How To Become A Great Teacher And School Leader

Education is key to a society’s progress and growth. Educated people contribute not only to their families but also to their societies in different aspects.

Thus, to develop a society with a high level of education, we need qualified professionals who create a challenging and encouraging learning environment for their students and focus on their personal development. In short, we need teachers as leaders to lead students by understanding, inspiring, and collaborating with them.

A great teacher always:

• Supports and helps others (Be it the teachers or the students)
• Supports change and initiatives
• Communicates effectively
• Is positive and kind

If you are an effective teacher, the chances are that you will make a great school leader too. A school leader may be the principal, head, assistant principal, or education administrator. They are in charge of creating and implementing educational initiatives to improve learning outcomes. They focus on their staff’s professional growth while maintaining positive relationships with the community and stakeholders. To become a successful school leader, you will need to polish your technical and soft skills through education enhancement. You can also hire a principal coach to guide you in having a better and right mindset especially if you’re still new or even if you’ve been a school principal for a long time.

Career Advancement

To step into educational leadership roles, you need to meet specific educational and professional requirements. For instance, an online Master’s in Educational Leadership prepares aspiring teachers to transition into leadership roles. With a master’s in educational leadership, you explore learning theories. You learn to design curriculums and address the educational challenges. It also helps you develop personal and professional skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and time management. In addition, it offers multiple benefits, including higher salaries and career development opportunities. With an advanced degree, you get the opportunities to work even outside a classroom, maybe in research institutions, private sector bodies, or museums.

To bring a positive change in the education system, a school leader must possess the following traits:

Must be a visionary leader

We all know Steve Jobs, who changed how we communicate by introducing a new product in the market- apple devices. He was an innovator who worked on his vision regardless of all the challenges he faced. He was a visionary leader. A visionary leader in education knows what is best for students for their academic, emotional, and social learning. They create a vision (which provides direction) and develop strategies through careful planning and effort. Constant research and keeping an eye on current trends are crucial for the ongoing improvement process throughout the system. According to a report published by UK-based Education Development Trust,” Effective headteachers provide a clear vision and sense of direction for the school. They prioritize and focus the attention of staff on what is important and do not let them get diverted with initiatives that will have little impact on the work of students.”

Must be a community builder

As humans, we like to connect and create bonds with other human beings. For example, a school leader knows how to create everlasting bonds within a community. According to research, when children experience a sense of belonging to their school and teachers, they are more socially and emotionally supported. They will take charge of their education and perform better at school.

A school leader develops a strong community of teachers, students, and parents by working towards a shared goal. They know the interests of all stakeholders in their community by listening to their voice, developing trust within, supporting and working collaboratively to achieve the best learning outcomes.

Must be emotionally intelligent

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to regulate your emotions and recognize, understand, and manage the emotions of others to create a culture of trust and respect.

A culture based on trust and respect enhances staff engagement and productivity and accelerates student learning.

Today, schools offer emotional intelligence development programs to their school leaders to recognize, understand, label, express, and regulate emotions. Emotionally intelligent leaders are aware of the triggers that can lead to stress. They need to stay calm to resolve the conflict between people. They gain the trust of people by being empathetic and grounded.

Must be a Motivator

You will not achieve your desired goals if you do not motivate your team because teaching can sometimes be overwhelming. School leaders should make their staff feel valuable by reinforcing how their efforts make a difference. They need to unleash their potential by setting challenging and meaningful goals. If the job gets challenging, the staff will surely get excited.

Conclusion

Delivering quality education is the biggest challenge our education system faces. This goal is achievable with revolutionary teachers and effective school leaders. Since such school leaders are hard to find, the need of the hour is to develop such role models within the society to achieve optimum learning outcomes. After all, an educated society makes a developed country.