It is very common for teachers to be rapidly promoted from the classroom to school leadership positions to fill unexpected vacancies, serve as interim administrators, or assume permanent leadership roles. It happens often. But guiding teachers into administrative roles before they are ready and without proper support risks burnout. Worse yet, their sheer lack of experience creates the potential for harm to themselves and the school community.
In our work at The Teaching Well, which supports the health and sustainability of teachers and administrators, we hear about this issue regularly. In his 10 years of working at the school, I have seen this issue occur frequently among colleagues. I also deeply understand this issue on a personal level because it happened to me.
Early in my teaching career, at age 26, I was offered and accepted a position as an elementary school dean in East Oakland, California. The following year, I was promoted to the position of head teacher, but after a year in the position, I had to assist the head teacher while she was on maternity leave. These promotions did not involve special training or additional coaching. I wasn’t even asked to read any books to prepare. I found myself burnt out and didn’t have the words to advocate for my needs, much less hold that space for the staff I was responsible for.
It is essential to recognize that placing teachers in leadership roles prematurely comes at a cost. When promoting young teachers, the system owes it to them, to their colleagues and to the students they serve, to surround them with empathy, support, and comprehensive training.
Support is important for teacher advancement
In the face of recent shortages, separation from employment In schools, it’s understandable why many district leaders are quick to transfer teachers to schools. vacant management positions. In fact, I have made such recommendations from time to time as a district leader.So many leaders leave, we are in a jobs crisis and there are not a surplus of candidates seeking these jobs. What better solution than talent that you personally know and can cultivate from within?
Talented teachers are often natural leaders. However, there is a difference between directing students and leading staff. I know because I’ve lived it.
I was a green educator and in a leadership role. To some extent, I was open to that opportunity and maybe even sought it out. At the time, I was concerned about decision-making in my school, especially regarding serving Black students, and I wanted to make a difference. My proactive personality, work as a peer observer, and facilitation of our school’s professional learning community are some of the things that opened up the opportunity to move into an administrator role.
When I became dean, I was appointed to a demanding position with great responsibility. I quickly realized that having a space for educators to come together and share in grade-level team meetings was not the same as creating a scope and sequence for strategic professional development. Observing a colleague is not the same as being able to provide a thorough evaluation. Although I had never formally supervised anyone, I was asked to facilitate difficult conversations on a regular basis. No one told me about the tricky parts of managing people, like having to create headcount reports or design and implement support plans.
Fortunately, building relationships was easy and when I made a mistake, I did my best to own it. It also helped that I was from the community I served, which helped me navigate the cultural nuances of working in schools. Even with these strengths, my learning curve was steep.
Physically, mentally and emotionally this was one of the most difficult times of my life. At the time, I was pregnant with my first child and her husband was in law school. Eating a balanced meal while working felt impossible. I blacked out regularly and developed insomnia. My lack of experience created a rift with my colleagues that I had to repair. In my role, I was frequently called upon to support students in need of assistance and sometimes had to break up fights or physically restrain students to prevent self-harm. When I got home, it was tapped. It was hard to want to hold my partner or have my newborn baby crawling on top of me. As a parent and partner, I felt immense guilt and an overwhelming sense of failure, and I felt alone.
Today, doing healing work with school leaders has shown me that I am not alone. The feelings I had were natural and many people in the field experience similar feelings.
Over the years, I have worked with school leaders who release the pressure they feel and excel despite unimaginable challenges. I’ve also worked with leaders who, after months or even years in a role, become burnt out and quit for self-preservation. Some describe their reputations as having been tarnished, or their stories of failure developing within them. I remind them that they served with an open heart even when no one else would serve them; they are leaders who were not led.
We speak of young people as the future, as agents of liberation, as agents of social improvement. We need to invest deeply in the people who lead our schools, especially new leaders. And when we promote teachers to leadership positions, we have an obligation to provide them with the support they need to do their jobs effectively.
