Never Underestimate Your Teachers: Instructional Leadership for Excellence in Every Classroom

by Robyn R. Jackson

Any teacher can be a master teacher. So says Robyn R. Jackson, author of the best-selling Never Work Harder Than Your Students and Other Principles of Great Teaching . In this book for school leaders, Jackson presents a new model for understanding teaching as a combination of skill and will and explains the best ways to support individual teachers' ongoing professional development. Here, you'll learn how to meet your teachers where they are and help every one of them—from the raw novice to the savvy veteran, from the initiative-weary to the change-challenged to the already outstanding—develop the mindset and habits of master teachers. Real-life examples, practical tools, and strategies for managing time and energy demands will help you build your leadership capacity as you raise the level of instructional excellence throughout your school. To move your school forward, you must move the people in it. If you want a master teacher every classroom, you must commit to helping every teacher be a master teacher. That work begins here.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Professional Development

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Melody Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read for anyone who works even adjacent to teachers. I’m just a plain old classroom teacher—not an “instructional leader” in any kind of measurable capacity—but I found so many gems to work with here. I had an epiphany while reading Jackson’s description of how will drivers work in teachers. A short book that packs a punch:

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robyn Jackson talks about the skill and will of teachers, and how administrators and coaches can best provide support to all kinds of teachers. What I found really interesting was the explanation of the four different will drivers she has identified. I am curious where she gets this information. The four will drivers she identifies are autonomy, mastery, belonging, and purpose. There are lots of practical tools in the book, and I see the fit with Instructional Coaching. Makes a lot of practical sense when dealing with teachers.

[Jackie Mines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful! Not totally convinced but the strategies and processes are worth putting into place. Good professional read for any principal. Would be great to have a discussion with colleagues....

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, easy read with practical examples and strategies. Great resource for instructional coaches, mentors, and administrators.

[Oskars Kaulēns · Rating 5 out of 5]

izcili un profesionāli noderīgi par to, kā īstenot katra skolotāja profesionālo pilnveidi skolā. tagad, ar divu gadu pieredzi skolas vadības komandā, arvien vairāk pārliecinos, ka visiem ir dota iespēja un varēšana (lai gan visiem nebūs lemts) kļūt par izciliem skolotājiem. visvairāk tāpēc, ka izglītība, mācīšana un mācīšanās tomēr ir par domāšanu, nevis noteikta veida uzvedību, kas tiek atkārtota tikai tāpēc vien, ka kāds to no mums pieprasa.

"Teaching is not merely a set of behaviours; it is a way of thinking about learning. If you do not change a teacher's mindset, you cannot significantly change the way a teacher teaches."

[Lindsay Bowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible instructional coach recommended that I read this book, and she was right! It discusses strategies for serving teachers by helping them build skill if needed or learning what drives them and makes them energized in order to build will. This information is applicable not only for my role but for anyone who is in various types of school leadership. I also learned a lot about myself and what drives and motivates me in a work setting!

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I would like it when i saw it was written by Robyn Jackson. It’s a very practical way of looking at individualized teacher learning in the same fashion we want to provide individualized learning for students. The bottom line is getting to know each teacher and analyzing their perceptions, goals, and needs.

[Jody Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A belief system that "practices what we preach" as far as ALL FOLKS CAN LEARN.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that it helped to determine prime motivators to help with assessment/team building.

[Delonna Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

PERFECT TIMING!

[Carrie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into teachers behavior through their skills and will.

[Dava Fletter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written to help administrators categorize teachers so that they can best help them move towards mastery. It is similar to how we put students into groups to help differentiate. While I do not mean to say we should limit ourselves to these categories ( for either group), it is helpful to to know how to approach professional development for teachers knowing which group best describes their teaching approach. As a teacher, my take away is learning how coaches and principals would look at me or my colleagues and to know what would best serve me in the coaching and evaluative process leading to better teaching. I know which groups I fall into and the best approach to coaching me.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robyn does a very nice job discussing the benefits of addressing a differentiated staff and gives concise examples of how to lead them all towards mastery. Nice work!

[Hanrong Tham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book! Thank you Dr Robyn Jackson!

[Will Deys · Rating 3 out of 5]

good read for helping teachers.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important and concise read for all district leaders who provide feedback to teachers!