Leading from Beside: What I’ve Learned from Lauren Hill

By: Angela Gunter

Teaching is my passion, and I am one of those people who want to be involved in shaping the profession I love so much. Consequently, I am frequently surrounded by other passionate educators who share my drive. I have had incredible opportunities and been blessed to work with many talented, passionate teacher leaders. None, however, have had such a professional influence on me than Lauren Hill, teacherpreneur and AP English teacher at Western Hills High School in Frankfort, Kentucky. Knowing Lauren as I do, she would be shocked to know what an impact she’s had on my career.

I met Lauren years ago at an AP English Summer Institute and noted how she had incredible questions, ones that we were all contemplating but did not have the nerve (or insight) to ask. She later shared with me that she was afraid she was being a nuisance, but she needed to know the answers. In the next few years, I was with Lauren at various trainings and was always struck with how friendly, inclusive, and reflective she was. She conducted an AP student study session at my school for students and was questioning herself, concerned whether she’d done a good enough job. A couple of years later, she conducted a Laying the Foundation training I attended, and, once again, she confided in me that she was worried about how participants were receiving her lessons. She was incredibly engaging and knowledgeable—I couldn’t believe she had such concerns. I realized then that one of Lauren’s strengths was her worry, her conscientious nature. She always wanted to be better, to improve, to not let her participants down. Basically, she CARED!

She encouraged me to become a trainer for LTF, and I did. Now I am invited to teach students and teachers across the nation. Lauren also asked me to join a group called the Center for Teaching Quality, and I did. She invited me to a CTQ conference in North Carolina. Lauren works with many talented teachers, and for her to recognize me, to see me as a teacher leader, was empowering. As a result of my work with CTQ, I have worked with teachers from across the state and across the nation on teacher leadership projects. She also hosted a webinar to help teachers craft proposals for the Teach to Lead conference recently held in Kentucky, and her input helped me turn my idea into a plan. Lauren’s newest project is working with a group of National Board Certified teachers from across the state, and because of her inspiration, I am conducting a similar project next year. When I asked her for suggestions, I was not surprised when she offered her time, resources, and once again, her enthusiastic encouragement.

Lauren Hill leads from beside. She recognizes potential in others and includes them in her journey. We are lucky in Kentucky that dedicated educators are able to pursue leadership opportunities while remaining in the classroom. Lauren and a handful of other teacherprenuers are reshaping and redefining our profession so we can follow in their footsteps and lead while not giving up the most important part of our jobs—our kids. I am confident that her work will represent what teacher leaders can accomplish when given such authority.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.