By The Educator Collaborative Fellow Dr. Towanda Harris
As an educator of twenty-plus years, I must confess that my first few years of teaching were filled with a task-mastering, scope-and-sequence-completing, test-prepping version of myself that I understandably leave off my resume. In fact, I sometimes wish I had a redo of the first five years or a chance to dish out apologies to former students who cringed or scrunched their faces with frustration when my infamous timed worksheets were distributed. I was on a teacher’s fast track path, and within my first five years of teaching, I became the “Teacher of the Year” and was featured on the local news to ask me what the secret sauce was. Spoiler alert: there was none.
My first few years lacked thought partners on my personal growth journey. Instead, they were filled with folks who relied on curriculum professional development and packaged programs to innovate their thinking. But as educators, we need adequate support in order to avoid slipping into the kind of isolation that often leads to adult-centered approaches (that then morph into adult-centered decisions).
Alright, I’m ready to take charge. Where do I begin?
When we seek personal growth through community, we ought to strive for more student-centered approaches that will yield more student-centered decisions, making our pedagogy more accessible. Here are some strategies that have helped me to strengthen my teacher toolbox and reflect on my teaching practices:
- Cultivate a Growth Mindset: When we stop learning, it’s time to stop teaching. In addition to the beautiful humans that occupy each desk in our classroom each year, the education world is ever-evolving. With new technology, ground-breaking discoveries, and mind-blowing current events, we sometimes feel like we have jumped on a bullet train. My training as a teacher years ago is not always relevant to the students that sit before me today. A growth mindset allows us, as practitioners, to remain reflective and acknowledge that we are not the giver of knowledge, yet we should aim to be the vessel that creates spaces in which our students feel seen, valued, and heard. As we remain reflective, remember that listening and learning are transactional and do not always flow from the teacher to the student. It’s important to acknowledge that the flow could be from student to teacher and/or student to student.
- Inventory Your Circle within Your School or Organization: With limited collaborative planning time during the school year, it’s easy to become bound to a scope and sequence that prioritizes a one-size-fits-all-approach. These approaches are sometimes task-oriented and unresponsive to individual students’ needs. I challenge you to jump off the hamster wheel and think of all the human touchpoints in a student’s day. In my book The Right Tools: A Guide to Selecting, Evaluating, and Implementing Classroom Resources and Practices, I emphasize the importance of leaning on the expertise of others on your team. They are great resources for strategies, insight, and the latest research for their target group. Check out this list that outlines each role and how they can help.
Image Source: Harris, T. (2019). The Right Tools: A Guide to Selecting, Evaluating, and Implementing Classroom Resources and Practices. Portsmouth, ME: Heinemann.
- Expand Your Network for Deeper Thinking
We faced limited coaching personnel during my classroom years, so personalized coaching plans were a rarity. Today, with national budget cuts and nationwide teacher shortages, personalized coaching plans tend to be even more difficult to come by. These factors further affirm the need for US to take charge of our personal growth as educators. Over the years, our access to a variety of educational communities, learning opportunities, and other excellent educators has improved dramatically. Finding your people has become more attainable through social media platforms, virtual hangouts, or virtual webinars and conferences. Here are a few sources that come top of my mind (feel free to add more in the comments):
- The Educator Collaborative (blogs, think tanks, virtual conferences)
- State level educational associations (blogs, networking, conferences)
- Local libraries (think tanks, resources)
- Library of Congress Education Resources (blogs, thinktanks, virtual conferences)
Personal growth is essential for anyone who works in a school building or educational organization. As a former classroom teacher, I remember times when I had to unlearn practices that didn’t center students or be pulled aside by a loving mentor to whisper encouraging words in my ear. There is power that exists when iron sharpens iron. Regardless of your role in education, the saying “We are better together” still applies. As the school year progresses, I hope these strategies inspire you to push forward and take charge of your personal growth.
