Reply To: Shifting Teacher Practice

[Carla Novreske]

This is exactly what I struggle with the most. I want to change in a culture of resistance. We are expected to work together, create course assessments together, pace our courses together. This past year I changed some things just on my own. I’m in my 21st year of teaching, but this was only my 2nd year at a middle school public school, so I am confident as an educator, but I’m not confident in working in this situation with all its public school requirements. In fact, we were required by our district to make curriculum maps of everything we do in class the entire year, as a group. Biggest waste of time and energy ever because I do not intend to use them, it was something that the administration can check off their list of things the district needed to improve on according to some observers.

So I set about changing little things. I made math less about me and more about the students. I made it more visual with manipulatives and drawings. There were so many things I was afraid to try, or just plain old too tired trying to change it all up in the middle of the school year as I learned them. I also feel as if I need to lead the change and bring everyone along with me….this is the hardest part for me. I love to see my coworkers try something new and be successful. I love it when we talk about how things are working well. This summer is about having and making the time to be different, to branch out, to lead by example or leave them in the dust if they don’t want to try. However, I’m also very nervous because my principal has decided to leave and the superintendent has already left, and will I again be expected to do what everyone else does (i.e. teach like its 1985?).