Capacity Building Takes Patience and Perseverance

As the Teacher Candidates approach the end of the first term of observations, I ask myself: What is the difference that makes the difference? Sometimes I get disheartened and a little disappointed by my own inability to capture the professional learning that is happening in other rooms. Yet, there are other times when I am energized by the response, such as when a Teacher Candidate published her first blog and another TC responded or when a TC walked in my teaching partner's room that adjoins mine and asked us a question about planning and preparing for an inquiry-based program. Reflecting on this journey of building capacity through this collaborative inquiry, I have realized that capacity building takes patience and perseverance. Building teacher efficacy from a leadership lens is not about the leader's ability to plan and implement. Instead it is about empowering the team and inspiring them to share my energy and passion for the inquiry. In one such discussion with Jenette Holmes, York University's Coordinator for the Faculty of Ed. program, I was reflecting on my journey so far and Jenette posed this question to me, "Define Capacity". What a great question! What is capacity? How can it be measured? What strategies do effective leaders use to build capacity in their schools? What do they do to get educators to share their vision? How does this collaborative inquiry promote, cultivate and support deep thinking and efficacy for all?
Here are some ways I think this CI promotes teacher efficacy and capacity building:

•  It provides a platform to demonstrate our commitment to learning, innovating and problem-solving.
• It enables us to investigate and engage in application of new learning.
• It provides us opportunities to ask purposeful questions that stem from genuine curiosity and problem of practice.
• I allows us to explore new ways to communicate, create and share.
• It creates a sense of accountability.
• It builds and develops habits of mind that are necessary for any learning to happen- flexibility, reflective thinking, cognition and metacognition, a spirit of inquiry. These habits of mind are essential in classrooms as well. When educators develop these habits of mind, they will transfer this learning to students. 

As an instructional leader, I am beginning to think that capacity building is not about what I want the team to do. Instead it is about equity and inclusion. Can I provide the support and resources in ways that each member of the inquiry feels included and supported? Can I be equitable and support each member's learning journey from where they are to where they want to take this initiative too? This is importnat work and requires patience and perseverance. Can I lead with my heart and my mind?