I am opinionated and I don't mind sharing. Sometimes, people don't want to hear my opinions. I have to tone it down in order to get anywhere. A major obstacle for me was gaining the confidence and support of the staff, which was essential in order to maximize growth and development and to create a sense of cohesiveness. Teacher leaders don't have position power.
Teacher leadership is an undefined role as opposed to a principal or assistant principal.
There are no pigeon holes to put these people in. Balancing responsibilities to their families, their own students, and their leadership responsibilities is a challenge for all the teachers who talked with us. The press of time, the stress of building new relationships with colleagues, and the resistance of others to new ideas are just a few of the obstacles teacher leaders face. Without support, teacher leaders can succumb to these pressures and retreat to the isolation of their classrooms. The big obstacle that I face as a teacher leader is time.