11/10/05
School ponders role of Teacher Leader before filling vacant
position
Pond Cove School is looking for a new pioneer who will continue to blaze
the trail begun by Kelly Hasson, the school's first Teacher Leader.
But first, teachers and administrators will meet Nov. 18 to better determine
where that trail is going.
At the Nov. 8 meeting of the School Board, Pond Cove Principal Tom Eismeier
gave an overview of the currently unfilled position of Teacher Leader, developed
in 2003 to replace the traditional assistant principal.
Educators are looking at the job more as a function than as a position, Eismeier
explained. "We found that 'school based staff developer' is a good way of
describing it," Eismeier told the board. "A teacher helping a teacher to
get better at teaching kids."
Eismeier added, "What we found, along the way when we began to get more focused,
was that it was around instruction and definitely around curriculum when
we began to hit our stride."
Hasson, a veteran teacher at Pond Cove and nominee for teacher of the year
in 2002, was the first recruit for what was envisioned to be a rotating position.
Much of the vision of the Teacher Leader has not changed since its inception,
Eismeier said, but what has been lacking is a clear goal, whether it is reading
instruction or RTI, (Response to Intervention) or whatever instructional
or curriculum needs arise.
"But as far as strategies go, I think these will remain the same," Eisemeier
said.
The Teacher Leader differs from the traditional assistant principal in that
the primary focus is on teaching and learning, rather organizational issues
such as scheduling and buses. The Teacher Leader works with teachers on the
job, focusing more on actual classroom experience rather than disconnected
staff-development workshops. "This is live, real stuff, with results to be
seen almost right away," said Eismeier. The Teacher Leader is also a reflective
practitioner, able to think about what strategies work best here at Pond
Cove School under existing circumstances.
The most important qualification for the Teacher Leader, Eismeier said, is
that he or she be an exemplary practitionary at Pond Cove. "It's in red,
underlined," he said. "I think this system depends on having an internal
person, somebody who is a proven practioner, is known and trusted and recognized.
So we made it clear in the beginning that it should be somebody already at
Pond Cove."
Hasson carried the new model forward admirably during its first two years,
but then left the district for a job in Peaks Island. For the first weeks
of this year the Teacher Leader was Marla Bonneau, who served as Pond Cove
assistant principal from 1998-2001. "Marla was able to get around to teachers
individually and in groups," Eismeier said, collecting feedback and hopefully
dispelling some misconceptions.
Administrators were encouraged by a recent faculty workshop where 10-15 teachers
showed an interest in assuming a leadership position. The turnout, said Eismeier,
affirms his assumption that the Teacher Leader model is building leadership
capacity among teachers in the school. This is an important trait because,
in the end, the learning community educators hope to sustain at Pond Cove
depends on all teachers helping one another.
On Nov. 18, a teacher representative from each grade level at Pond Cove will
meet with administrators and the district's professional development and
curriculum facilitator, to target short- and long-term goals, and to begin
developing a job description for the next Teacher Leader.
A curriculum need that may need addressing in the near future is Response
to Intervention, (RTI), an outgrowth of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act (IDEA). The RTI process is designed to help
low-performing children before they fail or are designated for special education.
"The idea is to try to help kids without going through the long evaluation
process," Eismeier said in a telephone interview.
Superintendent Alan Hawkins said he does not want to rush the process of
filling the position. "I want to understand where we are and what we want
to do," Hawkins said.
"We will see what we might be able to do this spring with with somebody doing
perhaps as a half-time. A couple of staff members have expressed an interest
in doing that," he said.
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