I am an incredibly lucky educator in that my department is extraordinarily collegial. I am able to share ideas with not only the other 8th grade history teacher, but with 7th and 6th grade history teachers, as well. We learn quite a lot from one another, and the ability to talk to other experts in my profession helps me to improve and tweak plans I’ve designed. I know that not all teachers have this type of atmosphere at their schools, however if you can find just one person with whom you can reflect upon your practice it will help make you a better teacher.

By joining forces, my department brings out the best aspects of each of our teaching styles. From Ken I’ve learned how to capture my students’ attention by telling history as a story, among a thousand tiny details that make his classes outstanding. From Lynn I learned how to be a teacher (Literally. Not only is she my friend, but she was also my mentor as a student teacher). From Laura I’ve learned the power of organization as not to become overwhelmed by grading. And from Shiva, the newest member of our group, I’ve learned the power of a positive word to brighten even the worst of days.

Collaboration is simple. It doesn’t involve long department meetings, or time after school. More often than not I’ll be passing Lynn or Ken in the hall and I’ll run an idea by them very quickly. For example, I designed a new graphic organizer to help my students think about the Articles of Confederation. I showed it to Ken as I passed him in the library, and then later that day we chatted about it again with his ideas for improvement.

I suppose the point of this post is that we should learn the same way we expect our students to learn. Our students learn best when they talk- to each other or to us- about ideas and assignments. They seek new ideas from those who know more about a subject or from those who simply think differently than they do. By exchanging ideas, we become better teachers who constantly raise the quality of education our students receive.