Connected?

Ruminations of my life as a teacher

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Standing on the shoulders of newbies

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” (or newbies)

— Isaac Newton, letter to Robert Hooke

 

This post is dedicated to Erin, Jenn, Mags, and Wags.

The more I think about my teaching career, the more I realize the number of people that have influenced what I do in the classroom.  On the one hand, as I’ve said earlier, I have always looked to those above me for inspiration and have sought to work under people with strong leadership qualities who know education.  These people have always been great resources when I needed to “advance my game.”  On the other hand, my grade level partners and other teaching colleagues have also been inspirational and helpful in improving my practice.

What’s funny is that for the first 6-8 years of my teaching career, I practically sought reclusion!  My day was too busy to spend chit chatting about lesson ideas.  I already had ideas and I didn’t care what color my bulletin boards were going to be or if they matched the walls!  What I needed was the time to plan my ideas out into lessons.  What started changing my thinking was the addition of a few young, new teachers working at my school.  At some point, I overheard one of them talking about how she structured her math class.  I had halfheartedly sought an approach to teaching math that would avoid boring the kids who picked up a concept quickly.  In addition, there are always kids that respond remarkably well to small group instruction.  For whatever reason, if they are 20 feet from the teacher, they do not understand, but if they are three feet from the teacher, they “get it.”  I fretted over what seemed like periods of “down-time” for some people during math class.  After hearing this novice teacher speak, I was suddenly struck by the realization that other people might have superior approaches to managing a class than I!  Or at the very least, I could build on their ideas to form my own new idea!  Sadly, this had never occurred to me before.  I began forging closer relationships with the “newcomers” and what poured forth were many fresh approaches.  Similarly, they seemed interested in my thoughts and ideas and a connection was formed that provided inspiration for many improvements in my approach and a better attitude toward collaboration from me.

What came out of this initial realization was the idea of splitting my class up into three groups of 6-8 students.  During class, the groups rotate through two independent stations and one with me where they receive instruction on the current day’s math concept.  These days, one of the stations utilizes laptop computers and is technology driven, giving me a high level of accountability and the students a high level of engagement.  My students continually give me positive feedback about this approach and groan in pain if, for some reason, we deviate from this approach.  The time flies by for everyone, I’m always instructing to small groups where I can easily monitor everyone’s progress, and I can more easily differentiate instruction (note:  nothing is easy for me).

The trick for me is staying open to the mentors-my school network-that exist around me and allowing them in to my world.  The experience I’ve described above is the first time I remember being inspired in a material way by my colleagues around me.  I’m sure I missed many amazing opportunities before and since, to be positively impacted.  It is but one example of a time I was inspired by an amazing team of teachers with whom I had the pleasure of working for several years.

This experience showed me that mentors are not always older than me and that “connecting” is a two-way street.  It showed me what most teachers seem to grasp more easily than I . . . that it is our duty as educators to keep an open mind and open ears when others are talking.  One can never tell when one might hear something that will end up positively impacting teaching and learning.

So, cheers to the newcomers that rejuvenated my teaching and became my mentors in the process!  I can’t thank you enough!

I can’t end this post without also mentioning that this group of educators was extremely open to the idea of debate.  This was pointed out by Jenn in the comments section of my first post.  I miss the very honest exchange of ideas, without offense being taken.  When people are forced to support their viewpoints aloud, something magical happens if it’s approached in the proper spirit, with that element of trust.  The frequency of the debates to which I am referring is all too rare.

Cheers!

Who is this guy, and why is he here?

“Who is this guy, and why is he here?”  This is item number one on my Back to School Night agenda each year.  I know, it’s a funny time to be thinking about the beginning of a new school year, but the question has been popping into my mind lately.  This question is high on my agenda because I think it’s why parents show up to Back to School Night in the first place.  As a parent, it’s the only thing I want to know as I meet my child’s teacher for the first time.  Since I am a recovering accountant with about 9 years of business experience, I want the parents of my students to know that I bring a different set of experiences than they might be used to.  Not better, just different.

I have now been teaching for 17 years, and every few years I start to ask myself the questions.  Who am I and why am I here?  Should I be here?  When the voices in my head begin to ask these questions so often that I can no longer ignore them, I begin to consider the answers.  The questions led me to take a graduate class entitled, “Teacher Practice in a Connected World.”  After 17 years, am I “connected?”  This is a great question for all teachers to ponder every once in a while, especially given the dizzying array of responsibilities heaped on educators.

The first idea the course has focused on is the fact that teaching is often an isolated profession.  Can isolated teachers be connected?  Do I teach in isolation?  Like the clichéd layers of an onion, the more I read about connected teachers, the more layers of questions I have for myself.

One thing that can connect anyone to new and different ideas is a mentor.  As an accountant and a teacher, I have always sought connection with a mentor.  To me, it feels a little like cheating.  If I find someone I respect who is knowledgeable, positive, and friendly, I will put myself in the best possible environment to feel challenged, supported, and, best of all, lead.

I have many mentors and role models among the amazing teachers in my elementary school.  The most influential mentor I’ve had as an educator is my current principal.  I may be old fashioned in my thinking, but I believe school principals should love and excel at teaching first.  In the world outside education, with good reason, that’s how things often work.  Good engineers get promoted to lead other engineers.  Things don’t always work the same way in education because to become an administrator, one must first be “certified.”  That significantly narrows the pool of potential principals who have also been excellent teachers, which is a shame in my opinion.  I’ve been pretty lucky regarding those who’ve become leaders in the schools in which I have worked.

My mentor always has time to talk about teaching.  I’ve never asked, but I’m pretty sure his goal in becoming an administrator was to have access to an entire school of teachers to talk with about teaching.  Just about every conversation I’ve had with this person about teaching has gone on until one of us absolutely had to go to another appointment.  I know others in my school have had a similar experience.

Wharton Business School professor Adam Grant talks a lot about “givers” and “takers.”  Mentors, or givers, are people who impart their knowledge with enthusiasm.  Like Adam Grant suggests, as a mentor, it’s also important to realize when you don’t have expertise and find ways to connect people who can support each other.  My mentor is such a person.  Through my journey with National Board Certification, becoming a writing fellow through the Pennsylvania Writing and Literacy Project, identifying helpful resources, or simply working on a professional goal, my mentor has made a material difference in my professional journey.  I am fortunate to be connected to this educator.

So, who am I?

As I reflect, I’m not sure I know the answer.  What I do know is that I am lucky to be connected with so many amazing educators that continue to influence my practice every day.  I am lucky to feel lead.  Who I am as a teacher is the product of those I’ve allowed to influence me.  I’m learning what it means to be “connected.”  In some ways, I’m realizing that I meet the definition of a connected teacher, and in some ways, I’m realizing that I need to notice the opportunities I have every day to more fully connect with the colleagues I see daily and the other outstanding educators I can meet through literature and technology.  An obvious benefit, that I often overlook, is the warm sense of community this brings.  There are many givers in this community.  It feels good to realize they are so close, when I didn’t even realize they were there at all.

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