I’ve been fascinated with the work of Atul Gawande, who suggests that everyone can benefit from a coach. “Want to get great at something?” He asks. “Get a coach.” I’ve benefited from coaching from mentors, colleagues, and bosses to be a better teacher and leader. Additionally, I’ve been trained physically and pushed by coaches to run more or lift more than I thought I was capable of. I get the value. Completely.
However, more than any single person, I have been impacted the most by the teams I’ve worked with throughout my career.
I’ve been in situations where my values and the values of my team of colleagues haven’t aligned. As a result, not only did I lack professional growth, but I was also just a lot less happy. I’d argue that as a result, my students didn’t get the best of me and probably learned less than they could have.
Fortunately, I’ve also been a part of several teams where things just clicked. Our beliefs about students made sense, and where we may have had different styles, ages, backgrounds, and approaches, we still managed to work collaboratively and help each other take risks and focus on student learning. We might push each other to read something new, invite each other to see a speaker, share a lesson, be a thought partner, sit side by side to craft a tough email, look at student work, or honestly, sometimes just hang out. But, this is where the magic is. When people feel safe and supported, when they are part of a functioning team, they’re happier, and there’s a positive impact on student learning. Researcher John Hattie talks about collective efficacy and how teachers working together can have the biggest impact on student learning. Yes. And, to get there, you have to have high functioning teams.
Currently, 1 in 4 teachers is considering leaving their profession. I’d argue that if you’re surrounded by colleagues that work as a high-functioning team, you’re less likely to consider this. If you’re unhappy in your job before you leave the profession, are you in a position where you can ask to switch to be part of another team, grade level, building, or content area? If you’re a leader and you have teams that aren’t functioning well, can you ask people where they’d love to be and see if you can make some accommodations? If people exhibit toxic behavior that shuts down other team members, can we address it quickly and adeptly?
My hope for all my educator friends is that you feel lucky to be surrounded by your squad. That the people around you support you and push you - that your team rallies, coaches, and cheers for each other.
However, more than any single person, I have been impacted the most by the teams I’ve worked with throughout my career.
I’ve been in situations where my values and the values of my team of colleagues haven’t aligned. As a result, not only did I lack professional growth, but I was also just a lot less happy. I’d argue that as a result, my students didn’t get the best of me and probably learned less than they could have.
Fortunately, I’ve also been a part of several teams where things just clicked. Our beliefs about students made sense, and where we may have had different styles, ages, backgrounds, and approaches, we still managed to work collaboratively and help each other take risks and focus on student learning. We might push each other to read something new, invite each other to see a speaker, share a lesson, be a thought partner, sit side by side to craft a tough email, look at student work, or honestly, sometimes just hang out. But, this is where the magic is. When people feel safe and supported, when they are part of a functioning team, they’re happier, and there’s a positive impact on student learning. Researcher John Hattie talks about collective efficacy and how teachers working together can have the biggest impact on student learning. Yes. And, to get there, you have to have high functioning teams.
Currently, 1 in 4 teachers is considering leaving their profession. I’d argue that if you’re surrounded by colleagues that work as a high-functioning team, you’re less likely to consider this. If you’re unhappy in your job before you leave the profession, are you in a position where you can ask to switch to be part of another team, grade level, building, or content area? If you’re a leader and you have teams that aren’t functioning well, can you ask people where they’d love to be and see if you can make some accommodations? If people exhibit toxic behavior that shuts down other team members, can we address it quickly and adeptly?
My hope for all my educator friends is that you feel lucky to be surrounded by your squad. That the people around you support you and push you - that your team rallies, coaches, and cheers for each other.