day 8 – a light bulb

Today was a great day in my professional career.  Day 8 injected more passion & courage into my voice; a voice I didn’t know existed.

Today, I sat in a staff development meeting with three other colleagues, our superintendent, & an instruction and learning specialist. The purpose of our staff development meeting was to discuss resource needs, consistency, and the common vocabulary across grade levels, but most importantly, we were a select group that teaches differently then other colleagues. Our superintendent wants his select group, (us), to pave the way, introduce our practices to our colleagues so we all meet 21st century learning needs.

We discussed a new theory behind teaching. The theory we discussed is emphasis on our class instruction & lessons, instead of our homework assignments. We were asked the question – What are you doing in your classroom that students can’t do at home? WHY should students want to come into your classroom? Why should parents want their child to enter your classroom everyday? How can you keep your level of rigor and engagement at an absolute high?

Now, if you’re not in education, these questions may seem like no-brainers; questions that an educator SHOULD ask themselves on a daily basis, but, as educators, we’ve valued the practice, the activities which prepare students for the assessments, instead of the engagement of students in our lessons.

It is a completely different way to teach.

Now, within this discussion, our superintendent asked us questions on creating a new learning environment which fosters the teaching practices we were discussing. Our middle school will be brand spankin’ new next year; brand spankin’ translates to a 21st century based building – small break out rooms, garage doors for walls with the ability for students to spill out into the commons area during work time, Einstein labs, docking stations, etc… He asked my colleagues and I if this type of space is workable with the teaching practices discussed. My colleagues are a bit more outspoken than I am, so during this discussion, I let them talk & answer his questions. I would nod my head in agreement and throw a word in here and there.

But when my colleagues were through responding, he looked at me and said, “Kaylee, I would really like to know what you think.”

Public speaking, or speaking of any kind in front of a group, is not my cup of tea, (it is sometimes surprising I talk in front of 25 students every day), so when he asked me my thoughts, I usually would have froze. I would have stumbled along, forgetting key points, and put my head down in embarrassment by the end of my last sentence. However, this time it was different; something new.

This time I found my voice. She flowed gracefully out of my mouth, with confidence and finesse. She snapped every head in that room to attention and demanded respect. She waltzed over to my superintendent and greeted him with dignity & poise. She laughed at who she once was & wrapped up her time with a elegant bow. I am not sure where she came from, but I am sure as hell, I’m never letting her go.

Today, my something new was my voice. I earned the respect of my colleagues & was called the district’s racehorse by my superintendent.

Off to go to bed with a smile on my face 🙂 Here’s to Friday!