Anyone who works in a school knows that every day will be a new and different day. We hear our friends in other professions talking about the hum-drum, boring work tasks they perform everyday. Not so in education. Our days start off with a solid plan but with the ebbs and flows of each school day, we adjust and tweak our plans to make sure the kids get what they need while juggling several unexpected occurrences. Truly, teachers and staff at your local public school are intellectually agile people who can troubleshoot in seconds and make even the most challenging situations into learning experiences that look like they were planned out for weeks.
One reason that teachers are so nimble is that we live with the constant of change. In education, nothing stays the same. We receive new students to the school every day, we navigate changing classes, student absences, schedule changes, fire drills, code red drills, and a host of other changes in the normal schedule. Through all of this change, teachers excel. They take it all in stride and wind up turning even the most difficult situations into learning opportunities for students. I've seen countless occurrences of "teachable moments" when a teacher turns a potential problem into a seamless learning experience.
At Lely Elementary, we have experienced a lot of change as of late. At the end of last year, our principal made some changes to the teaching staff that included moving teachers to different grade levels and giving many teachers some new responsibilities. As anyone knows, when you move people into other jobs that they may not be comfortable with, they may not like it. However, our teachers accepted the challenge of their new roles. We are four weeks into the school year, and our teachers are performing beautifully.
Some of the benefits of teachers moving grade levels is that they are intimately aware of the expectations and curricula of the grades they came from and can look at issues with a different perspective. They can even help align curricula and activities based on what they did at their old grade level.
Another benefit of moving teachers is that a different kind of synergy emerges. Teachers who may not have worked together before can now bounce ideas off of each other, draw on past experiences and successes, troubleshoot problems, and dream a little. I know that I am at my most creative when I can talk to another teacher. We bounce ideas off of each other and within ten minutes, we have a viable plan to solve a problem or start a program. When we put teachers in the same room, that kind of energy multiplies. I have often said that giving teachers time together with no agenda is the best way to get some new and bold ideas.
We have also had a leadership change at Lely Elementary. Our new principal comes to us excited to make a difference in the lives of the teachers and students. We know we are at the beginning of a renaissance at Lely Elementary and the previous principal put us on solid footing to make great gains. Our new principal will have the opportunity to guide our school to new heights. We are on board and we are eager to continue our journey together, helping our kids develop their fullest potential.
Look out Collier County! Lely Elementary is ready to make some big strides!
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