DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION
4.5 THE BENEFITS OF THE ENACTMENT OF TEACHER LEADERSHIP
being superior. According to information that surfaced across interviews, the teacher leaders also spoke to parents about education issues, an example of teacher leadership. TLA revealed that she worked with the parents: “the parents sat and I made sure that the work was signed. The parents had to make sure that they did their sums and they learnt their time tables” (II, p.6).
In this section I took the reader through data which captured the three participants‟ common views and experiences on teacher leadership enactment in the case study school. The data revealed how teacher leadership was enacted in the school within the four zones and identified the roles that teacher leaders played in each of the zones. The evidence also informed the reader about the extent to which teacher leadership was promoted in the school and gave insight into factors that were considered to be barriers to the practice of teacher leadership.
p.4). A participant in the survey wrote that “educators are allowed to use their own initiative when performing tasks. They feel that they are valued” (TLS, A6, p.4). Another response was
“decentralization of power. All educators are given the opportunity to lead in various areas”
(TLS, A4 p.4). In addition teacher leadership brought with it a positive attitude towards daily tasks where power would be distributed. In the words of Gunter (2005, p.5), “power is formally located in the position of being a teacher with a job description and cultural expectations of what a teacher is or should be, and it is in the doing of teacherly activity and actions that power is exercised”.
In their responses teachers also expressed the opinion that the teaching and learning environment would be enhanced because the self esteem of teachers was realized or reinforced. According to the responses there would be better relationships between teachers and learners leading to achievement of the school‟s core business: “teacher to teacher and teacher to pupil interaction is enhanced” (TLS, A4, p. 4). In addition the responses indicated that the school‟s relationship with the community would be enhanced if teacher leadership was encouraged. According to the data, teacher leadership would promote a sense of ownership of the school. Hidden qualities in teachers would surface because they would be free to practice. The teachers felt that effective teacher leadership would lead to better running and functioning of the school. This response captured the sentiment, “the benefits are that teachers become part of decision making within the school, thereby creating a pleasant environment for teachers to work in. It also gives teachers the opportunity to gain some leadership skills and to get in involved with some of the management tasks” (TLS, A10, p.4).
Teacher leadership practice very often called for delegation of duties because of the demanding workload. However delegation of duty presents its own challenges.
4.5.2 A collaborative learning environment.
There were some interesting responses from the participants in the study to questions that probed what the factors were that boosted teacher leadership practice in our school. The participants
appreciated a transparent leadership style. TLC wrote in her journal: “The acting principal is very conscious about his staff and is always letting his staff know about what is happening at the school” (JE, p.1). She continued in the entry: “There is definitely a culture of teaching and learning present at all times. Teachers work hard to give of their best to the learners” (JE, p. 1).
In my opinion this view represents a suitable environment for teacher leadership to flourish because the core business of the school is functioning smoothly and freeing up leaders to lead rather than to be bogged down by „damage control‟ activities. TLA wrote in her journal: “I‟m currently teaching in a school that, considering its size and property, has quite a number of resources for the learners. They cater for all types of learners not only the academic” (p.3). TLC added in her journal that: “the photocopy and running out policy of the school is great because it makes a wider spectrum of lessons available to the learners/teachers” (JE, p.1).
There was a sense of collegiality in the school which encouraged teacher leaders to strive for excellence. TLC wrote in her journal: “my colleagues and HOD however responded positively and were willing to jump on board and assist where needed. Their response made me feel good because it showed their faith in me and I felt worth something. I felt that my colleagues had confidence in me and my ability” (JE, p. 4). TLA reflected on the encouragement that she enjoyed from her SMT: “my SMT accepted my leadership and haven‟t yet questioned me about my leadership! So to see people happy with my suggestions made me feel quite good with myself”
(JE, p.18). This supportive nature of the staff augured well for teacher leadership enactment in the school. The way work was shared or distributed in the school also created opportunities for teacher leadership. According to Grant (2008), at the heart of the distributed leadership model is its inclusive approach to leadership and its promotion of capacity building. TLC wrote the following entry in her journal which illustrates the point: “The grade three educators have a system whereby each educator is allocated a term to do planning (prep), assessment, excursions etc” (p.7).
Delegating duties is an onerous task but it shapes leadership. I discuss delegation in the next section.
4.5.3 Delegation of duties from an informal position.
Teacher leaders were asked to give their views on the delegation of duties to colleagues and how they managed this practice. They believed in the delegation of duties. TLB said: “yes….unless I give a specific person authority….in every way I‟m a leader in my class. Delegation is not a problem” (II p. 1). This comment suggested a belief in an authorized distributed leadership framing. TLA believed in giving responsibilities to those that were best suited for the job and had the potential: “I firmly believe in giving duty to someone who has that ability” (II, p.3). In addition this teacher leader also preferred to delegate to those people who had the most influence or the most connections. This best illustrated the view of Harris and Muijs (2005, p. 28) who explain that “distributed leadership concentrates on engaging expertise where it exists in the organisation rather than seeking this only through formal position or role”.
Having discussed enhancing factors, I now move on to discuss barriers to teacher leadership experienced at the case study school.