Insights from Leaders

Educational Leadership asked educators, "What personal insight have you had about school leadership?"

Leaders Take Initiative

The first day of my first year as a middle school teacher, I arrived feeling energized— only to discover that my assignment had changed. Instead of life science, I would now be teaching earth science, covering many subjects about which I lacked in-depth knowledge. I discovered that in almost every school in the system, many science teachers were assigned out of field. Some science courses were even being taught by teachers who had little background in science.

A biology teacher at a local high school decided to take action. She invited science teachers from other schools to work together regularly after school to learn and improve. We began offering workshops after school and on weekends to help science teachers learn about laboratory techniques and inquiry-based learning. We also sent newsletters with teaching tips to every science teacher in the system. This made a difference for me and my students. I know it made a difference for other teachers as well.