Making Every Minute Count
After six years of teaching special education, I've learned so much from being a 6th grade classroom teacher this year. One thing that has weighed most heavily on me, almost daily, has been time. There just never seems to be enough of it—rushing through lessons, hurrying off to specials, and pushing through this so we can move on to that.
I must find a way to make time for the really important stuff—reading aloud every single day; working on an engaging problem the entire math block; holding longer morning meetings when we have an emotional discussion about real-life matters; and going outside to play when the sun is shining. There are so many experiences and life lessons my students would miss out on if we simply followed curriculum guides every minute of every day. I have 180 days to make a difference in my students' lives. I have to find the time to make it count.
—Andrea Cox, 6th grade teacher, Loves Park Elementary School, Loves Park, Illinois
Building a Team of Leaders
I've learned that I don't have to do it all. I'm surrounded by smart, capable people. To be a good leader, I need to recognize and draw on their strengths. No one person has every trait that makes for an exceptional leader, but together, a team of leaders can do the seemingly impossible. When everyone takes ownership of the mission at hand, change is easier to tackle.
Next year, I'll intentionally seek out other leaders who can own aspects of the work in more meaningful ways, and stop feeling pressure to know all the answers. After all, leadership shouldn't feel isolating. Instead, it should build a community that works together for the greatest good.
—Barb Casey, special education/behavior specialist, Walla Walla Public Schools, Walla Walla, Washington
Learning to Serve, Not Save
This was the year I realized my role was to serve kids, not save kids. We work in a noble profession, but it isn't one that's designed to be filled with superheroes. Instead, we should be humble servants who care for ourselves so we can care for kids. Serving and not saving doesn't mean you care less; it means you care differently.
With this new perspective, I have found more energy to be creative with my students and colleagues. I have found new ways to care for the needs of the whole child, and I've allowed others to care for me. This culture of caring has brought a rich new culture to my work. I'm looking forward to beginning next year with this energy to serve and a desire to change my students' lives in a different way.
—Robert Dillon, director of innovative learning, School District of University City, Saint Louis, Missouri
Refresh the Curriculum
The most important lesson I learned this year was that to truly change teaching practices, an educator should reevaluate and rework the curriculum on an almost constant basis. This year, I found that parts of my curriculum, which were effective only a short time ago, weren't working as well. It isn't that I didn't realize this before, but at that time, I was more focused on changing the delivery of the content and not the content itself.
I know there are better ways to teach the same standards using more engaging and relevant materials. This summer, I will revamp—not necessarily replace—my entire curriculum for the three classes I teach. I'll add some new content and will pilot several innovative teaching strategies that will be new to our district.
—Chris Elfrink, high school ELA teacher and district professional development committee chair, Woodland R-IV School District, Marble Hill, Missouri
All Hands on Tech
This year, I learned just how much my students need hands-on activities. As a high school math and physics teacher, I need to improve how I teach this generation interactively with fast-paced, media-rich activities. Students need to be challenged to use technology to learn, rather than to merely use it as a social branding tool.
This summer, I plan to film lab set-ups and experiments that students can use as a resource on lab days. I also plan to continue using tools like Quizlet Live, Pear Deck, and Kahoot! to engage, entice, and excite my students. I look forward to the challenge of bringing technology into my classroom every day.
—Robyn LaTorre, math teacher, Pleasantville Public Schools, Pleasantville, New Jersey
Mistakes to Grow On
After a staff professional development session didn't go well, I reached out to a colleague to ask what I could have done differently. He made a few comments about changes I could have made, but he also pointed out that we were at the end of a long term and that staff members were inundated with work.
His advice gave me three takeaways for next year: First, don't own every problem. Sometimes it's just not the right time for people. Second, just like our students, teachers display a range of emotions when they're tired or under pressure. And third, listen to your colleagues more. Are they exhausted or overloaded? Does the PD need to happen right at that time? Will they get something from it if they're stressed out?
Next time around, I'll aim to be more mindful of my expectations for PD sessions. Instead of assuming that colleagues will willingly follow me during sessions, I know I'll need to capture their attention and show them the worth in what we're learning, just as I would with students.
—Dan Pardy, lead teacher, Qatar Academy, Doha, Qatar
A Call for Tolerance
Since the recent presidential election, the United States has become a markedly less safe place for my students. I am a Jew who teaches high school science in an Islamic parochial school.
Mosques have been burned, hate crimes have been on the rise, and the attempted travel bans have sought to keep people from majority Muslim countries out of the United States. It's a difficult time in which we live.
After a recent anti-Muslim hate crime, our headmaster spoke to our students: "Be brave, and do not apologize for your faith. Live as Allah would have. We are an ancient faith, a faith of peace that has weathered many storms. Be alert. Let your teachers know of anything that concerns you."
I shared a message from the local Jewish community: "We stand side by side with our Muslim brothers and sisters. We, too, have known the evil of hatred. We're committed to justice and to ensuring that evil against our Muslim neighbors will not stand."
I talked with my students, and they told me about the names they are called and the whispers they hear. We discussed how to resist—how to deal with threats and violence, how to walk away, and how to stand one's ground with dignity. As class came to an end, my students decided they were not leaving my room. "We claim this as a sanctuary space," one said. "We feel safe with you."
It's not about being Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic, or Methodist. It's about being a decent human being. That's all, just decent. We can do this.
—David Stanley, teacher, Genesee Academy, Swartz Creek, Michigan
