Dr. Donna Spangler
Co-President
Co-President
As educational research has repeatedly shown, the single most powerful influence on a student's learning and achievement in the classroom is the classroom teacher. At a time when what it means to be a teacher is being defined by everyone except teachers, we need to remind ourselves of two undeniable words: Teachers matter.
Currently, I am an Instructional Coach in the Derry Township School District. Throughout my career I have been fortunate to have also served as an interim assistant principal, the DTSD Co-Chair of Teacher Induction, mentor, and cooperating teacher. I have presented both at the state and national level on the topics of new teacher induction, mentoring, the teacher evaluation system in PA, video coaching and collaboration, and the creation of teacher microcredentials, and I believe strongly that educators entering and staying in the teaching field need more support, experience, and direction than the current system provides.
There have been several people who have had the largest influence on my professional learning journey. The first have been my parents. Both of my parents approached every day in their classrooms not like it was a job; they approached every day as a spiritual calling to teach. They always said, "God's gift to you is this day...your gift to God is what you do with it." The second person whose work has influenced mine has been John Maxwell. John speaks on being both an educator and a leader and his work always touches on the center of an issue. Two quotes of his that speak to me daily are the following: "Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another;" and ,"The reality is that 99% of all true leadership occurs not at the top but from the middle of an organization."
Everyone in the education field is a learner, a teacher, and a leader. It is important to remember that you specific title doesn't define the impact that you can have as an educator. After all, anyone can have a title. A title doesn't ensure that you are a true teacher, coach, or leader. The difference, however, is in the results and whether your work makes a positive difference for someone else.
Currently, I am an Instructional Coach in the Derry Township School District. Throughout my career I have been fortunate to have also served as an interim assistant principal, the DTSD Co-Chair of Teacher Induction, mentor, and cooperating teacher. I have presented both at the state and national level on the topics of new teacher induction, mentoring, the teacher evaluation system in PA, video coaching and collaboration, and the creation of teacher microcredentials, and I believe strongly that educators entering and staying in the teaching field need more support, experience, and direction than the current system provides.
There have been several people who have had the largest influence on my professional learning journey. The first have been my parents. Both of my parents approached every day in their classrooms not like it was a job; they approached every day as a spiritual calling to teach. They always said, "God's gift to you is this day...your gift to God is what you do with it." The second person whose work has influenced mine has been John Maxwell. John speaks on being both an educator and a leader and his work always touches on the center of an issue. Two quotes of his that speak to me daily are the following: "Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another;" and ,"The reality is that 99% of all true leadership occurs not at the top but from the middle of an organization."
Everyone in the education field is a learner, a teacher, and a leader. It is important to remember that you specific title doesn't define the impact that you can have as an educator. After all, anyone can have a title. A title doesn't ensure that you are a true teacher, coach, or leader. The difference, however, is in the results and whether your work makes a positive difference for someone else.