The Teacher as a Resilient Leader
A resilient leader is “grounded, teachable, attuned, adaptable, and tenacious.” [1] This is according to Tempered Resilience written by Tod Bolsinger. In the book, the author uses the image of blacksmithing to represent the process of becoming a resilient leader. [2] He outlines the process in six steps. I will take a look at these steps from the perspective of a teacher-leader.
Working
In this first stage of the process, one must actually engage in the act of leadership. [3] These are skills that are learned by experience. I would compare this to student teaching in my own experience. When I was studying to be a teacher I took a lot of classes. I observed many teachers at work. But it was not until I took over a class for myself that I really engaged in my first experience as a “teacher”. This is the working stage, and is necessarily the beginning step.
Heating
Heating refers to the failures and challenges that we face and how we allow them to temper us as leaders (or don’t allow them to, as sometimes may be the case). [4] This heating causes periods of self-reflection or self-evaluation for the purpose of becoming better leaders. [5] As teachers, we too face challenges and failures time and again that move us into periods of self-reflection and evaluation. We have the opportunity of using these times to improve ourselves, or letting them defeat us. One thing that has been particularly challenging this year for me has been the suicidal deaths of three of my students. Six others have attempted suicide, one more just last week. It has been very difficult to know how to navigate this issue.
Holding
In a podcast, the author stated, “The vulnerability of leadership needs the security of many relationships.” [6] Holding is about just that, our relationships with other people. [7] As teacher-leaders, we build relationships with our peers that last a lifetime. We have partners that we co-teach with. Often these relationships develop into deep bonds over the years. You learn quickly that no one is an island, and it is difficult to try to be a lone ranger in a school district. We all need people; a support systems to help us.
Hewing
Hewing is the ability to impart hope in ourselves, and also in those we lead. [8] It is the part of leadership that requires vision. [9] As teachers, you have to know where you are headed. You have to have a plan, and the ability to guide students the same direction you are going. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “…as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” [10] Paul is reminding us that with vision, we are looking to things that are unseen. They are eternal. These eternal matters are the ultimate things we want to guide our students towards.
Tempering
This is a balance of work and rest. [11] It is where I struggle the most, to be perfectly honest. Just as steel needs to be heated and allowed to cool down, before heating again, or it will become brittle and break, our bodies must be allowed to “cool down” also. [12] We need rest. I am writing that for my own eyes to read. As I type this, I have double-pneumonia, after having flu and bronchitis, all since Thanksgiving. I cannot seem to get well. I’m not finding that “delicate balance”, so to speak. [13]
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this imagery of blacksmiths and leadership. It was quite easy to apply this principle and his six steps to my own experience as a teacher-leader.
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About the Author
Tonette Kellett
Missionary, teacher, Bible student, traveler ... Having lived in Kenya and Korea, I now live in Mississippi and work with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.12 responses to “The Teacher as a Resilient Leader”
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Great post, Tonette. I’m so sorry to hear about your recent illness. I pray that you recover quickly and you are back on your feet for Christmas. I know the stress of this final week is not helping. This book served as a great reminder to balance my life and incorporate rest too. Thank you for the strong words and I hope you grow stronger from this recent setback!
Michael,
Thank you for your encouragement and prayers. I appreciate you.
Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your post Tonnett! I am saddened by what you shared about the deaths by suicide of three of your students and the attempts at suicide by three others. Your work is incredibly important, and, from what I can tell, is very demanding.
What are ways you take care of yourself and remain fresh?
David,
Thank you for your post. As I am really sick right now, it is obvious to me that I am not doing near enough to take care of myself. I need to step it up next semester for sure! Thank you for the reminder.
Merry Christmas!
Hi Tonette, Thank you so much for your post! I like the way you walked us through the various steps of blacksmithing and applied these to your teaching career. I am reminded what an intense career teaching can be, with not many breaks. I am so sad to hear about the losses of your student’s lives and the attempted suicides. Your work brings you so close to the struggles of youth today.
Do you think there are ways that our cohort could keep each other accountable to taking healthy breaks to allow for our recovery? I struggle with this and am trying to find methods that work.
Hoping you will feel better and be completely back to good health soon!
Jenny,
Perhaps our prayer group of ladies could keep each other accountable somehow in resting and taking healthy breaks. That would likely help me a lot. I’m relieved to know I’m not the only one that struggles with this.
Hi Tonette, That’s a great idea. Let’s do that!
Tonette,
I am interested in what the Sabbath typically looks like for you now? What could we support you with from afar?
What do you want the Sabbath to look like in your life?
Alana,
That’s a good question. Because I work at church in ministry, it is not a day of rest for me. I have a few hours in the afternoon to rest.
What I need to do is hold Saturday as days of rest and relaxation and use them for exactly that. Or doing things I really enjoy doing.
Tonette – I hope this comment finds you doing better and becoming more healthy. I, too, appreciated Bolsinger’s remarks about rest. Far too often we allow our striving and task lists to take priority over rythym and rest. Jesus was such a great example of prioritizing time away and time with God. I hope to continue to learn from Him to practice this way of living alongside the great work that needs to be done.
Tonette – I hope you are feeling better. I’ve thought about you a lot and those you are teaching-leading-ministering to each day. You mentioned that Saturday is your day to rest. What activities (or lack of) help you rest mentally, spiritually and emotionally?
Tonette,
I learned a lot from your post and the teacher references hit home for me. Also, I’ve had double pneumonia twice and it is no fun – it’s very debilitating.
In the book, Bolsinger talked about rhythms. God has a rhythm as well. A rhythm of grace.
Rest. Relax. Refresh.