Isn't this job hard enough?: 10 resolutions to help us all

Ask teachers to share what one thing they would like for the non-education world to know about their jobs and they will say, "I want the non-education world to know just how hard this job is."  I couldn't agree more.  I have often said the thing that makes teaching so stressful and challenging is that it is one of a very few jobs in which we must do work in order to do our actual work (prep/grade/plan in order to actually teach), and, as you all in education know, there is very little time during the day to do that preparation.  Unlike some jobs, we can't show up, "unprepared", and be successful on a daily basis.  I remember back to when I was teaching five classes; I would constantly wake up in the middle of the night, my mind filled with questions about "did I finish that handout? did I make those copies? did I grade those papers?"  This is just one example of what makes this job so difficult.  Of course, I could go on, as you all know, for hours about all of the specific things that make this job tough; instead, I would like to focus on something that we SHOULD be able to count on to help make our jobs easier--each other!

Right or wrong, the perception is that the "real world hates teachers", that we are constantly "under attack" from school boards, politicians, tax-payers, parents, and even, sometimes, our own administration.  So, why is it that we feel the need to attack one another?  I have been in four different high schools in my career, and I have seen it in all of them, to varying degrees: teachers being judgmental/critical of their colleagues with no real reason to be so.  Before I go any further, let me say that I am all for difficult, challenging, and critical conversations between teachers in a respectful manner in order to explore philosophical differences, make meaning, and grow; in fact, I think that is one of only a few ways we do truly grow.  But what I am talking about here is that teacher or group of teachers who, with no evidence and for no reason, feel it is "their right" to be critical of their colleagues...to say negative and sometimes hurtful things about their co-workers.

I have yet to hear a teacher say that this job is easy; in fact, as I said to start this e-mail, most would argue it is beyond difficult.  So my question is: why do teachers go out of their way to add dynamics that make it even more challenging?  Imagine working in a department (or even school) in which all teachers supported one another.  Now trust me, I get it.  You get groups of people together and there will always be personalities that don't mix well; however, that is a good thing (and remember--no one is saying everyone has to be best friends).  After all, we want our students to understand the value of diverse perspectives, so why would we shy away from that in our own professional lives.  And as the old saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat, so there are many pathways to great teaching.

 So below is my list of ten resolutions to a positive collaborative work environment.  With New Years Day coming soon, perhaps we can ALL take a few minutes, think about how we treat ALL of our coworkers, and see if we can't make a resolution (or two) that might help us take this already extremely difficult job and make it just a tad easier...

1.  Get to know someone new:  this doesn't have to be a "new teacher" per say, but make an effort to get to know a teacher in your department or school that you don't currently know or don't know well.  You will be surprised what you learn about him/her, yourself, and teaching.
2.  Reserve judgement:  I get it, as people, we inherently judge.  However, before you express said judgments, take a minute to think about what is gained by doing so.  I can tell you the answer is...NOTHING.
3.  Give:  Share your materials, your thoughts, your time, your book recommendations, and your passion with others.
4.  Take:  Be open to taking materials, thoughts, time, book recommendations, and passion when they are offered to you.  You might think you have it all down, but I promise you, others can help you regardless of where you are in your career.
5.  Be social:  I know how busy this job (and family life) makes us all, but I challenge you to give up an hour at some point to take advantage of grabbing a "refreshment" with your colleagues.  I know I do my best thinking in a dimly lit, previously smoke-filled bar with a drink in hand.
6.  Be OK being vulnerable:  This can be hard to do when judgement is present; however, take that risk.  We can't grow if we can't admit where we need to grow.
7.  Have difficult conversations:  Don't be afraid to have (respectful) passionate conversations filled with cognitive dissonance.  You will walk away with either a stronger belief in what you currently do or your eyes open to new approaches...or even both!!!
8.  Flip your schedule one day a week:  If you usually get to school early and leave right after, do the opposite.  If you usually get to school on time and stay late, flip it.  One day a week, that's all. By changing this schedule you might get to know colleagues (and other school employees) you otherwise wouldn't have.
9.  Read:  Try to read a new book every month.  This gives you new ideas and new things about which you can converse with your colleagues. Maybe you will find that the teacher with whom you thought you have nothing in common actually shares a similar passion as you.  Plus, reading is just good for you.
10.  Have fun:  Think back to when you started teaching or when you decided you wanted to be a teacher.  I don't know about you, but I found (and still do) this profession to be fun.  In my first year as department chair last year, when people would ask how things were going, I would say, "very well, actually...I think: I mean after all, I am having fun and still sleeping each night."  So, have fun (again).

Join me in making at least one of these resolutions and challenge your colleagues to do the same.  I don't know about you, but I would love to start the new year knowing we are all working to make our jobs easier through supporting one another.

PD, PL, Paleeease...it's a PRP

I still remember it like yesterday (a phrase often used for something that happened a long time ago and while this memory only comes from earlier this year, the truth of that phrase remains).  This moment is still so clear in my otherwise cloudy mind because it was the first, and to this point only, time I have raised my voice at any teacher(s) in the English Department for which I am chair. Here is what happened.  We were in an institute day workshop in which teachers were interacting with the Common Core Writing Standards for the first time--a gap analysis of sorts to get us started.  As the process and discussion carried on, one teacher said, "well wow, I am going to need some PD if I am going to have to teach this much narrative writing; is the district planning anything?" Semantics aside, call it what you will, professional development/professional learning (I have recently liked calling it professional learning but that is non sequitur to this conversation) the frustration because of that statement was real and rising within me.  Here was an English teacher acknowledging a deficiency, which I applaud, but with a complete dependence on the school to remediate this deficiency.  It really got me thinking, how many teachers today remediate their own deficiencies, have their own, professional research passion--that one area in which they simply cannot stop reading, researching, practicing, and revising their thinking. Has this become a lost art?

Let me take you back 10 years to my first job as a teacher; fresh out of college (bad hair and youthful ignorance being bliss), I thought I knew it all (boy was I wrong). Then, the department chair at my first job gave me a set of curriculum guides for my classes, and I realized just how little I knew (it was like being in high school math class all over again...).  I spent a summer reading up on grammar instruction, exploring literary criticism on and rereading (and for many, simply reading for the first time) the books I was about to teach--basically cleaning up the many deficiencies I now realized I had.

This practice is one through which virtually all new teachers go, a rite of passage if you will, so why does this individually-driven need for knowledge eventually transform into an English teacher checking to see if the district will provide PD on narrative writing (not to mention the question of what this teacher had been doing with narrative writing over the last several years...).  Here are some reasons why this has happened:

1. My first thought is that districts who provide extensive professional development/learning opportunities are creating a conundrum that is a blessing and a curse: teachers are getting great training but are "being spoiled", losing the desire and/or realization that the best PD comes from a personal passion that a district can't possible tailor to each teacher's need(s).  School leaders need to foster an environment in which individual teacher-research passions are not only support but expected.
2. Teachers don't "have time."  I put that in quotes not to diminish how busy teachers are but rather to stress that we all have the same 24 hours in our day.  It comes down to how we choose to use that time.
3. One of my inspirations as a teacher is Penny Kittle.  I have been blessed enough to hear her speak twice now, and she insists that we write (or should write) to figure out what we don't know (heck, she is a big reason why I started this blog).  I think the same holds true for reading.  I learn more about things I didn't even know I didn't know by surrounding myself with professional texts.  However, in just the short 10 years I have been in education, I have seen the amount of professional reading that teachers are doing diminish considerably. 

What this has led to is a lack of what I would call a professional research passion (PRP).  I will be honest, when I first came into teaching, I didn't have one--I probably would have told you I didn't need one, too.  However as I started to read more material, I figured out those areas in education that were my passion and those that clearly were not.  I can't tell you how many times I have been in a discussion with teachers where an author or text was referenced and I had no clue about what they were talking.  What did I do?...smiled/nodded like I knew the text or author (I was too afraid to admit I hadn't--that's a flaw of mine), went home, ordered the book and started feverishly reading. Through this process my passions (educational technology, standards-based grading/assessment practices, and discipline-specific literacy) emerged. When I first starting teaching, I didn't even know what these things were. Additionally, I learned that educational "things" like innovative classroom management techniques, fears over standardized testing, or brain-based learning are not my passions.

So, my challenge to all teachers is this: take a hold of your professional development/learning by finding your professional research passion.  Listen to other teachers talk, read what they are reading, and discover those areas of the profession that are your passion and those that are not.  Knowing both will make you a better teacher and reading more will make you a better model to your students.  In the end, it's a win-win.  So, call it PD or PL if you want...just PLEASE develop your professional research passion.