The Experience of Becoming a Teacher Leader

Teacher leadership has become an increasingly important aspect of school reform and evaluation. Teacher leadership is often viewed as teachers leading either through formal positions or influencing others informally. There is a lot of research describing the benefits of teacher leadership, but there is little that describes the process of a teacher leader and the effects this experience has on the teacher leaders themselves. This study examines the experience of becoming a teacher leader as viewed through interviews with 11 junior high school teachers from a single school district. The findings of this study suggest the importance of initial events, or events that help teacher leaders recognize their influence and lead to further leadership experience, as well as the qualities that these teacher leaders possess that they believe led to formal leadership positions. The findings also suggest the presence of driving passions, or strong beliefs that motivate teacher leaders’ work. Additionally, this study suggests the importance of administrators in the development and support of teacher leaders. The findings also reveal the perceptions these teachers have regarding changes they have experienced as leaders, their influence on students, school, and colleagues, and benefits and tolls that have come as a result of their leadership experience. A model is also presented that describes the process of becoming a teacher leader