Fall is Coming!

 

Fall is Coming! Fall is Coming!

Even the creamer in the grocery store is anticipating the fall.  I found Pumpkin Spice Creamer at the West Lafayette Meijer and I only bought four bottles.  It took some self-control and a reminder from my family that I still have three bottles of Coconut to use up.

I was in the grocery store because this year, I'm at a bit of a loss. In a normal year, I'd be decking out my classroom, shelving the new young adult books I'd read over the summer, and anticipating a room full of vibrant seventh- and eighth-grade students.  I'd even planned to ditch the teaching of Once and Future King in favor of the Hobbit for this year. In June, I was offered a wonderful opportunity, to become an Instructional Coach for the school corporation's southside middle schools. I would actually get to go into classrooms and observe some of the best teachers in the business and ask them what they wanted from an instructional coach.

I've had the privilege of working with all three of our district's prior coaches and had wonderful experiences with these former teachers.  Now I get to try to step into those shoes, myself. I'm not sure what to expect, and I'm not sure the best way to get started.  I've met with two of my three future principals and I couldn't ask for stronger leaders.  I even have an office to set up.  I've started work on a coaching menu to advertise my services and I'm seeking projects and partners.  I get to work with the legendary Sarah Powley and the other three teachers selected to serve as instructional coaches. They are phenomenal people and I really can't wait to get started.

That is exactly the issue.  I try to be planned for the first quarter for all of my classes by this time.  This year, I am going to have to accept that planning isn't going to put me ahead.  This year needs to be devoted to listening.  It's not about what I can do to get ready, it's about how I can help the teachers in the three buildings I serve to meet their goals.  I need to be ready, not will plans, but with support.  Not with posters and seating charts, but with a willingness to build relationships with teachers in the same way teachers seek to build relationships with their students.  It's a new way to begin, but I can't wait to get started.

When Change is Happening

Change is good, right? That is what we are told and we all value people who are flexible and adaptable to many circumstances. 

Change is also challenging. This summer, two of my children have moved back into my house. It's temporary and joyful to have them, but it has also meant change.  We have an extra dog, I've lost my office and my things are spread all over the house as we make room for two additional people.

Change is also what we'll be facing this fall. Questions remain about how the Delta variant will impact schools, but it is looking more like we will start school without the severe limitations we saw in the last year.

As registration begins, parents are facing the necessity of sending their children to buildings where masks may not be mandated and close contact is likely. Change.

Many of us have taken some time this summer to evaluate what we do as educators.  Is it worth returning in the fall? Is there a way we might find employment that serves us better? Is there a different school or role that might allow us to achieve a better life balance?  Change.  Even returning to a job you love involves change because that job will be different than it was last year.

This is what I have discovered as I examine my own change. I'm trying to learn about a new position, learn a new language for that position, and adapt to a new role in education.  As I do this, a quotation from Jim Knight stands out, "When teachers strive with all their might, their quest is to do all they can so their students can experience as much growth, joy, power, and learning as possible" (High-Impact Instruction 2).  Helping teachers to help students experience as much growth, joy, power, and learning as possible seems a good place to start.  

May the changes you face allow you to experience as much growth, joy, power, and learning as possible as you adapt to this new school year in whatever role you find yourself. It may require you to be both flexible and adaptable, but the outcome is a worthy one.

Mid-Summer Reflections

It's the last day of June and I'm still tired. Although this has been a very rewarding year for me as a teacher, I loved my students, and, as usual, they taught me far more than I could have hoped to teach them, I am still struggling with the changes brought about by COVID. I did not video record every class. I did not reach out to every student who missed my class every day. Those were expectations that I could not meet. I compromised.  I reached out two to three times per week and kept notes for all students in Canvas.  I tried to let Google Meet run live all day every day so that students could ask questions from home if they chose to do so.  I was not the remote teacher I wanted to be.  My expectations for myself are still higher than I can hope to meet.  No matter how hard I work, how much I plan, or how many new ideas I implement, I never meet all my own expectations.  I have had to learn to compromise.  If compromise is hard to do with yourself, imagine how hard it is to reach with others. This is hard.  This is one of many reflections I'm examining as I take on a new role in education.

New Position: I have accepted the opportunity to become an instructional coach for Wea Ridge, Southwestern, and Wainwright Middle Schools.  I am delighted to return to the south side of Tippecanoe County to support teachers and students.  I can't wait to get to work with the Huskies, Wildcats, and Mustangs!

New Hobby: I picked up beading.  Now I'm officially a perfect customer for shopping at Von's. Books & beads.

Challenges: How to be the kind of support to our teachers that they need most.

Learning: The language of instructional coaching.

Reading:

High-Impact Instruction - Jim Knight

Better Conversations - Jim Knight

Coaching for Equity - Elena Aguilar

and, of course,

Connections Over Compliance by Lori Desautels

Onward by Elena Aguilar

I hope you have time for your own reflections!

6/30/21