Last week I got my big feelings a tiny bit hurt. While responding to English 2 journals, I came across an entry that stopped me in my tracks. With the brutal honesty of a teenager, a boy (we’ll call him “David”) revealed that last year English was his favorite class, but this year he isn’t really feeling a connection.
I instantly became defensive. What does Mr. Greiner do that I don’t do? I’m trying so hard to connect with all of my students this year. That boy just has a chip on his shoulder. He obviously hates me for no good reason. Ugh. Why do I even try? Overreact much? But this Tuesday I spent some time observing in my colleagues’ classrooms as a trained IPI (Instructional Practices Inventory) data collector for my district. While I was predominantly collecting data about student engagement, I couldn’t help but notice the different teaching styles of my fellow teachers. One of my major take-aways came after visiting Mr. Greiner’s classroom: he was incredibly charismatic and engaging with his students. He cracked jokes, drew them in, and connected from the front of his classroom. He had their rapt attention. Well, no wonder David loved English last year! I’m boring compared to that! My reflections didn’t end there, though. That same afternoon, colleagues came into my classroom for IPI data collection, and I barely knew they were there. My English 2 students were all busy with their independent reading books while I held a quiet reading conference with another student. I sat next to him in the back of the room and asked a few questions about his newest book. We had recently upped his page goal for the week, and so we talked about his different reading rates and why sometimes we readers choose to read books twice. I wasn’t charismatic, and I wasn’t cracking jokes. But I was connecting in a different way. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul writes of the Church that we are “one body” with “many parts.” In a way, I think the same can be said of a healthy school environment. While it goes without saying that all of the teachers in our district are gifted in teaching, we are gifted in different ways. Some of us command attention and teach through charisma and humor; others come alongside quietly and teach through conversation. Some teach best with well-documented lesson plans; others come up with new ideas at the spur-of-the-moment and teach through trying different techniques each year. Maybe we rely on the textbook or student-led discussions or hands-on labs. Walking through the halls of our school, you will see it all. As Paul writes, “If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” There are many teachers, but one school. Our students have different learning styles, so our different teaching techniques are desirable, even necessary. Maybe David will connect better with Mr. Greiner’s style, and maybe Monica will connect more in my room. That doesn’t mean I quit trying to engage with David. It just means I can show myself a little more grace if I’m not every student’s favorite teacher. Finally, more proof of our diversity working together can be seen in our school’s annual Homecoming video. Different members of our staff agree to be humiliated in front of the camera (and YouTube!) for the enjoyment of the student body. Some teachers shuffle feet in the background, some don outrageous costumes and flail their limbs unabashedly, and others just laugh at the rest of us from the auditorium. Many teachers, one school.
3 Comments
For many years I allowed comparisons and comments like the one made by David to slowly destroy my self-esteem. I was in a two person department and so it was really obvious who was the popular teacher of the two (not me). When I would ask my colleague for lesson ideas to share he would say no. I was isolated and frustrated. Then I moved schools and decided I wasn't going to be that person. I share the wisdom that comes with many years of teaching. I share anything if a teacher asks. Slowly I have regained the lost self-esteem brought on by comparisons. I like your mantra MANY TEACHERS ONE SCHOOL.
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9/27/2015 12:18:21 pm
I think your post is very timely. It reminded me of Pope Francis remarks about globalization. He spoke about how retaining individual differences is important while at the same time unifying for the community's good.
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Katie
9/28/2015 02:36:46 pm
Kim,
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