1. TEACHER LEADER TEAM
Amory School District

2. District Mission
The overarching mission of the Amory School District is to create opportunities for ALL students to achieve at the highest level possible.

3. 5 THINGS EVERY TEACHER SHOULD BE DOING
Designing lesson plans that require students to use Higher Order Thinking (HOT) skills
Create opportunities to actively engage all students in each lesson
Make good decisions about texts used in class, stressing thematic connections and text complexity
Use effective questioning to create discussions WITH and BETWEEN students
Teach the concept of argument in all content areas.

4. TLT
You have been hand-picked by your principals because of your expertise and leadership abilities.

5. THE NEED FOR TEACHER LEADERSHIP
It is a concept whose time has come
The best districts are districts in which teachers take initiative to help improve school and district-wide policies and programs, teaching and learning, and communication.

6. WHY DO WE NEED TEACHER LEADERSHIP
Teaching is a flat profession
Teachers often stay at a school longer than administrators
Demands on today’s principals are practically impossible to meet
Administrators have limited expertise in specific courses

7. THE TWO TYPES OF TEACHER LEADER ROLES
Formal
Department chairs
Master teachers
Instructional coaches
Duties-
Manage curriculum projects
Facilitate teacher data analysis groups
Conduct teacher training sessions

8. THE TWO TYPES OF TEACHER LEADER ROLES
Informal
Emerge spontaneously from teacher ranks
Take initiative wherever help is needed
No positional authority
Influence comes from the respect they get because of their expertise and practice
Call others to action and guide them in the accomplishment of the determined goal

9. CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHERS LEADERS
Willingness to collaborate with others
Get colleagues to support vision and goals
Build consensus among diverse group members
Convince others of the importance and need for the goal
Understand process of gathering and using data

10. LEADERSHIP QUALITIES
Be open-minded and respectful of others’ opinions and ideas
Enthusiastic and optimistic
Persistence, don’t allow setbacks to derail reaching the goal
Flexible
Able to keep discussions on track
Make decisions and monitor progress

11. THREE AREAS OF INFLUENCE OF TEACHER LEADERS
Within a department or specific team
Across the school
Beyond the school
You are doing more than teaching your students, you are also influencing the educational environment in your community and, possibly, the state and nation

12. CONDITIONS THAT PROMOTE TEACHER LEADERSHIP
Safe environment for risk-taking
Administrators who encourage teacher leaders
Absence of the “Tall Poppy” syndrome
Create opportunities for the development of teacher leadership

13. PURPOSE OF THIS TEAM Gain Common Core expertise
Spread Common Core expertise throughout the district
Common Core implementation
Increase Student Achievement

14. TEAM NORMS
Be at meetings and be on time. Plan to stay for the entire meeting. Appointments should be scheduled around meetings whenever possible.
Prepare for meetings. Review materials given and be ready for next meeting so that we don’t waste time
Collaborate!!
Take knowledge gained back to schools and help others put it into practice
Be a team player, even if it means agreeing to disagree at times

15. BINDERS
Give out binders and discuss material to be covered at next meeting.
Briefly discuss CCSS Anchor Standards, Math Practices, and appendices
Set next meeting date and time