What do you think is the role of a Lead Teacher and the other members of a teaching team? Should every member of the teaching team have the same responsibilities? Is every member equal?
I am thinking more in terms of middle school teaching teams and elementary grade level teams (where I have had experience). I think there should be an equal amount of weight carried by all, hopefully based on everyone's strengths. That hasn't been my experience although I have seen teams where one person feels he/we do more than a particular teacher but I disagreed because I had a closer glimpse of some of the efforts of that teacher. Sometimes we perceive we are working harder than the next person. I'm not sure if that is what you are looking for. Is there a specific situation?
In my preschool class there are 2 of us. I am the lead teacher and I have a Masters degree (only B.S. is required for my position). The associate teacher has to have at least an associate (2 yr) degree in child development. I do the lesson planning with input and ideas from her and I do student assessments. She takes care of most of the paper work such as attendance & lunch counts. During class time, I lead large groups, we both do small groups and we equally split the other things that need to be done such as class set up and clean up.
I have worked as a co-teacher in a PS room. We would sit down and plan to lesson together. We just brainstormed and wrote it down. Most of our activities used items in the classroom. When we needed other props, one of us would have it at home and bring it in. We worked together very well. We covered the room, backed each other up, and keep the activities flowing. I might add that I loved the messy stuff, and she was a neat freak. We complimented each other and had a great time.
I have seen both models - co-teachers or lead teacher and assistant teacher. Both can work well depending upon the personalities. In a Reggio inspired environment I think co-teachers work well because they can brainstorm their observations and plan together. Sometimes I have seen assistant teachers act more like aides and not really plan or do circle time, etc. I think it is important to have clear job descriptions in either situation. I saw an ugly one happen when the original teacher was told she was the lead teacher and would be in charge and when they added the second teacher they told her she would be a co-teacher - lots of friction - all the director's fault, imo.
