I also feel that it is helpful and healthy for teachers to mingle with teachers who are from other school districts - networking.

It is sort of a sad situation in public education that teachers are not encouraged or able to make changes in work locations, i.e. working in other school districts. We’re trapped, more or less in one district. This is the case in Ohio at least as far as I am aware. Once we get into a district, begin working, find success, and establish tenure - we are pretty much stuck in one place for the reminder of our careers. We then become accustomed to doing things the way that this one school district does things, which is good and allows for stability and consistency within the district - no one wants high teacher turn-over. However, I also think that it tends to become a barrier to teacher and student growth. We sort of stagnate and perhaps become a little too comfortable. At least I wonder if we do.

And not that comfort is a bad thing. Who wants to be uncomfortable all the time? This blog thread was started on a call to help support teachers.

I learn so much from meeting other teachers, listening, sharing, touring different buildings and visiting teachers in other districts. I am fortunate to be able to do these things through professional development and the various library organizations, but I wonder if classroom teachers do not have as much freedom as I do.

I wonder how many teachers are permitted to explore new ideas and visit other schools of innovation only to return home to their district and are told, “We can’t do that here” or “That’s a great idea, but it just won’t work here.”

It doesn’t make sense and honestly it is very frustrating when you are the teacher wanting to do, try, investigate and learn more because you are so aware that the status quo just isn’t enough.

I think networking is a beneficial service that the Center for Leadership fosters through the UDL sessions and other communication methods such as this blog. I think it is so healthy for professionals (and people in general) to see what else is out there and I feel like sometimes we simply cannot.

I know we are all crunched for time and we need to be in our buildings working with the students, but we also need opportunities and encouragement to get out there, see what other people are doing, to learn and bring great new or different ideas home to our classrooms.

I think these are healthy things.

Collaboration is what is needed in the workplace, in our communities, in the home and, really, in the world. Thus, our teachers and school leaders should be the models of opennes, caring and collaboration. When a teacher feels understood and valued by her/his building principal and district office and given enough latitude to make important instructional decisions (AND live a balanced life), productivity goes up! And, this caring and collaboration extends to the students and even to their parents.

I have been in hundred’s of schools and it doesn’t take long to get a feel for the culture there. When the adults are properly taking care of each other, seeking to understand each other, learning from each other and granting grace towards each other, this has an amazing effect on how students view learning.

A final, practical thought, is that teachers need to work in teams, not isolation. They should be getting regular time away from the school for creative, collaborative planning, team training and figuring out the needs of their students. What if they were paid in the month of August to plan together and lay the groundwork for an incredible year? If teachers were really given the time and tools to implement Universal Design for Learning, for instance, significant change would take place — and it has in many schools, but far too few.

Earnest Boyer said, “I know how idealistic it may sound, but it is my urgent hope that in the century ahead students in the nation’s school will be judged not by their performance on a single test but by the quality of their lives. It’s my hope that students in the classrooms of tomorrow will be encouraged to be creative, not conforming, learning to cooperate rather than compete.”

How can we achieve this unless our teachers are also encouraged to creative, not conforming, and cooperating and not competing?

Since that time, the idea has not gone away. I am wondering (specifically Kate and Jody) what it might look like if we could make such a program appear in the world.

I guess I could ask what teachers need, but then I might get answers like more money, better behaved kids, and more computers. Those are not the things that I am thinking of. What do teachers need in a less obvious sense. I am thinking of things like a place to come together to discuss tough issues, re-energize themselves, consider new strategies, and get thoughtful and caring feedback about issues of practice.

What do teachers need?
How do we offer it?
How do we maintain it?
If we build it, will anyone come?

I appreciate everything that you both say here and take the comments to heart.

I want to know when I can meet Jody at the Center. Jody, you sound like the type of teacher and person with which I want to network. I especially like your comment about powerful conversations happening at CLE during UDL sessions - breaking down barriers through a unity of purpose.

Jeff’s last few sentences make me think of something else that I’ve learned, The Power of Intention.

Thank you for all that you do.

Can these blog sessions include emoticons? I’ll send you a warm fuzzy. Have a great day.

Jody

When I first got out of college I had perhaps the most terrible job a person could have; I worked in the Fiscal Services Department of University Hospitals, it was my job to call people who just got home from the hospital and tell them that their insurance company denied their claim, that they owed us $8500, and that we wanted it in thirty days. You can imagine the new words that I learned. The point to the story is that I never once took the yelling and profanity personally. At five o’clock I stopped being that guy. That job was what I did, it was never who I was.

Fast forward three years to the start of my teaching career. That job was never what I did, it was always who I was. When I developed what I thought was going to be a terrific lesson, only to find the information sheets left on the floor of my classroom, or crumpled up in the hallway, I was crushed. There was no other way to take it but personally. I don’t ever recall hearing about “bank teller burnout,” or “Wal-Mart greeter burnout,” as a syndrome in our country. I have heard a lot about “teacher burnout.”

In his book The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer writes “…good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.” Parker also notes that “We rarely talk to each other about teaching at any depth-and why should we when we have nothing more than ‘tips, tricks, and techniques’ to discuss. That kind of talk fails to touch the heart of a teacher’s experience.”

I hope that this site does not become about doing this instead of that, being positive instead of being negative, or facts instead of strategies for self learning.

I hope that it becomes a site where educators, and those who are passionate about educacation can take their ideas out for a “test drive” and get feedback about the merits of their strategies. By doing things as a community, I hope that the successes are somehow sweeter, and the failures are somehow less painful.

More importantly, I hope that people who come to this site are somehow more thoughtful, reflective, and aware as a result. For me, the site is about the questions, not about the answers.

I just had a chance to come back to this blog conversation and read up on recent comments. I was thrilled to see some additions particularly since this was my first experience in blogging. Since time is the premium I continue to struggle with let me make a few comments on your thoughts. John said, “How do we provide time for collaboration?” and Katie’s comment on how “every second of the school day counts…” I guess the most logical answer is to make better use of the time we do have. I have sat in countless department meetings where the topic of discussion could have been sent in a memo. I want those 45 minutes of my life back!!! Hah. I don’t want to downplay the importance of department meetings and staff meetings but I do want to say that some of this time can be put to better use and dedicated to collaboration. For example, I recently helped two colleagues set up the Smart Board hardware and software for their classroom. I did this during my planning period and during my duty period. My colleague volunteered to cover my duty so I could continue to set up the hardware. Another example, I have had several problem solving discussions with another colleague who happens to share the same duty period as I do. As the UDL coordinator for my building we set up a master roster of UDL members and their lunch, duty, and prep period times. This allows any member to contact and collaborate with any other member who shares the same open time.

To respond to John’s question of “…how can we make this of value?” The best sharing of ideas I have seen is among teachers who can immediately apply it to their classroom and their situation. I’ve shared ideas with colleagues who have said to me “I don’t think that will work for me” where other colleagues will say to me “How do you use this in your classroom and can you show me how to do it too?” The value in time is that a teacher must see how something new can be applicable to their situation, provide the most benefit for their students, and will have support to back it up. The investment in time then has value.

Responding to the statements about communication…I agree with you Katie that there is a reluctance I believe in participating in open public forums such as blogging and skype sessions. I believe people are reluctant to have their comments hanging out there to be critiqued and commented on by others. It opens you up and makes you feel vulnerable to attack. I think I have learned that participating in these forms of communication makes me feel like I’m not alone in my ideas. There are others out there that believe these ideas are worth exploring and problem-solving. I also believe that one of the main reasons why teachers are reluctant to openly have these kinds of conversations with administrators is for the same reason we don’t want to take place in blogging and skype…a fear of being judged, a fear of being criticized, a fear in some cases of retaliation. Some of the best open conversations I have experienced with colleagues, administrators, and business professionals have been at the UDL networking sessions at the Center For Leadership. Why is that fear not present at these meetings? I think it’s because we are all present for the same reasons. We are all there because we want to be there. We are all participants because we believe that what we are doing will help our students achieve to the best of their abilities and beyond. It’s all about breaking down barriers.