Reflect

At which level do you NOW place yourself each of the four chosen competencies?

Overarching Competency Number One: Interpersonal Effectiveness - Performing. I feel I am able to effectively communicate with colleagues with empathy, humility and trust. I communicate through emails as well as face-to-face meetings to ensure everyone feels understood and valued.

Overarching Competency Number Two: Communication - Developing. I feel that I have been able to establish a more effective method of communication with membership with monthly email newsletters evidenced on the Do page. In the future, I would like to work on differentiating communication and using more skillful messaging to reach people outside of only our current members.

Foundational Competency: Collaborate purposefully - Performing. I feel that I have been able to facilitate more involvement with members from various diverse perspectives as evidenced by the number of delegates we were able to bring to the annual conference, I have also been able to identify and explain the shared vision of our members with district leadership to impact decision making processes as evidenced by the staggered start discussion referenced on the Do page.

Association Leadership: Organizing and Advocacy - Performing to Transforming. I have been able to identify issues that are important to members and work with others to address those issues in mutually beneficial ways (Evidence 1). Through the negotiations process, I have been able to influence stakeholders, navigate challenging relationships, and bridge interests to find agreement and compromise.

How did the TLI experience impact your growth as a teacher leader in your four chosen competencies?

I felt like the biggest impact TLI had on my growth was the ability to reflect on my leadership work and how I am best advocating for our diverse membership and how I am communicating with diverse stakeholders. Having the opportunity to discuss the work I was already doing with others helped me approach the work with more purposeful action. I also felt like TLI provided me with a broader view of what it means to be a teacher leader.

What was the most valuable part of the TLI process for you?

The most valuable part of the TLI process was getting feedback from other leaders around the state. I found it helpful to hear what other people were working on and how they were approaching any challenges or issues in their own districts. I can bring these perspectives back to our own membership and have used these perspectives when identifying issues within our own district. I began my career focused on equity and diversity and my educational philosophy focused on being a community teacher within my classroom. Throughout the TLI process, I feel that my educational philosophy has grown from one focused specifically on my classroom and students to a more global philosophy encompassing the shared visions of my colleagues and fellow union members as well as the community at large.

What are your next steps to continue your growth as a teacher leader?

I would like to reflect on my leadership practices with other competencies. I found this reflective practice to be very helpful in making my work as a leader more focused and purposeful. I also feel that this work will greatly benefit our local union and hopefully help me to grow the capacity of other leaders in our district.