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This week I’ve been thinking a lot about teacher autonomy and the joys and challenges that come with it. From where I sit as an instructional coach, I’m constantly seeing examples of how rewarding it can be to have the option to exercise your professional judgement, but also how excruciating it can be for people to make decisions when they don’t feel confident in their knowledge and skills. It’s gotten me thinking about my own teaching experience and how my thinking about autonomy evolved over the years.
I had never heard the term, “autonomy” until my first year teaching. It was a pretty big buzzword in my district at the time, and it was spoken with reverence, as a gift, something to treasure. As a 22-year-old who had just graduated, hearing the term had the opposite effect on me than it did my colleagues; it struck fear in my heart. At the time, it meant that I had to figure out every detail of every decision, with very little guidance from my teammates. There was no reading program, just some old materials that were totally optional that nobody used anymore. There was no writing program, just a set of state standards that students had to master and a standardized test for which to prepare. Thank goodness there was a math program, but there was no guidance about how to trim it down to fit our limited math block. So, like any new teacher faced with the gift of autonomy, I cried in my classroom a lot just muddled through and tried to figure things out without doing too much damage to my students. And now, like so many of us do, I look back on those years and wish I could have a do-over.
It wasn’t until a few years later that I came to value the autonomy I was given. In fact, I became a fierce proponent, challenging those that tried to standardize curriculum or instructional methods that took away from my ability to choose. Why the change of heart? It’s simple: partnership.
Supported vs. Unsupported Autonomy
After a couple of years, the personnel on my team changed, and we became a high-functioning PLC powerhouse. We were thought partners, co-teachers, and risk takers together. It was the experience of being supported by my teammates that changed my mind about my autonomy. Before I had those strong partners, I wished desperately that someone would give me the right answers, hand me the best curriculum, or tell me the best way to teach. I lacked the confidence in my skills to make those decisions for myself based on my experience or my knowledge or my training.
Recalling this struggle has made me more empathetic as a coach. I know how real that struggle is when you feel like you have no idea what to do. The pressure to make the right decision is incredible, and it comes from all sides. I also know how important it is to seek out a partner in those moments.
John Hattie’s research shows that “collective teacher efficacy” is a top-ranking influence on student success. This means that if teachers, as a group, feel that they are capable of positively impacting student learning, they are more likely to do so. What a poignant reminder of the importance of building teachers’ self-efficacy so that they can join together confidently to provide the best possible experience for their students.
School leaders, we can do better. By honoring teachers’ very real fears and supporting them as they build (or rebuild) their self-efficacy, we can create a better experience for our students. To do this, we have to make it safe for teachers to be unsure, provide them with honest, kind, and constructive feedback, and step up to be their partners as they undertake this important and demanding work of educating students.
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