The Death of Math Efficacy in a Performative Culture
- Phonisha Hawkins
- Aug 5
- 2 min read
My individual teacher efficacy used to vary directly (math fun š) based on the leadership I was under. I have had leaders who helped me see how high I could fly, and there have been some who had me questioning my ability to do anything effectively.
Performative leadership can leave you feeling like you are just a box on their list of things to check off. Their loyalty to deadlines and appearances does not include your development or growth of the power you should feel. They are concerned about optics and if youāre not careful, your confidence becomes performative too. You start nodding when youāre unsure. You stop asking questions because youāre afraid itāll be used against you. You say āgot itā when you donāt, because looking ready gets you further than being honest. You become more concerned with looking confident than actually feeling it.
But that is what performative and compliant leadership does.
It makes confidence conditional.
The best days of my sixteen year career in middle school math education were the days where my coach, my principal, my specialist, and my director allowed me to be transparently me. They knew my love for curriculum and teacher support and they nourished it. They understood that I had a hard time being compartmentalized, so they did not make me choose. They knew I would think outside of what was easy for me and go after what was best for teachers and students, even if it meant I had to work through my own issues. They demanded I have a seat at the table. And that was it. My belief in my ability to teach students, lead teams, or work alongside district folk all came because not only did they see Mrs. Hawkins, they let Phonisha do her thing, while I stood on their shoulders to keep me balanced.
Did I make mistakes along the way? Absolutely.
But the difference was the leaders coached me through it to make me better. When I doubted myself, they reminded me of my strengths and still demanded I strive in my weaknesses.
Someone like me, I need to be able to create and think big in the work I do. The presentation has to match the quality of the content, and when I can do both, my confidence soars. A performative culture kills self-efficacy. It rewards appearance, not authenticity. And efficacy cannot survive that.
While you are performing to check a box, I am trying to fill that box with something good.
Next up, Don't Confuse Compliance with Support
Your focus driven purpose to highlight a need to shift the dynamics of teaching is feeding my educatorās soul. Lady Hawk keep sharing the public need to read and hear your voice!
I would love to ask that this blog be reshared. It doesnāt just highlight strong leadershipāit speaks directly to the heart of what it means to learn, grow, and lead through the complexities of education.
As leaders, we often forget that we are still learning tooāstill being shaped as creators, educators, and guides for others. This blog captures that truth so powerfully.
My own teacher efficacy used to rise and fall based on the leadership I was under. Iāve experienced both endsāleaders who helped me fly, and those who left me questioning my value. This post gave voice to that reality.
Performative leadership can chip away at our confidence. It teaches us to act ready even when weāre not. Butā¦
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs. The honesty is refreshing and I always leave with a call to action. As a leader of a school, I am sitting with this: āTheir loyalty to deadlines and appearances does not include your development or growth of the power you should feel. They are concerned about optics and if youāre not careful, your confidence becomes performative too.ā
This is a call to admin to prioritize the people we are trusted to serve. This is the difference between people who lead for the title and notoriety and those who lead because we love and believe in the work. š¤
The best way to support student learning is to support teachers in charge of student learning. Phonisha, this latest piece demonstrates how you intimately understand the value of elevated leadership. No teachers should have to look over their backs. Styles can differ. But values... not so much. The value of honoring teachers who are dialed in and want to deliver is nonnegotiable.