By Ardith Shirley Director of Professional Learning ardith.shirley@nbta.ca
Anyone who has spent any time driving on a New Brunswick highway this summer can attest to the amount of taxpayer dollars that have been invested to maintain and improve our transportation infrastructure. No matter the route you were traveling, one could virtually guarantee that at some point your journey would be delayed due to bridge or road maintenance. As we each hurried to our destinations, some of us couldn't help but become a bit impatient when the signs at yet another construction zone insisted we "proceed with caution", "reduce speed ahead", or even "stop" as the oncoming traffic crossed yet another bridge that had been reduced to one lane! (Some of us may even have found ourselves so frustrated with the delay in our travels that we were tempted to utter a few expletives under our breath as we fretted on the amount of time being wasted due to the "unnecessary inconvenience".) As we begin the 2008-2009 school year, I invite you to consider the work of your local D.O.T. 'crew' as a possible underpinning to help guide your work as an educator this September. While your temptation may be to rush to your "destination" (a.k.a. cover ALL those curriculum outcomes), don't forget to MAKE the time for that initial investment of building and maintaining your bridges (relationships) with students, parents and colleagues. Building Bridges with Students Further reinforcement of Hall's ideas are found in the book, The First Days of School, where Harry & Rosemary Wong suggest that the three most important things that must be taught the first weeks of school are discipline, procedures, and routines. (This book is still one of the favourites on my shelf!) The Wongs strongly recommend that we incorporate various activities that build community in the classroom into our lesson planning. They suggest that while these activities can sometimes feel like a "waste" of precious time in a busy classroom, they go a long way in fostering a positive classroom atmosphere that is safe, secure and conducive to learning and greatly reduce the amount of time and negative energy wasted dealing with needless disciplinary issues at a later date. Building Bridges with Parents Building Bridges with Colleagues There is no doubt that fostering
strong relationships takes time and
does not happen by accident. It
requires a significant investment of
resources Ð especially time, one of
our most precious. I firmly believe
that when it comes to the fundamental
infrastructures of communication and
relationships amongst the members of
our school communities, we simply
must abide by the axiom: 'take time
now in order to save time later'. This initial investment, although a bit
time-consuming on the front end,
will pay dividends tenfold in paving
the way for clarity, purpose,
understanding and, in turn,
achievement down the road.
Let the construction begin for a
successful school year! May I recommend? Also, "Asking Good Questions" by Kenneth E. Vogler (Educational Leadership, Summer 2008) is an excellent article for teachers of all subjects and grade levels. I LOVE the fact that it includes a classroom observation instrument that guides teachers through the process of working in pairs, observing each other and being observed leading classroom discussions in order to strengthen the quality of our questions AND strengthen teacher collegiality! (An especially excellent tool for BTIP pairs to try!) Finally, Shirley Hord's article, "Evolution of the Professional Learning Community" (JSD, Summer 2008) is an excellent resource for anyone looking for a refresher on how the PLC movement has evolved and continues to evolve. She cautions that many who claim to work within a PLC are actually misusing the term and identifies five components of research-based learning communities that are essential to true success. As always, should any of these articles tweak your interest, I would be happy to send you a copy. Also, if you have come across a gem worth sharing with your colleagues, I would LOVE to hear from you! |