Am I a Leader In Mathematics Education?
Christy Hemp
MCTM District 1 Director
Math Specialist and Shared Services Curriculum Coordinator, SW/WC Service Cooperative, Marshall, MN
When asked to write an article for the Leadership section of this publication, I admit my insecurities immediately kicked in. While I work with PreK-12 teachers on a daily basis to help support them in the world of Curriculum & Instruction, which would imply I’m a teacher leader, I often wonder, “Will they find out that I feel like an imposter?” Seriously, I work hard at my job & am very passionate about education—learning new things & helping others is so amazing! By saying “imposter” I mean that I don’t know all the answers. Sometimes having the role of Math Specialist/Instructional Specialist makes me giggle…I mean, “Poof! You’re a _____________!” Insert any of the following words here—specialist, expert, leader…dolt.
So I started looking at those who I find to be experts on leadership for inspiration, within education and outside of education. I am not an original thinker. I’m more of a thief…my gift is that I can be very creative with someone else’s idea.
Am I a leader in mathematics education? Yes. And I will do my best until I know better…then I will do better. And hopefully I’ll fail better, too.
Here’s to striving to become a better teacher leader!
Maya Angelou, poet & author
“A leader sees greatness in other people. He nor she can be much of a leader if all she sees is herself.”
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
Ekaterina Walter writing for Forbes Magazine:
“Leaders are not always perfect. And, sometimes, they are downright quirky. But they display a set of behaviors that make them admired & loved.” This article, 7 Unconventional Behaviors of Inspiring Leaders, my favorite of the seven is “Shut Up.” A little bold & definitely eye-catching, but I’ve found this to be something I need to remind myself of often. Malcom Forbes once said: “The art of conversation lies in listening.” Walter states “Some of the best leaders make a point to not have their opinions heard right off the bat, but rather sit back & truly listen to what their have to say, maybe occasionally asking a question or two.”
Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at the Institute of Education, University of London.
“Effective leadership is rarely about stopping people doing unproductive things. In most public service organizations, people are in the main genuinely interested in doing good. The problem is that when resources are limited (as they always are) then whether something is good is irrelevant. What matters is whether there is something better that could be done with the same resources. That is why leadership is so hard. It requires preventing people from doing good things to give them time to do even better things.”
“For leaders, the requirement is to create a culture for the continuous improvement of practice, and to keep the focus on a small number of things that are likely to improve outcomes for students. In addition, they need to create the time within the existing teachers’ contracts to do this, and to encourage the taking of sensible risks.”
Teacher quality: why it matters, and how to get more of it
Samuel Beckett, 20th century Irish novelist, playwright & poet.
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”