or encouraging teachers to move on who are not quite getting there. In our district we have limited control over hiring and I don’t believe in encouraging teachers to simply move on since that just shifts the problem somewhere else. I think it is the critical work of a leader to try and help people grow in whatever capacity they can and whatever role they are in. Sometimes growth is exponential and it is a wonderful thing to see and makes you feel great. At times it can also be glacial and feel like you are spinning your wheels (and there are times you are doing just that!). Whatever the pace, growth is not solely the responsibility of our teachers, it is the responsibility of their leaders as well. Our teachers are worth the effort.