As the head of the 6-12 math department for the past 2 years I have been directly involved in some major projects that have required our department to work well as a team, communicate clearly, and come to a respectful consensus when opposing views came up. Over the course of these 2 years we have undertaken a full curriculum review process for the department which has led to a realignment of our 6-12 scope and sequence as well as the production of clear and concise documentation of our philosophy and policies as a department (which had not previously been collected in any convenient and workable documentation). It has been a challenge at times, especially due to the dynamics of being a middle school teacher while working on high school curriculum. There were times of frustration and miscommunication but our team was able to reach common understandings and work together to successfully complete our department goals.
As I have mentioned in Standards 12 and 13, I tend toward a style of leading by example and supporting a team in challenging work by showing that I am willing to not only take on challenging and time consuming tasks but at the same time am willing to offer my support to ease the work load of my colleagues in order to support their work towards a goal. My hope is that this leads to trust from my peers and team members that I genuinely care about their well-being and can delegate work while still supporting them in that work. I try to be pragmatic and efficient when it comes to productivity in the group and always try to resolve conflict as soon as I can as I know how poisonous it can be to a group dynamic. Just like with my students, I try to always maintain a positive and optimistic outlook and seek to understand the opinions of others so that I can truly empathize and make decisions with other perspectives in mind.