Class response to the article "Education: Connecting the Lonely Profession" by Suzie Boss.
According to Boss, "nearly one third of the nation's new teachers bail out of the profession within three years of teaching, citing isolation as one of the top reasons for their early exit."
Similarly, Roland Barth suggests that "too many teachers are still stuck in a grown-up version of parallel play...the self-contained classroom, with the door shut and a piece of artwork covering that little pain of glass."
Do you agree with this view of the teaching profession? Are there contributing factors that create this environment? As leaders, how do we begin to change a culture of isolation to one that is more collaborative among educators?
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As an educator, I agree with the view of the 'teaching profession' to parallel play to kids. To change this view we need to encourage teachers to share their work. Also, to feel confident in their subject areas and pass the info on to others. Give positive praise and create an environment of less judgement.
I think it is all too easy to shut our doors and not work collaboratively with colleagues. Unfortunately not all of us have desire to better our craft and continuously work to better ourselves in our professional careers.
Firstly, I think we need to create a more collaborative environment in the school building we work in. This might include team meetings or teachers looping with one another.
Honestly, if I knew how to "connect" with other educators via the internet I would. We can always learn something from what others in the field are doing. I guess I am kind of nerdy in that respect as I would love new ideas to try out in the classroom and shake things up a bit. I truly believe that also incorporating this type of connection for our students could only enhance the learning environment.
Do you agree with this view of the teaching profession? Are there contributing factors that create this environment? As leaders, how do we begin to change a culture of isolation to one that is more collaborative among educators?
Do I agree with this view? Sometimes. It depends almost entirely on the predetermined school culture. High schools tend to have both teacher cafeterias and more importantly departmental offices. These 'social' rooms are very conducive for teachers to share stories and lesson ideas. A strong department chairperson will encourage its subordinates to help one another develop professionally. Factors that contribute to feelings of isolation are the lack of such rooms, teachers that are unwilling to share and poor leadership. As leaders we are doing great disservice to the school and its students by not fostering a culture where teachers are encouraged to collaborate and grow together.
I've never thought of teaching as a lonely profession. As a speech-language pathologist at United Cerebral Palsy, I have always had the good fortune of working with a large department. Within the department we share ideas that foster growth amongst us. The teachers also share ideas that they use to teach the multipli-handicapped students that we serve. It is then up to the teacher to take the information and apply it. Within our school the teachers that do not share and learn from one another may feel that loneliness referred to in the article. The administration, while they do not require as high a standard of teachers that I would like to see work with the children, they do promote a team approach and buddy class rooms to limit the isolation of being in the classroom all day. There are many school-wide events to promote unity. An example of this is the monthly morning circle time that takes place for the preschool and lower elementary students. There are about eight classes that participate and the unit that was just covered was "Caps for Sale." This monthly event give the veteran teachers and oppotunity to view and join in on what the more technologically advanced teachers do daily. Technology plays a huge piece in what brings teachers together. A push toward increasing the tech used in the classroom would improve the collaborating efforts of the teachers.
I feel that it is extremely important that teachers share their ideas. We are in this profession for many years to come and it is important that we share ideas and a variety of instruction for all teachers. This will enable teachers to stay motivated as educators to teach the same curriculum in a variety of ways. If teachers are isolated to their classrooms and a prescribed teaching style, they will become stale with the curriculum and frustrated when students do not understand their lessons. Teacher’s lessons have to change with the times to motivate their students to learn.
The blogs enable teachers from all over the United States to share different ideas and teaching styles. They will grow as professionals and relate with the changing times of students and education.
The world is getting smaller is a mantra we've heard for quite some time. This article reflects how we can have students at a very young age, experience this first hand. Students can communicate in a way that will help us foster the global networking which will be required in the 21st century. Teachers that are not willing to embrace these new technologies and forums will be keeping students in the dark ages. Utilizing a blog to network with other professionals with like minds will be a valuable tool for communication of ideas and growth as professionals. I look forward to the day my students will communicate with another student on the other side of the world in order to complete a project for me.
Speaking for only for my own current situation, I do agree that the parallel play idea of teaching is a common practice. An essential problem I continue to find is a misunderstanding, of the word collaboration. In practice, collaboration is (at best) conversations about what we do in class, what other feeder programs are or aren't doing properly, and how or what should be done, both in our current environment, and in the feeder programs and in the programs to which we send our students.
We have to provide opportunities for teachers to gain a better depth of understanding of what truly collaborative work can be. Teachers need to be encouraged to go beyond "surface collaboration" and find ways to really work together...
I believe that teachers need to have a forum where they can share their thoughts and ideas, to work collaboratively. We need to have these places not only from the school environment but also access from home. The internet is just another place where this can occur. The more resources we have and the more we share, teachers will develop new relationsips that will further enhance our careers.
Do you agree with this view of the teaching profession? Are there contributing factors that create this environment? As leaders, how do we begin to change a culture of isolation to one that is more collaborative among educators?
I do feel that teaching is a lonely profession. The majority of your work day is spent in a classroom, where you are the only adult. At the end of the year, you are the person people look to as the one who is responsible for students learning. Our classrooms today still look like they did one hundred years ago. There is a teacher in the front of the classroom teaching students. Teachers do try to collaborate with their students and do try to differentiate instruction but at the end of the day it is still that one person’s responsibility for his/her students.
As leaders we need to think outside the box and change the way students learn. I believe technology can aide this vision significantly! I agree with Fryer and feel people can express themselves more freely by sharing their thoughts through blogging and online teacher talks. You have a large audience and you have a voice without a face. I feel people are more willing to take risks because they can be anonymous and are not under the same scrutiny as sitting in a faculty room suggesting how to “change” the way teachers teach or students learn.
I agree with Dayna that concept of teaming is very important in education. Bringing teachers from various disciplines together, allows for collaboration of lessons. Lessons will be designed at a higher level and the constant repetition of the concept will help the student remember the prescribed information. It also allows teachers to reemphasize concepts that were taught in a previous discipline.
I like the conversation that has taken place. I think that we all agree that collaboration is important, but as Joe says, it needs to be the right kind of collaboration. We need to have the "discipline" (Collins) to collaborate on things that will have a direct effect on improving student achievement...best practice, curriculum, common formative assessments, etc.
I like Jess' comment about having her students communicate via technology with students around the world!!!
AFter reading DAyna's entry I began to wonder about why collaboration among colleagues is often the exception rather than te rule. I know the excuse I hear most often, "There's just no time, if they would only give us more time." But in fact I believe that in some instances the sharing of ideas is threatening to some. Will they take credit for my ideas, will they get the credit for my ideas. Are they better than I am? Is the idea of a true learning community ideal or idealistic?
So leaders, how do we go about promotting this wrold of collaboration? We know that this is really where education needs to go. I think it is important for us as the leaders of our schools to model the concept. Unfortunately, I have yet to work for the Principal who is collaborative. I have worked for those Principals who espouse this theory however in the end, it has always been the top down style that that prevails. So where so we go from here?
I agree that collaboration should have discipline. Teachers need to be focused and have a purpose for each collaborative lesson. When it is a meaningful lesson, the content is strong and the students will be intrigued in the lesson.
Jim makes a great point when he states that teachers need to make sure there is a purpose for the collaboration. If two teachers are to collaborate with one another each should be equally invested in the lesson.
The collaboration between teachers needs to be authentic and purposeful. Teachers should want to collaborate with others, many hands make light work. Also, the more teachers collaborate the more of a model they become to their students.
I agree with Sharon, teachers have to want to collaborate...you'd have to wonder why if they didn't want to...are they trying to get away with being adequate instead of a good or even great teacher! Oh, and Joe...Nice pic!!!
I agree with Maura's statement of never thinking of 'teaching as a lonely profession.' I agree with this article that we need to take steps forward to utilize technology in our classrooms. In my building it's not that teachers don't collaborate together, it's our technology that is lacking. I would thoroughly enjoy classroom interaction with another from a different country (I would love to see this one day)! Hopefully my school system will see this as a necessity!
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