Collaboration

Collaboration. Learning from other learners, teachers, and associates. I am finally getting the hang of this very important skill in the education world. I have taken a while to rise to the challenge. Of being secure enough as a teacher to realize that, simply put, somebody else might have a better way. I used to feel threatened if I couldn't come up with a great idea of my own. Then I realized that I could use their idea and teach it or use it in a way that I was comfortable.
I think that as educators we need to learn to collaborate to survive. Not just survive, but thrive. I have learned through many teachers in the last year some great ideas. One example is the other teacher I teach with at Kanab. She taught pre-school for many years before becoming an elementary teacher. She is great with hands on activities that get the students moving. I am not creative in that area. I am great at making a lesson interesting and exciting, but I needed some help on demonstrations and kids doing hands on activities to learn about math and social studies. Thankfully this teacher, Mrs. Glover, has been more than willing to share ideas. I have been more than willing to let her!
One great example of this was a recent field trip to Zion National Park. I am good at organizing things, setting up field trips, planning them out. So I did. Mrs. Glover (One of the other 3rd grade teachers at Kanab) is great with activities. She came up with a simple, yet great activity for the students to do regarding habitats as we walked the trail. The day was a success. With just me we would have still had a great day in Zion, but with two teachers working together the students were completely engaged in the environment around them.
You think I would have learned this earlier. I have known forever in every aspect of life that two or more heads make things happen better. Just ask my wife Jenna! She keeps our family moving and involved! I do my part to do what I do and keep things together that way. Together we do pretty well.
If more of us teachers would collaborate with each other and our administrators and really work together to meet requirements, offer help, and get these students on the right track, I think our lives at school would be less stressful, more efficient, and a lot more fun! Which, really, is what I like to have anyway!