Not long ago I sat through a long meeting in which consultants laid out our school’s new branding. There was talk of appropriate fonts, swirls versus swishes, and inspirational phrasing. I don’t remember many details from that day’s meeting, but I do recall telling myself that I should brand myself.
Branding has come to bombard our daily lives whether or not we realize it. Companies spend chunks of their budget to create iconic logos, materials, etc. to represent their ‘brand.’ My graphic designer friends work hard to craft letters and images that best enhance the message of a company to attract customers. Schools are no different. Especially within the independent school community, branding can sometimes overshadow curriculum.
Why can’t teachers brand themselves? Yet, we already do, but have yet to enhance the messaging around our individual brands. I am an educational brand. A student once told me that I was a destination educator. Recently an administrator at my school said that I was a rite of passage for students. While this is flattering and my ego certainly enjoys this idea, this notion reinforces my idea that I am a brand. How I teach; what I teach; and my interaction styles are unique to me. All of this goes beyond the individual personalities of teacher. Schools often assert that what teachers create are the school’s intellectual property. So… once I unfurl my ideas and projects in class they belong to the school. This idea cracks me up. I have used different versions of dozens of projects at several schools - whoops. I’d love to see one school sue another school over a violation of intellectual properties,
So beyond this idea of intellectual property, teacher as brands brings up several great questions. First, what does a teacher’s brand consist of and how can a teacher market their brand? Second, how can teachers leverage their brands to enhance their professional status within their school and community? Yet, another issue has caught my attention. This issue centers on the relationship between a school’s reputation and a teacher’s brand. When a school has a strong, positive reputation that enhances teachers’ brands. However, if a school has a poor reputation, that can have a negative impact on teachers’ brands. Teachers can benefit or suffer from the reputation of their school and this impacts their brand. In real estate it might be beneficial to invest in the ugliest house on a nice street, I don’t think it works out so well for teachers at schools with poor reputations. If you are a great teacher but the local education community does not think highly of your school – your brand suffers. If you try to change jobs, you often struggle to gain respect. My aunt once told me that she wouldn’t hire chefs from restaurants with bad reputations. I’m guessing schools are often similar. Being the best teacher at an iffy school (much like a good chef and a bad eatery) hurts your brand and limits your leverage within the educational community.
Moving forward, how can teachers assert their power by establishing or solidifying their brands? What are the key pieces of a teacher’s brand? And, how can teachers protect themselves and their brand from being damaged by a school’s reputation?