First Article (from List Below):​Johnson, S. & Donaldson, M. (2007).

Overcoming the 
Obstacles to Leadership. ​Educational Leadership, 65​(1)

Moore Johnson and Donaldson (year) conducted a study about overcoming the
obstacles to leadership. The participants were high school students in an urban,
working-class community, where the school was struggling to serve all students well.
There were many findings in this article. The first being that teachers find
themselves feeling tempered enthusiasm. First year teachers are active in teams and
committees but after the 4th or 5th year, these positions change or are taken over by
younger, newer teachers. The second finding is that teachers feel a sense of purpose
helping in committees but they can often feel that their work goes unnoticed or does
help the overall well being of the school. Finally, the article talks about the feeling of
unequal opportunities in seniority. Two ways this can happen is older teachers are
looked at as non-essential when implementing new curriculum or younger teachers are
seen as lacking experience to help.
The authors suggested an overall solution is to engage the willing. Requiring
teachers to be leaders can create an uneven feeling of participation. Teachers should
be able to be leaders in areas that they feel most confident. The authors also say the
importance of supporting teacher leaders relies on compensation for the committee or
role they are placed in. Most teachers volunteer their time to help their school site
which can result in burnout. The final recommendation that I found interesting was that
a principal can make or break a school's leadership environment. “A leader's role by
explaining its purpose, establishing qualifications and responsibilities, encouraging
applicants for the position, and running a fair selection process.” Oftentimes principals
give teachers many roles to fill but no follow up or discussion of importance, which can
cause teachers to feel lost and unmotivated.

"Angling for Access, Bartering for Change: How Second-Stage Teachers

Experience Differentiated Roles in School^,'' by M, Donaldson, S. Johnson, C.
Kirkpatrick, W MarinellJ. Steele, and S. Sz

Second Article ​Transformational Classroom Leadership The Fourth Wave of

Teacher Leadership? James S. Pounder​: James S. Pounder (2006) conducted a
study about Transformational Classroom Leadership. The setting was how the teacher
leadership idea has developed over the years and argues that transformational
classroom leadership is a logical extension of the teacher leadership construct. The
findings were that teacher leaders employ transformational leadership qualities in the
classroom that lead to the perception that they are exemplary teachers. It begs the
question, “Do you need to be a leader outside of the classroom as often as inside. The
authors suggested that the leadership is equally as pertinent but should be done in
“waves” depending on the age or level of the educational leader.I think this is very
important to consider in an educational setting because younger teachers are still
working on credentialing and teaching management. Older teachers who may even be
credentialed should also have more freedom in how they choose to participate as
leaders.
Educational Management Administration & Leadership ISSN 1741-1432 DOI:
10.1177/1741143206068216 SAGE Publications (London, Thousand Oaks and
New Delhi) Copyright © 2006 BELMAS Vol 34(4) 533–545; 068216

Compare/Contrast Articles: These two articles suggest that it is a delicate balance on

when to choose leadership roles and when to give freedom of choice. However,
whereas Moore Johnson and Donaldson recommends that there is a responsibility by
the administrator to facilitate this leadership, Pounder recommends that there should
be an “age and experience level” hierarchy that exists for specific leadership roles.

How Articles Inform Your Teaching Practice: Overall, I agree with both of these articles
based on the idea that teachers are expected often to do MUCH more than just teach.
At my school site we are expected to participate in at least 3 committees, be a PLC
member, facilitate after school programs and work as a grade level weekly. This is very
overwhelming as the only PE teacher but also as a fairly new educator (4th year
teaching). I feel I have the experience to be a leader but I often am put into roles based
on my subject areas. I enjoy the content in this role but it can be tough to navigate on
my own. I also feel that the principal of a school should be an example of how
leadership should be followed. I love all the roles I am offered, but often feel
overwhelmed that committees/ roles are not evaluated as necessary or helpful.