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“I glance at my computer clock; it is already time for the next block and I forgot to eat lunch. When a Frenchman forgets about eating, this is a sign that he loves what he does.”
So says Romain Bertrand, the first multi-classroom leader (MCL) at Ranson IB Middle School in Charlotte, N.C., today in “Expand Your Reach: New-world role combines coaching teachers and teaching students” on Education Next. Walking readers through a piece of a typical day, Bertrand explains how he leads two pods of three teachers and one learning coach (or teaching assistant) each–and is responsible for the learning outcomes of 800 sixth- and seventh-graders.
In an Opportunity Culture, MCLs earn significantly higher pay; in the Project L.I.F.T. schools within Charlotte-Mecklenburg, that means up to $23,000 more, or 50 percent more than average teacher pay in North Carolina. MCLs get to continue teaching while providing on-the-job professional learning for their teams, planning, coaching, and collaborating with them.
Bertrand loves his job–and he wants the world to know, so other teachers can have similar, highly paid opportunities that let them advance while staying in the classroom, reaching more students with great teaching. For more about him, Multi-Classroom Leadership, and the Opportunity Culture schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, see:
Romain Bertrand’s “Expanding the Reach” blog (Follow him on Twitter: @htdcompletely)
Charlotte N.C.’s Project L.I.F.T.: One Teacher’s View of Becoming a Paid Teacher-Leader
How to Teach 800 Middle Schoolers (in EdSurge)
In the News: Multi-Classroom Leadership
Project L.I.F.T. Videos Tell Their Opportunity Culture Story
Charlotte to Expand Opportunity Culture to Almost Half its Schools
In the News: Charlotte’s Opportunity Culture Expansion
Opportunity Culture Schools: Showing N.C. How to Keep Teachers
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