am i on an island?
because i sure as heck feel isolated.
my complaints are so trivial compared to those of so many, but to me they feel like a lot right now.
"what would you say are some of your greatest strengths as a teacher?" they asked me in my interview.
"no one could ever say this job is easy, and we would be foolish to try and do it on our own. so i would say my greatest strength as a teacher is my willingness to collaborate. i am constantly seeking feedback and opportunities to learn from my colleagues." was my HONEST-TO-GOODNESS response.
i was so blessed to experience the potential of collaboration during my student teaching experience, both through my Team Sexy cohort at WOU and my Grade-A-Like teams at my school. i came into my first year of teaching with such high hopes of working with new teams of teachers. even after i learned that every single one of the 5 teachers on my grade-level team was new to the grade - i allowed myself to become excited at the idea of trying new things TOGETHER.
and so far... i've been disappointed.
it seems like everyone is so intent on taking care of their own agenda, we've lost sight of the bigger picture. meanwhile... i'm still abandoned out there in that portable all alone.
sigh.
i just finished the book Educating Esme. it was absolutely fantastic and comes highly recommended by me to all of my teacher-friends out there. she has several incredible quotes, but one of them i plan on using as my go-to excuse for all my odd behaviors:
"Maybe it's because it's so hard being the only grown-up in the room all day long."
makes you a bit nutty.
my complaints are so trivial compared to those of so many, but to me they feel like a lot right now.
"what would you say are some of your greatest strengths as a teacher?" they asked me in my interview.
"no one could ever say this job is easy, and we would be foolish to try and do it on our own. so i would say my greatest strength as a teacher is my willingness to collaborate. i am constantly seeking feedback and opportunities to learn from my colleagues." was my HONEST-TO-GOODNESS response.
i was so blessed to experience the potential of collaboration during my student teaching experience, both through my Team Sexy cohort at WOU and my Grade-A-Like teams at my school. i came into my first year of teaching with such high hopes of working with new teams of teachers. even after i learned that every single one of the 5 teachers on my grade-level team was new to the grade - i allowed myself to become excited at the idea of trying new things TOGETHER.
and so far... i've been disappointed.
it seems like everyone is so intent on taking care of their own agenda, we've lost sight of the bigger picture. meanwhile... i'm still abandoned out there in that portable all alone.
sigh.
i just finished the book Educating Esme. it was absolutely fantastic and comes highly recommended by me to all of my teacher-friends out there. she has several incredible quotes, but one of them i plan on using as my go-to excuse for all my odd behaviors:
"Maybe it's because it's so hard being the only grown-up in the room all day long."
makes you a bit nutty.
Comments
Hope your fellow teachers bond more. Hope you find ways to help make that happen... baby steps.
LOVE,
DAD