Janet Scott
Yesterday I had lunch with two of my best friends, whom I first met when we all taught first grade almost 20 years ago. Since then, life has taken us in very different directions. We no longer live in the same city and work in the same district, so it’s more difficult to get together. Sometimes we don’t see one another for months, but we still love to learn, share, and grow together. Yesterday’s lunch lasted more than two hours, and I honestly felt like I was buzzing with energy when I left them. In fact, I couldn’t sleep last night because I had so many wonderful new ideas bouncing around in my head.
Last month, I met a friend for coffee. She and I used to teach together before the births of our sons 15 years ago. Now she is just beginning to use Daily 5 and CAFE in her classroom. Talking to someone who is just launching Daily 5 for the first time was so exciting that we made plans for me to visit her classroom this month. After that visit, I left her school feeling energized and ready to go back to my own classroom and try something on the CCPensieve that I hadn’t really used previously.
Over the summer, I had a get-together at my house for a couple of teachers who were leaving my school. One of our former colleagues who had moved to Boston happened to be in town, so she was able to attend as well. Our conversation was so rich and full of ideas, I wanted to find a way to continue dialoguing.
These experiences remind me of the advantage of staying connected to former colleagues. I love to teach, but all teachers occasionally feel isolated and uncertain. My conversations with these incredible educators help broaden my perspective, guide my decision making, and push me to be a better teacher every day.
My New Year’s resolution is to be more intentional about staying connected with friends and colleagues outside my school. My specific goal is to meet with a colleague outside my building at least once a month. I have amazing, brilliant, motivated colleagues in my own building with whom I love to work, but maintaining those connections is relatively easy. Finding the time to continue and reestablish connections with people outside my immediate circle takes more time and creativity, but it’s worth the effort.
Who fuels your fire to become a better educator? If you’ve been teaching for a long time, like me, lots of names and faces may be popping into your head. If you are relatively new to the profession, your frame of reference might not be as wide. The big idea is to find and stay connected with people who push you to think, learn, and grow.
Happy 2017!
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