I liked the analogy that "we are not the engine that makes education run, rather we are the mechanic who fixes and tweaks the engine as it runs itself. We support this monumental shift by making education transparent." As teachers, we are managing a classroom of "mechanics", who will eventually be building an education highway filled with automobiles built for a continually changing cyperspace.
Another point that impressed me was that "We must encourage collaboration and observation. Educators are not competitors, nor should we be. It does take a village to raise a child, but it also takes someone to show the village ways of doing things it had never thought of." During the past two years, our fourth grade teachers at Hollibrook have worked collaboratively, and observing each others' teaching skills while respecting our teaching styles. Although there was a dose of competitiveness, it was good because we were fueled and energized to keep the momentum going throughout our teaching despite many obstacles. It was very obvious that when we worked collaborately our students were also motivated or driven to do the best they could do; whether it was academic or being a good citizen. In the end, all fourth grade teachers were proud of our students who tried their best in having a successful year in fourth grade. HATS OFF TO MY PEERS IN FOURTH GRADE!
You are so right, Mary. Teamwork is the essence of success. 1st grade is also working together to make our students the best at Hollibrook. 1st grade is a great team!!
ReplyDeleteYes! The key words, support, collaboration, teamwork!!
ReplyDeleteEach of us has been gifted with a unique ability and all we need to do is
open to it, explore it, develop it and ultimately offer it wholeheartedly to
all those who can benefit from it. We must strive to move beyond a
survival mentality which separates us from others and creates the
illusion of lack, making us miserly in our giving and miserable in
our being.
An Inuit proverb states that "Friends make gifts and gifts make friends",
showing us that it is through our reciprocal relationships of giving
and receiving that we become connected, inspired, enriched, happy and joyful. There are always opportunities for lending support to others.
So to you, my fellow teachers, I say, if you give support to others,
you not only open a pathway of knowledge to others, but, you provide
that pathway to continue down the road to our students, so that they
too can continue to expand the knowledge, when we are not around!
The world will be a better place for future generations!
Expand the knowledge! Don't hold back! Share, support others, and
work together!
I apprecite the fact that if it takes a village to teach a child, we have to put our competiveness to the side and share ideas on how we are to teach that child. Learning from each other will only help the children. Taking ideas from one another and adjusting them to meet our needs is really meant to meet the childrens needs. We know where they are and how are we going to get them there?
ReplyDeleteYou are not the only one that spends so many hours trying over and over. To make you feel better let me tell you that it took me two week to get my courage together to restart. Then, I spent two days of reading one and a thousand times the directions before I start writing this. What I found very interesting in your comments is that after hearing a kind of frustration, I see you are already planning how to use this new tool with your students. And that is great!!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, excellent team work fourth grade teachers are doing!!