The teacher’s relationships with colleagues are characterized by mutual support and cooperation, with the teacher taking initiative in assuming leadership among the faculty. The teacher takes a leadership role in promoting a culture of professional inquiry. The teacher volunteers to participate in school events and district projects, making a substantial contribution and assuming a leadership role in at least one aspect of school or district life.
As a young teacher, this component can be difficult because I am consistently looking to my mentors for advice, but there were several opportunities presented to me where I was able to volunteer my services. At Chartiers Valley, I helped to run a bi-weekly after-school tutoring program where we helped with homework and offered students a quite work space. I also was part of both the middle and high school in that district, so I was often able to bridge the gap between the two departments to better serve our students.
I also did some similar work at Hampton Middle School, where I worked with their after-school homework club. For flex day, an individualized professional development option, I chose to work with a cohort studying the Paideia Seminar (a form of Socratic Seminar) and was able to incorporate these ideas in my classes.