291Habits of Mind for
the Systems-Savvy Leader
Jennifer Abrams16
When I began to work outside the classroom as a teacher on special
assignment, I was excited about the opportunity to create and facilitate
learning communities, to work one-on-one with new teachers, and to
design and offer trainings to supervisors and my colleagues. I was eager to
be with team members who were trying to live up to their roles as teacher-
leaders, to be agents of change in the schools, to work on reforms that
focused on student learning.
My key learning in the first years of doing work outside the classroom
was this: I had a credential in how to work with children through the sub-
ject I was teaching; I did not have a credential in how to work with adults.
My teacher credential program didn’t instruct me on how to work effec-
tively with the other professionals in my school and district. Although
some administrative credential programs might offer courses that focus
specifically on human resources protocols and communication processes,
coaches, directors, instructional supervisors, and other teacher leaders
might not have taken those courses and, as a result, need to hone these
skills to work more effectively with a variety of adults.
Being able to work well with adults is one of the keys to changing
schools for the better. As Rick DuFour and Bob Eaker, two strong propo-
nents for professional learning communities, state, “The most promising