You Are Already a Leader: Identifying Your Leadership Skills on Behalf of ELLs

Educators who work with English language learners oft have deep experience in advocating and collaborating on behalf of their students. This commodity highlights some diverse leadership experiences of ELL educators and shares ideas for identifying and honing your own leadership capacity.

At this point in the schoolhouse yr, it's a practiced time to hit the break push and reverberate upon how the academic yr has been going. Information technology'due south also a point at which you can decide which goals you can set for the residue of your piece of work in the classroom this year to back up your ELLs.

In previous weblog posts, I've examined how to serve every bit an abet for ELLs and too how to finer interact to benefit ELLs. Through some reflection of my own and some piece of work with TESOL International Association that I'll depict in a scrap, I've come to recognize and appreciate the office of another skill set fifty-fifty more than than in the past: leadership. Teachers' leadership skills are crucial in finer bringing well-nigh change, advocating, and collaborating on behalf of ELLs. Notwithstanding were you given whatever preparation or coursework on leadership skills when yous were in your pre-service education program? Nope, neither was I! I've seen leadership piece of work in subtle as well equally more obvious ways when it comes to serving ELLs and realize that its importance is oftentimes overlooked.

In this weblog post, I'll commencement focus on why leadership matters in supporting ELLs. We'll hear from Dr. Amy Hewett-Olatunde and Dr. Michelle Benegas, two educators from Minnesota who describe their own leadership experiences. I'll then share some ideas for opportunities for y'all to forge your ain path toward identifying and honing your leadership skills and will requite you lot a tool you can use to create an action plan to determine your next steps in leadership.  I'll then get out you with some resources on leadership for your connected reflection.

Why Does Leadership Matter?

Leadership is crucial in bringing almost positive changes for ELLs and is one role of the equation that drives advocacy and collaboration. Recently I've been working with TESOL International Association and a group of national experts to revise the current TESOL P-12 Professional person Pedagogy Standards, which are primarily used to guide pre-service ESOL instructor licensure programs. In the latest draft version of the revised standards, leadership is getting a well-deserved increase in focus. Accept a look at this new standard, TESOL draft Standard v:

"Candidates demonstrate dispositions of professionalism and leadership by collaborating with colleagues, advocating for ELs and their families, engaging in self-assessment and reflection, pursuing continuous professional development, and honing their pedagogy practice through supervised teaching."

In the "components" supporting that item standard, some of the related deportment described are:

• demonstrating knowledge and initiative in planning instruction and assessment collaboratively
• proactively serving every bit a resource for colleagues
• in-depth noesis of schoolhouse, commune, and governmental policies and legislation in order to abet for ELLs
• participation in supervised educational activity to strop ane's practice
• the exercise of cocky-assessment and reflection while making plans for continuous professional development.

The last component reads, "Candidates demonstrate dispositions of professionalism and leadership through respect, empathy, and flexibility with ELs, their families, and colleagues." Does this sound familiar? You are probably doing a lot of these things already! It takes multiple skills to exist a leader who advocates for ELLs – skills which many educators of ELLs instinctually develop over time based on their roles, responsibilities, and evaluation of their students' needs.

I encourage you to start thinking of these skills not just as "ELL skills" simply "leadership skills." Demonstrating leadership skills can buoy your ain practice with ELLs and your colleagues, and information technology can also open up up options in other kinds of roles in your school or even district. In addition, looking at your responsibilities through the lens of leadership may provide an opportunity to assist others better understand what you do – the many hats you vesture – in a fashion that results in more than support, collaboration, and/or inclusion every bit role of other leadership teams.

For case, I knew of many ESOL teachers who took on additional roles in Fairfax County Public Schools, VA such as curriculum writers and professional development providers at the district level. These teachers' leadership was first developed and noticed at the schoolhouse level, and then leaders at the district level took note of how these teachers were serving an expanded role to back up ELLs exterior their classrooms. In the end, these teachers' opportunities to lead beyond their classrooms increased, and they had a larger impact on ELLs at the commune level. Go along in mind that being a leader doesn't necessarily mean moving to an administrative role at the building or commune level. There are also many ways you can build upon your already-present leadership skills at the school level.

Voices from the Field

To further explore what this looks like on the ground, I reached out to two outstanding ELL leaders I know in Minnesota, one at the classroom level and one at the university level.

Classroom perspective

Dr. Amy Hewett-Olatunde, ELL teacher and Offshoot Professor at Hamline University and the University of St. Thomas, writes:

Teacher grooming perspective

Dr. Michelle Benegas, Assistant Professor at Hamline University, describes her insights into leadership from a higher instruction perspective in gild to serve ELLs:

You're Already a Leader

Much like Amy and Michelle describe, y'all are already a leader on behalf of ELLs in some ways even if you lot might non feel like one or aren't necessarily recognized equally one (yet). While leadership is indeed more circuitous and my framework is however evolving, I find these four leadership actions have a direct correlation to supporting ELLs on an academic equally well as socioemotional level. They depict from TESOL'southward new standard and are:

1. Taking initiative to make changes and advocate
2. Proactively serving every bit a resource
3. Being an constructive communicator
4. Standing your own professional development

These leadership actions definitely come into play when yous might be the only ESOL teacher in a grade level, schoolhouse, or multiple schools. Y'all may likewise observe how one leadership skill that I describe below might likewise be present in another. For instance, you'll need to be an effective communicator to proactively serve equally a resource in support of ELLs and vice versa. Every bit you lot read nearly these skills, consider how you may already possess these leadership skills and how they play out in your context.

Examples of Situations in which ESOL Teachers Demonstrate Leadership

Leadership Deportment	Example for Supporting ELLs
Taking initiative to make changes and advocate for ELLs and yourself	A co-teaching team has dissimilar ideas on how to utilize the ESOL instructor's skills in the tertiary grade squad. The ESOL teacher senses something is not quite right and thinks about her approach to addressing the issue. At the get-go of the grade level planning meeting, the ESOL teacher helps found norms, rules, and expectations for the meeting. When the conversation gets a chip heated, she refocuses the group on the tasks at manus (determining how to use the ESOL teacher'south skills) while recognizing the team members' emotions. The group then successfully determines a path forwards to support the grade'due south ELLs thanks to the ESOL teacher's leadership.
Proactively serving as a resources	An ESOL teacher consults with her school'southward examination coordinator early in the academic year to find out what supports are allowed on state content exams for ELLs to increase their accessibility for ELLs. The ESOL instructor ensures that he is included in assessment planning meetings in which state content tests are discussed. The ESOL instructor works with the guidance department to produce a list of the ESOL students, their English language proficiency levels, and the state assessments they'll be taking that twelvemonth. The ESOL teacher collaborates with the students' content teachers to develop a programme for which students receive which supports on their assessments and in instruction throughout the year. The ESOL teacher follows up with school administrators to ensure ELL parents are informed of the supports in their home languages and, in some cases, with a call in their home languages.
Beingness an effective communicator	In an IEP coming together with teachers and parents of an ELL, the ESOL teacher asks the ELL parents to sit at the caput of the table, signaling respect for them. She is cognizant of making eye contact with the ELL parents and makes sure she does not interrupt them when they speak. She arranges for an interpreter to be nowadays at the meeting and spends time briefing the interpreter on what is going to take place during the meeting before the meeting begins. She is sure to recognize how the parents back up their daughter's education and are involved in her schooling. In meeting with ELL parents, she makes them feel welcome, which develops their mutual trust.
Standing your ain professional person evolution	An ESOL teacher learns about a webinar on ELL inquiry and strategies that's happening after the school day in two weeks. He asks his class level colleagues and assistant principal if they would similar to join him for the webinar. During the webinar, he takes notes and besides asks his colleagues to share their take-aways and questions that remain. A few days after the webinar, the ESOL teacher shares his group's learning at a staff meeting. He then approaches his assistant principal to begin a volume study to delve into the strategies further, inviting a larger group of colleagues and leading the book study sessions.

4 Steps to Develop Leadership Opportunities

So, now that y'all've explored the concept of leadership in service of ELLs a bit more than, it'south time to remember of how you might position yourself as a leader within your context or environment. Some of what yous're already doing may feel like more of a responsibility to serve your ELLs, but it'south nigh probable actually leadership. These four steps can get you lot started.

Step 1: Using the table to a higher place, reflect upon the leadership actions in which you regularly take part.

Information technology's a good idea to first increment your awareness of the leadership skills you already possess and and then build upon those skills to brand positive changes occur for ELLs. To brainstorm some ideas about all of the unlike responsibilities and skills you have, accept a look at this blog post on writing your "elevator speech," as well equally Susan Lafond'due south tips about preparing for an ESL job interview.  You may also observe some helpful ideas in the NEA advancement toolkit, All In! How Educators Can Advocate for English Linguistic communication Learners. Consider which of the four leadership actions yous take part in on a regular basis.

Pace 2: Answer these reflection questions.

1. What actions am I strongest in? Give an case.

2. What actions practice I need to grow in? Give an example.

3. What implications are in that location for my leadership in advocating for and supporting ELLs?

4. What is my sphere of influence and how can I aggrandize information technology?

Footstep 3: Solicit input from others.

Later you've done some reflection independently, another stride that might help you identify or more than conspicuously define your leadership skills is a conversation with a colleague or other school or commune leaders. Consider asking a trusted colleague who knows the roles you lot play in your position what kinds of leadership they see you demonstrate.

If you can discover an ELL manager or leader, that's another great resource since that person will have a articulate understanding of your role and what you bring to the table and may even exist able to point out some areas of leadership you are demonstrating that you hadn't considered. These conversations could happen every bit part of ascertainment, coaching, or evaluation, or independently in a more informal setting.

You may and then wish to continue the chat with your building leaders in club to proceeds their insight or increase their awareness of your role.  Since administrators at the building level may not have equally much experience recognizing and supporting leadership on behalf of ELLs, information technology may be upwards to you to point out ways in which yous are serving every bit a leader that are having a positive impact on your building'due south ELLs – and in that example, the more than preparation you do for that coming together, the amend!

Fifty-fifty if their ELL feel is express, yet, administrators may have some ideas to share virtually ways in which teachers are already leading that might be going unnoticed once they better understand what you practice. As leadership is an area in which nearly teachers are typically non trained, administrators can back up this process by drawing from their own leadership skills and helping to recognize these skills in their teachers. This is a nifty fashion to bespeak to administrators that you are taking your responsibilities seriously and are interested in playing a greater leadership role – as well as to brand sure they sympathize what you practise every day!

Step 4: Create an action Program.

Choose i area of leadership to target for your adjacent steps. Break it down into three objectives and begin how to meet your objectives to develop that surface area of leadership in service of ELLs.

Leadership Area in Which I'll Focus: ________________________

Leadership Objective	Step to Achieve Objective	Success Criteria	Fourth dimension Frame	Resources Needed
I volition…
I will…
I will…

Opportunities to Hone Your Leadership Skills Fifty-fifty More

• Start a committee to advocate on behalf of ELLs in your schoolhouse

○ Start minor: Join a committee that has already formed to share your expertise and bring in an ELL perspective

• Suggest a new policy or practice to an empathetic administrator to increase equity for ELLs

○ Start small: Brainstorm with an compassionate colleague and run the idea past him or her showtime, joining forces with that colleague to approach the ambassador together.

• Serve as an offshoot professor in a college or teach a PD class in your district

○ Start pocket-sized: Notice a class in a local college or in your commune and offer to be a guest speaker on ELL education, strategies, or advocacy in i class.

• Obtain certification as a Nationally Board Certified Teacher (NBCT)

○ Start small: Review the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' English language equally a New Linguistic communication Standards and think nigh how you lot see your expertise and leadership skills reflected in the standards.

Reflection Questions

1. How did Dr. Amy Hewlett-Olatunde's piece on leadership at the K-12 level resonate with you?
2. What are your impressions of Dr. Michelle Benegas' thoughts on leadership and advocacy in teacher education programs?
3. What is your take-abroad in terms of your own leadership afterwards reading this blog post?

Determination

In my work with ELLs, I accept witnessed many educators rise up as leaders who successfully advocate for ELLs, serve equally an marry to ELLs and their families, and have a front seat in bringing nigh positive changes for ELLs. It's truly inspiring to witness teachers serve ELLs on multiple levels, expanding their sphere of influence to serve equally change agents on behalf of their students.

Hopefully this weblog post has given you some space to reverberate on the many leadership skills you possess to support ELLs. ELLs' success depends non simply on teachers using effective strategies only also the leadership skills they bring to support and extend their work with colleagues. In this era of challenging standards and increased expectations for ELLs, as well as increased pressures on schoolhouse staff, your leadership volition be crucial to bringing about much-needed changes for ELLs. I encourage yous to let me know how your leadership continues to evolve!

Recommended Resources

Here are a few resources you may wish to consult to reverberate upon your own leadership and how information technology affects the ELLs you work with.

• Leader Interpersonal and Influence Skills: The Soft Skills of Leadership (Riggio & Tan, 2014)
• The Expert Team Leader (MacDonald, 2013)
• The Preparation of the ESOL Educator in the Era of Higher- and Career-Readiness Standards (TESOL, 2016)
• SupportEd's Top ten Ways to Back up English language Learners in 2022 (Staehr Fenner, 2017)
• Advocating for English learners: A guide for educators (Staehr Fenner, 2014)

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