Time for Teamwork

Last night was a great night.  I spent time with some of my favorite people on the planet; a high school teacher, an elementary principal, a reading specialist, and a retired art teacher. We met officially as members of the Northern Virginia Writing Project- Satellite in the Valley- Board to discuss the important work of getting Project services to teachers and children in our area of Virginia.  We did what we always do at the Board meetings – talked about kids and what they need as writers and learners and talked about teachers and what they need as writers and teachers.  Imagine – a room full of educators talking about our profession and how to make things better for students and their teachers.

After the meeting, I went out to dinner with the group named above.  Gayle, the retired art teacher, is the one I have known the longest.  When I first moved to Virginia, I taught K-2 Resource in a rural school where Gayle was the art teacher.  I loved her right away when she said my special education students could come for ‘extra art’ whenever she had a free block.  We were soon collaborating on a book project where I worked with the kids on writing their books and she worked with them to create art to illustrate them.  One of our students was an elective mute. The day we presented our books in a circle on the art room floor, she proudly read her book to the assembled group.  It meant that much to her.  It might never have happened were it not for our teamwork, as my art skills are limited to awkward stick figures.  Gayle’s passion for art inspired all of us. She made the kids believe they could do it.  And they did.

I often think of that moment. We have relatively few moments in teaching where we absolutely know that we made a difference to a student. Most of the time we hope, we pray, we want to believe that what we do matters. But that moment on that floor was a gift to Gayle and I and we will never forget it. One of us always mentions it when we are together. It’s a touchstone moment for us.

Being with these passionate educators at dinner made me realize that we don’t do this kind of teamwork enough.  Sure, we go to professional development and meetings and workshops and inservices and…but sometimes real teamwork comes from sitting around a table in a restaurant and sharing ideas and concerns with other people who ‘get it’.  People who want to help you and your students do better…get better…be better. People who listen, really listen, sometimes hearing what’s behind the words to the hurt or fear underneath.  People who understand the frustration of having people who know absolutely nothing about teaching and learning be the ones in charge of…everything.  People who know the power that writing can bring to a life, how knowing that you are a writer can make everything else in life possible, even with our youngest students. 

So let’s have more of this kind of teamwork.  Let’s make time for these informal gatherings that leave us recharged and ready to battle for our students once again. Let’s honor one another and what we each bring to the table and meet again soon.  I need the teamwork.


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