DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION
4.2 PROFILES OF THE THREE TEACHER LEADERS IN THE STUDY
4.2.1 Teacher leader A: the resilient teacher leader
Teacher leader A (TLA) was a coloured woman in her early twenties and a single parent of a boy. She was a qualified senior primary school educator who specialized in mathematics and needlework. She completed her fourth year in Adult Basic Education and Training through the University of South Africa. I chose TLA because she showed true grit by accomplishing what she did, qualifying as a teacher under difficult conditions. She came from a large family that made many sacrifices to ensure that she received an education. She, in turn, did not disappoint but endured hardships to qualify as a teacher. She was relatively young, compared to the other two primary participants in my study, but she held her own in interactions with the members of staff. TLA always offered ideas in meetings. Her suggestions were always „noted‟ by
management even if they were not always accepted. When she made mistakes or errors of judgment, she was humble enough to accept correction. As an example, she once dismissed her class slightly early for what she thought was a valid reason. Her decision clashed with school policy because it disturbed the routine of the school. She was chastised in a staff meeting but she managed to maintain her dignity, despite the fact that she was denied the right to defend her decision (OS, Feb.12, p. 3). This, in my view, was a display of teacher leadership. During the period of research, she taught Mathematics and Life Orientation. She initially grew to enjoy teaching: “I never thought myself to be a teacher, but when I started teaching I really enjoyed my vocation” (JE, p.1). She remarked about the learners that she worked with at the time: “the learners were eager to learn, those who were weak, especially in English, tried harder and were dedicated to achieving better results, and they did!” (JE, p.1). She demonstrated a sense of dedication to her profession “I think it was worth it. If I look at my mathematics mark, most of my children did well. Those that I expected to fail, some of them passed and I‟m very proud of their work” (II, p.5). TLA showed that she could inspire her charges, as the following quotation suggests: “learners went out of their way to prepare themselves for their orals and for their debates” (JE, p. 4). However, her sentiments about teaching changed during the course of the study and contradicted her earlier views. She was grappling with a challenge to instill a culture of learning among her learners:
Today I don‟t know whether I enjoy teaching. Some learners make it worthwhile, but they are only a few. The majority of learners are rude, arrogant and they have this attitude that they are doing us a favour. If only they showed that they want to work, I wouldn‟t have constant thoughts of leaving the profession (JE, p.2).
TLA lived with her parents, her siblings and their children in a modest council house. According to her, their home was like most other homes in the neighbourhood, but there were other striking characteristics of her home: “Ours is different in that there are seven adults and three children, three little ninjas who live in a municipal house. We step on each others toes and invade each others space but my heart cries out for the children because they can‟t be kids in a house full of adults!” (JE, p.2). The latter part of the quote reveals an empathy that the teacher leader displayed for the children in her household and she showed similar care for the children in her classes. TLA indicated in her journal entry that her home conditions did take their toll on her as she wrote: “some days I get so depressed that the bubbly individual I am at school disappears”
(p.2).
Although she was not involved in sports as an adolescent, she has grown to appreciate its importance for school children: “I‟d love to have had a little more ground for the learner where each sport has its own ground. I love my sports. I was never a sports person at school, and only when I got to college I realized how important sports was…” (II, p.6). TLA socialized easily with the school community and, by her own admission, was able to inspire people to work: “I like to make people feel comfortable, especially people that work” (II, p.2). She spoke about her ability to interact with people, attributing it to her personality: “I suppose ag jong… I feel I‟m friendly. I get on with a lot of people. So I feel that, as a whole, because of my outgoing personality, people tend to speak to me, you know because I don‟t have …err this idea that I know all…” (II, p.2). TLA was modest about her ability to lead and persuade her colleagues: “I don‟t think I‟m a salesperson, if I can put it that way, I can get around” (II, p.2).
4.2.1.1 The enactment of teacher leadership by TLA: a personal profile.
From my observations of teacher leader A and in my examination of data from individual and focus group interviews, as well as information from journal entries, I was able to write up the following description of her based on a rubric which I used to analyse teacher leadership, borrowed from Harris & Lambert (2003) (Appendix 4). In terms of her adult development, she engaged in self reflection as a means of improving practices. She held conversations with other teachers and people in the community, sharing views and developing an understanding of others‟
assumptions: “TLA engaged in debating in the staffroom on issues of school discipline” (OS, Oct.8. p. 4). She accepted shared responsibility as a natural part of the community. In
expressing her views she consistently showed respect and concern for all members of the school community: “TLA talking to a parent in my office, showing due respect but maintaining her authority as the class teacher” (OS, Nov. 6 p.5). In terms of dialogue in the rubric, TLA asked questions and provided insights that reflected an understanding of the need to surface
assumptions and to address the goals of the community. In addition, TLA facilitated effective dialogue among members of the school community in order to build relationships and focus dialogue on teaching and learning. She possessed current knowledge and information about teaching and learning and she actively sought to use that understanding to alter teaching practices: “we should go back to the basics and drill multiplication tables” (OS, Nov. 19, p.7).
She studied her own practices: “I thought of ways in the holidays of how I can improve on my mathematics, the teaching of it” (FGI p. 2). TLA responded to situations with an open mind and flexibility, welcoming multiple perspectives from others she altered her own perspectives during dialogue when evidence was persuasive.
TLA, in terms of her position in the rubric of Harris & Lambert (2003) (Appendix 4), and with regard to collaboration, actively participated in shared decision-making and volunteered to follow through on group decisions. She was an active participant in team building, and sought roles and opportunities to contribute to the work of the team: “we have to show assertiveness and have to push forward” (FGI p. 4). TLA also saw „teamness‟ as being central to the community.
She shared this view, “sometimes you don‟t know leaders in your approach and you take on that task with all your heart and you get everybody involved from there” (FGI p.1). She anticipated and sought to resolve or intervened in conflict. She actively tried to channel conflict into
problem-solving endeavours. She was not intimidated by conflict yet would not seek it: “when I had conflict, I normally confront the person, and I‟ve got to do it…” (II p. 2). From the literature
on school management, Middlewood (2003 p.178) comments on the issue of conflict in the workplace and says that “since openness and candour in relationships and communications would seem to be a pre-requisite for individuals eventually having conviction in and
commitment to a common cause, this seems reasonable”. In terms of organizational change and according to the rubric, TLA developed forward thinking skills in working with others and planning for school improvements: “TLA making an input in the staff meeting about how we can best implement the intervention program that was mooted by the principal (OS, Feb. 5, p.7). Her future goals were based on common values and vision. She had developed an appreciation of her own cultural identity and a deeper appreciation as well as respect for cultural differences, which she applied in her classroom as well as in the school: “I must confess, I tend to be harder on the coloured children than the other race children, the black children, because I don‟t want them to think that because I‟m coloured that I‟m favouring them” (II p.3). Her developmental view of children translated into concern for all children in the school and not only those in her classroom:
“maybe I‟m wrong in that sense, but the majority of our children are not coloured , so I‟ve got to think of it in that way, but it‟s not that I‟m unfair , I‟m never…” (II p. 3). This comment
suggested that TLA spent a great deal of time reflecting on the children that she was entrusted with.
4.2.1.2 Enactment of leadership by TLA: zones and roles analysis.
Through my observations of TLA in terms of how she enacted teacher leadership in the zones, as well as the roles that the teacher leader played in each zone, I was able to add to her personal profile using the analytical framework for teacher leadership (AFTL) [Appendix 12]. I used the observations as well the data in the other sources to place the teacher leader. TLA enacted
teacher leadership in zone one in role one of continuing to teach and improve one‟s own teaching in the classroom. The indicators were that she: “included appropriate teaching and assessment strategies”. She “kept abreast of new developments and designed learning activities” (IQMS, May, 2009, PS, 1b) and “maintained effective classroom discipline and meaningful relationships
with learners (IQMS, May, 2009, PS, 1c)”. TLA “took the initiative and engaged in autonomous decision-making in her classroom (IQMS, PS, 1a)”. (AFTL).
In zone two (working with other teachers and learners outside the classroom) and role two where she provided curriculum development knowledge (in own school), she “attended DoE
curriculum development workshops and took new learning, with critique, back to the school staff (IQMS, PS, 5a)”. (AFTL). In zone two, but in role three the indicators were that TLA was
“involved in peer coaching and worked with integrity, trust and transparency (IQMS, PS, 5b)”.
In addition in zone two, but in role four, “she participated in the performance evaluation of teachers (in own school) (OS, Mar.5)”. The indicators were that she “engaged in IQMS activities such as peer assessment informal peer assessment activities and moderation of assessment tasks (IQMS, March, 2009)”. (AFTL).
In zone three (participating in school level decision-making), TLA demonstrated “an awareness of and was non-partisan to the micro politics of school (OS, Nov., p.2)”. She was able “to identify and resolve problems (OS, Nov., p.3)”. (AFTL).
In zone four (providing curriculum development knowledge), TLA “attended parent meetings where she was a part of liaising with and empowering parents about curriculum issues (OS, Nov.p.4)”. Also in zone four (interacting with neighbouring schools) she was active in role three (assisting other teachers) because “she built a rapport with other teachers, helped with induction of teachers and built their confidence (IQMS, PS, 5b)”. (AFTL).
Having presented TLA, I now move on to a discussion of TLB.