In a 6th grade English language arts class, a teacher modeled for her colleagues a new reciprocal teaching routine designed to help students summarize complex informational texts. Afterward, during the one-on-one post-observation conference with her administrator, the teacher shared her materials and debriefed about what did and didn’t work during the lesson.
When the principal asked, “How might that modeling support broader team practice?” the teacher paused. That sounded like leadership, and she would never have called it that. She thought she was simply helping out.
That moment shifted the conversation. It reframed her actions as professional expertise that extended beyond her own classroom. It also revealed something important: the feedback process didn’t acknowledge the influence teachers have in school. Her leadership surfaced because of a thoughtful prompt, not because teachers were expected to lead.
I’ve seen versions of this moment play out in many schools. Teachers regularly influence colleagues, shape team decisions, and guide instructional shifts, yet they often don’t name those actions as leadership—unless someone asks. If teacher voice depends on who asks the right question, it will remain invisible.
Feedback conversations, whether they take place in formal evaluations, coaching cycles, or informal debriefs, are among the most influential routines in a school. Over time, what leaders consistently ask about becomes what teachers prepare for, reflect on, and prioritize.
If collaboration, shared responsibility, and collective growth are priorities in your school, and you expect teachers to act on them, those values need to show up in the questions you ask. The three questions that follow not only reframe teaching as leadership, but also surface the influence that teachers already wield across their schools.
1. How are you contributing to the learning of your team or department?
Most teachers collaborate regularly. They plan together, analyze student work, share strategies, and troubleshoot challenges. Yet in many feedback conversations, these contributions remain unacknowledged. Asking this question signals that strengthening collective practice is part of professional growth. It communicates that contributing to adult learning within your grade level or department is not extra; it’s integral to the work.
Leaders are often surprised by what surfaces when they ask this question. A teacher might describe facilitating a data discussion to understand a recent common assessment, helping a colleague redesign a test, modeling a strategy during a PLC, or supporting a team in adjusting instruction for a group of students. These local actions directly improve team and department efficacy, even if they carry no formal title.
When this question becomes routine, teachers begin to see that collaborating means more than just participating on a team; it means contributing to the learning of everyone on it. As a result, teachers will shift from passively consuming shared plans to actively shaping team learning, intentionally sharing their classroom successes to elevate the practice of their peers.
When educators intentionally share their expertise, they’re strengthening the entire professional community.
2. How are you contributing to adult learning to advance our schoolwide goals?
This question shifts the focus to broader systemic alignment and growth. It connects an individual teacher’s efforts to the school’s overarching goals, such as improving literacy, strengthening intervention systems, or increasing student engagement. It invites teachers to reflect on moments when their knowledge influenced adult practice across the entire school. For example, a teacher answering this prompt might discuss how they volunteered to pilot a schoolwide text-dependent questioning strategy, shared their findings about that initiative during a faculty-wide professional development session, or helped cross-departmental teams adapt the strategy for social studies and science classes.
Many educators underestimate their expertise. They often frame their support of colleagues as collegial rather than instructional. When they intentionally share their expertise, however, they’re strengthening the entire professional community. And naming these moments matters. It expands how teachers understand professional growth—that development is not only about what educators receive but also about what they generate for the wider school community. Asking this question will encourage teachers to look at schoolwide data patterns with an eye toward scaling up successful classroom interventions to serve all the students in the school.
3. In what other ways do you influence teaching and learning in your school, even if no one calls it leadership?
Schools are filled with distributed leadership. Teachers facilitate meetings, guide difficult conversations regarding grading equity or curriculum pacing, coordinate systems, and maintain momentum when initiatives stall. Much of this work happens quietly. When such leadership remains unnamed, it can feel incidental rather than intentional.
This question encourages leaders to look closely at patterns of influence. Who do colleagues turn to for advice? Who helps maintain focus during team discussions? Who ensures follow-through after decisions are made? Recognizing these contributions does more than affirm individuals. It clarifies expectations. It communicates that leadership is embedded in daily practice, not confined to formal roles.
It also broadens access. Leadership often gravitates toward those who are most visible. By asking this question in feedback conversations, leaders will recognize influence that might otherwise remain overlooked. This recognition will help reduce burnout among informal leaders by validating their invisible labor as a recognized and valuable component of school culture.
Over time, what leaders consistently ask about becomes what teachers see as central to their professional identity.
Feedback that Fosters Leadership
Feedback conversations send powerful signals. Over time, what leaders consistently ask about becomes what teachers see as central to their professional identity. When collaborative influence is a valued part of the conversation, teachers begin to approach their work differently. They look for ways to contribute beyond their classrooms. They recognize their impact on adult learning.
If teacher voice and shared leadership are priorities, they must be reflected in the routines that shape professional life. Feedback conversations are one of the most consistent routines we have. Start by incorporating one of these questions into your next coaching or post-observation conversation. Listen carefully to what emerges. You may uncover leadership that has been present all along, waiting to be named.
