100 Posts in 100 Days
As the name suggests, my idea for “The Pulse” is that it is a place to share resources that have meaning or impact to me, in the hopes that they might touch you, too. I’ve been imagining it as a place where links, recommendations, and insights from experts are shared. A curation of things I want to pass along.
I was keeping a list of things I came across over the last week that I wanted to share.
Then last Friday happened. All the inspiration I needed was right there with me in the form of a group of committed teachers open to their own learning and growth.
Imagine the setting: 12 teachers are in the final moments of a 9 week course of study that included a personalized cycle of inquiry about their teaching and student learning. For the closing moments, the teachers have been handed a compilation of their own written reflections over the 9 weeks. They were asked to read their own evolving thoughts, consider their inquiry journey, and develop a response to the prompt:
As a result of my learning, I commit to_________.
After a few moments to think, the teachers and the coach facilitators step outside, into the unusually cold, but still sunny day. We locate the sunniest (and warmest) spot on the lawn that we can find and configure ourselves in a circle. One-by-one each teacher shares something that he or she learned that they want to continue doing for this year and well into next year. Once the first teacher shared, others naturally added on or extended on ideas they had heard.
Everyone’s contributions were personalized, meaningful, and motivating. Two responses were particularly inspirational for me. They represent “The Pulse”, ideas that keep me going. We didn’t record or script the teachers’ contributions, so what follows is the paraphrased essence of what they shared.
Nikki Bingham, Upper School Language Arts Teacher
What I commit to is more learning. As teachers, we often plan things that turn out successful and go as planned. Well, my inquiry didn’t quite go as I anticipated it might. Because of that, I have been researching and looking for more resources and information. I found a course offered this summer that I would never have found if it had not been for my less-than-successful inquiry experience and I’ve enrolled in it. This is the first time in my career that I can see that I am seeking more professional learning as a result of the professional learning I just had. And, I can honestly say, this is the kind of learning with purpose and meaning that I want to be able to provide for my own students.
When I asked Nikki her permission to use her name and share her story, she added on:
“…one of the things I’m excited about as I move forward with my own learning is that I don’t feel bound to minute-by-minute success because part of my inquiry is about how I think, and trying to create a shift in my own thinking styles first. No matter how long it takes me to really feel successful with this inquiry in the classroom, I’ll have the daily successes of my own ability to think more broadly, less dogmatically, and more empathetically. “
Gian Aquino, Band Teacher
Like what was just said, I commit to being more intentional about how I plan and how I interact with my students. Can I please say something else, though? I didn’t know what to expect when all of this started. I didn’t understand how it was going to help me. But I came and I tried what I was learning. When this started, I was a music teacher. Now, I am a musician’s teacher.
Collective deep breaths, collective silence, collective goosebumps. When these 2 teachers shared their insights, we all just paused and allowed their words to fill the center of that circle. I fully believe that when teachers in a school are learning, students are learning. Thank you, Nikki and Gian, and all the members of cohort 7 for illustrating that truth and providing a healthy dose of inspiration.