Encouraging a culture that supports
one another to achieve our goals is imperative. In continuing on from David
Cooke’s Critical Question in August, Can
You Help Me?,
we must provide a supportive environment for learning to be welcomed within our
professional community. When we are
faced with the overwhelming sensation of “I don’t know,” how do we develop a
culture that accepts this premise?
Hopefully we can initiate the momentum to move in a direction of
continuously responding, “Can we learn this together?”
Teacher leaders, instructional
coaches, and administrators should strive to develop a culture that embraces a
growth mindset. The following actions serve as a supportive means for
establishing a solid foundation of connecting, learning, and growing together:
· Connect - Provide ample time for educators to
connect and build relationships. Through
trusting bonds authentic communication can develop.
· Process - Create a safe environment for
educators to continuously process their growth goals. Goals can be revised through continuous
conversations to truly identify specific needs.
· Collaborate - After educators identify others who
share similar growth goals, they need time to work together. Offer routine opportunities for educators to
collaborate and make progress towards their goals.
· Empower - Develop instructional leadership
within educators by encouraging them to share their successes. Allow educators to identify strategies they
can pass along from effective implementation within their own classrooms and
buildings. When educators can be
empowered to share ideas that support the growth of their colleagues, it is
powerful in and of itself.
· Reflect - Intentionally provide multiple
opportunities for reflective practice.
Develop a routine to provide educators time to analyze their progress
and establish future goals as they achieve current ones.
An educator’s career is a learning
journey. As the hurdles of change cross
our professional path, we are presented with opportunities to thrive. These challenges, though, can cause the
feeling of isolation, frustration, and defeat.
It is extremely important to reach out to others and remain side-by-side
as we travel in new directions on our journey.
Truly embracing challenges in a collaborative nature allows us to find
the strength to climb each mountain.
Celebrating success together, when reaching the peak, develops the
desire to establish new goals as we descent into the next valley of
change.
The grass is only greener on the other
side if we can embrace the learning journey and travel there together. So reach out to your colleagues as you approach
the valley ahead, trying to reach the next mountain peak, and ask, “Can we
learn this together?”
Celina Brennan
Multiage Teacher, Salnave Elementary
Cheney Public Schools
cbrennan@cheneysd.org
Celina Brennan
Multiage Teacher, Salnave Elementary
Cheney Public Schools
cbrennan@cheneysd.org
