A few months ago, I decided to take a risk, I wanted to put myself in a position of uncomfortableness. I signed up to take an art class. This was a beginning class in pastels. I excitedly paid my fees and purchased all of the necessary materials. I walked into that first class pretty nervous. Everyone was very kind and shared stories about their first class, to put me at ease. As we begun, I looked around and realized that I was the only "beginner" in the class. The teacher gave us a picture as an inspiration for our creation. And then she just started creating her own. I had no idea what I was doing, there was no instruction. But I gave it a whirl and my canvas looked like a hot mess. At some point, the teacher came by and saw my frustration. She took my pastels and began adding to my piece. I left there with a half lovely image and no understanding of using pastels. I rolled into the second class, a little apprehensive. This time, we were able to choose a picture of what we wanted to create. Again, no instruction. So I did the best I could and it was not good. At one point, the teacher came over - and took over. For the next 15 minutes, she thoroughly enjoyed herself and I just sat there wondering why I was even there. I walked out of there with a lovely creation that I had no hand in. In fact, when I went home, I took my pastels and attempted to recreate some of what the teacher had created on my canvas. What I ended up doing was covering the whole thing in black and throwing it away. I never went back. Do we cause this same thing for our teachers? This incident got me thinking about educators, curriculum, PD and trust. Why? Because I believe that teaching is an art. It is a creative profession. Or at least, it should be. When teachers are given a box of curriculum, I think of it like a box of pastels. To me, it is a box of resources that should be used to create. It is not a color by number, it is not a script to follow. I want teachers to be empowered to be critical consumers of curriculum. I want teachers to feel free to take risks, to look at an activity/strategy and adapt it to increase the rigor and relevance for their students. I want them to be able to create experiences for their students that will be more engaging, more student centered and sticky. I want them to be able to look at their class and make decisions to best meet their needs. This absolutely can not be done from inside a box. There is no way that anyone, besides the teacher in that room, knows what is best for his/her kids. So why do I still hear people say that teachers need to be fidelitous to the "curriculum"? If all we are asking teachers to do is regurgitate what is on the pages of a teachers' edition, we are no better than my art teacher. We are basically asking them to sit back while the publisher does the work. They are in the passenger seat. We aren't supporting them, just showing them. And is this what is best for kids? I don't see how it can be. In 2018, I wrote a post entitled "The Power of Can't", in which I discussed how that word, "can't" closes the doors on kids before they even try to turn the knob. Within that post, I also spoke a little bit about how that word can also stifle us adults in our journey forward. Lately, I have been ruminating over this word some more. What is the power of that word, when it is said about us, as educators? To me, this does double damage. It hurts the teacher and it hurts the students. Here are some of the phrases I have heard in regards to educators - they don't necessarily have that exact word in it, but I believe there is the same effect: - they are not curriculum writers - they don't have the capacity to think beyond the "script" - they don't know how to make the connections - they can't transfer the teaching of skills How do we know any of this? What are these phrases based on? Just like students, if that is our belief, then that is what we create. If we don't give educators the opportunities to be creative, to take risks, to make connections, to think beyond the box- they won't. There is a seemingly small moment that happened within the first month of my new position. And as I have said many times, it is usually the small moments that have the biggest impact! And EVERY day, this memory goes through my head. EVERY day. I was in front of a group of teacher leaders, discussing a shift in writing. A teacher raised her hand and said "Why are we always talking about what needs to be changed? Why don't we start with what we are doing right?" And my response was "You are absolutely right, why aren't we?". And ever since that day, I start my PD sessions right there. I use my good friend, John Eick's quote to help drive this idea home:
We need to provide educators with the tools, the time and the opportunity to take risks. To think beyond the box to meet those kids. When we plan professional development, we need to make sure to model what this looks like. We need to give educators an opportunity to dig in and an explore new ideas, with one another. If we are going to take teachers away from their students, I want them to walk away with something that will benefit those students. I want them to walk away with excitement about teaching and learning. I don't believe that can be found in a box. If we make teachers sit and get and turn pages how are we building trust? We don't, we are in fact building the complete opposite.
Don't get me wrong- I am not saying to throw the box out the window ( I can't, I believe it is actually illegal). I am proposing that we support teachers in becoming critical consumers of curriculum. To learn how to look at something within that box and enhance it, tweak it, expand it. My goal, any time I have the opportunity to work with educators is to hopefully provide them with some ideas or strategies as a jumping off point on how they can look at and do things differently. When I open up that space, THAT is when I get to hear about all the things they are already doing right! But, here is the sad part- so many times as I lean in to listen, they whisper, stop talking completely or say "I know I'm not supposed to..." They actually feel ashamed for doing good things for kids! And THAT is heartbreaking. Innovation and creativity among teachers should not be hidden, it should be celebrated. How can we say that we want our students to take risks, to be creative, to critically think- when our teachers don't feel like they have that same right? My call to action is this: Regardless of your role, reflect on if your words and actions are closing the door on teachers, learning and ultimately students or if you are laying down the bridge of possibilities.
4 Comments
Louise Roberts
11/23/2019 12:00:13 pm
"When we plan professional development, we need to make sure to model what this looks like." So important. Real live examples are worth a thousand words.
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Susan Gosman
12/1/2019 08:04:50 pm
That's My Niece!!!
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3/7/2024 03:20:04 pm
Howja like todo lottsa gobbsa
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3/7/2024 03:21:14 pm
You're everything to me;
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