A teacher leader is a teacher who has a passion for both teaching students and mentoring other teachers. Teacher leaders possess essential leadership qualities like having the respect of colleagues, understanding the school culture, being trustworthy, and embracing change. Schools need teacher leaders in every classroom to build leadership capacity and allow teacher expertise to be shared as a resource for all. Teacher leaders are important for supporting change and accountability in dynamic school systems.

1. TEACHER
LEADERSHIP
Qualities of a Teacher
Leader

2. What Is a
Teacher
Leader?
 A teacher leader has a passion for both teaching students
and mentoring or assisting fellow teachers.
 For some, it is an actual role that is assigned with the
intention of ascribing positional power to certain teachers
within the teaching ranks. In the 20th century model of
schools, teacher leaders were senior teachers who had
established themselves as successful, respected, seasoned,
and tenured.

3. Essential Leadership Qualities
• Possess the respect of colleagues
and supervisors
• Understand the culture of the school
• Are trustworthy
• Are open to the views and ideas of
all, non-judgmentally
• Are non-threatening
• Respond positively and actively to
colleagues seeking feedback, new
ideas, and methods
• Commitment to the students and
educators
• Passionate about teaching and
learning
• Collaboration with others
• Communication and rapport
• Embracing change
• Great teachers are great leaders

4. Leader Teacher
• Schools are dynamic systems that demand change and accountability
simultaneously and at a breakneck speed. Schools need an empowered
workforce with leaders at every level and, really, in every classroom.
Allowing teacher expertise to be acknowledged and become a component of
the resources offered to all is an emerging skill for building leaders and for
building leadership capacity at a time when it is desperately needed.

5. References:
https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/leaders-link/5-school-
leadership-qualities-every-teacher-possess/
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-teacher-leader-
definition-characteristics.html