This winter has been taking its toll on my enthusiasm and excitement, but that all changed this week.
First we got back winter data, and although there was growth in some areas and classrooms, it wasn't district wide and not the growth I was hoping for.
Then it seemed like the teachers weren't jumping on the bandwagon this semester. We had asked them to watch two videos, read a short article, and contribute a blog to further their learning about clear learning intentions. They weren't refusing to do the work, but there seemed to be lots of reasons why it wasn't getting done. So my team felt like the teachers were "laying low", and we didn't feel like much was getting accomplished.
It just felt like no one had the time or felt any urgency to look at changing things to be more effective in the classroom. I understand that change is scary and in the daily grind of being a teacher sometimes it feels like if you ask me to do one more thing I will explode. I have been the type of teacher that was always open to new ideas (if they were good ones that had research behind them or had been successful for people that I valued their opinion) and better ways of doing something. I wasn't afraid to try new things, and I knew I may not get it right the first time, or the second time, or I might just fall flat on my face. But if I stuck with it and worked through it, things in my classroom could improve.
But then this week happened. My team and I have been diligently working with some teachers who are willing to try new things and make change happen. There have been several conversations filled with excitement and renewed enthusiasm as teachers use the new strategies and like what they see. Students are making gains, engagement is improving, there is a better understanding of standards, and the day to day struggle of classroom behavior is getting easier. I finally feel like we are starting to make some change that is good for our students. Teachers are starting to see the importance of clearly stated learning intentions, and they are exploring what might happen if they lay out the success criteria at the beginning of the lesson/unit. This recharges my enthusiasm and makes me feel like the work I am doing is making a difference, and it makes me want to keep trying to be an agent of change in our district.
So stay tuned.
