craft your teacher leadership story

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Crafting your story.#TeachLearnLead

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A Test Case: Version 1

#TeachLearnLead

Two-thirds of America’s children living in poverty have no books at home.

Children who do not have access to books and do not read regularly are among the most at risk for educational failure.

Source: http://www.rif.org/us/about/literacy-issues.htm

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A Test Case: Version 2

#TeachLearnLead

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What’s the effect?

Just the Facts, Ma’am Tell Me a Story

Which approach did you find more persuasive? Why?

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Audience: Knowing your audience and understanding what drives them will help you pick out the best story to create.

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Plot: Three dominant narrative structures that inspire action:

Challenge Plot - This plot is about a protagonist succeeding against an enemy. Obstacles seem insurmountable, but they inspire us by appealing to our appreciation for perseverance and courage.

Creativity Plot – This plot is about someone making a mental breakthrough or solving a problem in a unique way. Creativity plots make us want to do something different and try new approaches to solve problems.

Connection Plot – This plot is about people who develop a connection across a divide—racial, class, ethnic, religious, demographic, etc. These stories make us want to help others. They are about our relationships with others.

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The Road to Results

#TeachLearnLead

Intro/Hook This is the opening that pulls your audience in. Introduce them to your protagonist. Pose open questions to keep your audience engaged.

Struggle/ContextExplore your protagonist’s story of struggle. Make the struggle feel overwhelming and insurmountable. Use details and anecdotes that make the struggle feel real to help your audience understand how hard it was.

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Moment of ChangeSomething happens and it changes the protagonist’s life forever. It could be that your organization helps them glean insights about their life. Your protagonist grows. Show the change through vivid, personal details of how their life is different now.

The Road to Results

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The Road to ResultsResolutionRelate your protagonist’s story to a larger context. This might be a chance for someone from your organization to have a sound bite that communicates how your protagonist’s story is representative of so many more or relates your vision statement. Focus on creating an emotional response to your story; don’t suddenly switch to a rundown of numbers.

Call to ActionAlways end with a call to action on what you want the viewer to do. Always. Actions can be to donate, share, sign a petition, or more.

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Your Story

#TeachLearnLead

If you were to be featured on the CTQ homepage, what would you want your “one sentence story” to be?

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Inspiring examples…

#TeachLearnLead

Ali Crowley is sometimes "the only teacher in the room" during policy discussions—but she knows how to get heard.

Delonna Halliday (Tacoma, WA) is designing a teacher-led school with advice and support from Lori Nazareno, who’s been there, done that in Denver, CO.

Cheryl Suliteanu shared TEACHING 2030 with her superintendent, launching a district conversation about new home-school partnerships.

Justin Minkel is fighting poverty, one book at a time.

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Sentence frame

#TeachLearnLead

Challenge Plot

Creativity Plot

Connection Plot

___(name)___ is fighting ____(obstacle)____ by

______(how)_______.

___(name)___ was frustrated with __(problem)__

and created/founded/discovered ___(idea)___ as a

way to ___(solution)___.

___(name)___ connected/worked with __(partner)__ to

generate solutions for __(problem)__ and successfully

__(result)___.

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Why?We are collecting teacher leadership stories to

disseminate them to a broad audience.

By spreading these powerful stories, we hope to activate and connect new teacher leaders, and

inspire the teacher leadership movement in Florida and beyond—because we believe teacher leadership

will transform education for our students.

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How?We are creating an infographic that demonstrates

the teacher leadership journey—highlighting specific examples of teachers’ stories as they’ve

experienced their own development as leaders.

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#TeachLearnLead

What’s next?Pose this sentence frame to your

PLC: #TeachLearnLead means ________.

Share back by tweeting or e-mailing jhiltz@teachingquality.org

and area@teachingquality.orgReady to go public with your teacher leadership story? We’re here to help!