Going Far

October 4, 2013

"I'm the only teacher at my school doing the Daily 5. How can I have collegial conversations to get better at my teaching?" This was a question posed to me last week. When I stopped and really thought about it, I could look at my own teaching career and actually pinpoint not only some of my happiest teaching times, but also my most effective. Thinking about those amazing teaching times, there was one common denominator—I had a person or people with whom I was working closely. Whether it was the years of developing the Daily 5 with my sister, the first years in a trilevel, multi-age classroom with my colleague Heidi, or even now, working with teams of teachers from all over the world, collaborating together has been a highlight.

Finding someone to work closely with, whether at our own school or outside the school, can provide the missing link that allows us to really grow in our teaching craft.

The good news is that, thanks to technology, it is getting easier all the time to find passionate, excellent educators to collaborate with. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, The Daily CAFE Discussion Board, Pinterest, and educational blogs all provide easy access to educators like ourselves. So this year, why not consider going far, as Gene Sharratt suggests below. Maybe this is a year that you will look back on as being one of your happiest and most effective.

If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go with others. —Gene Sharratt