Mulberry Street

The Real Mrs. Frizzle

Christian Long asserts that we need to re-imagine the “brand” of the teaching profession. He wonders if teaching should be or can be a long-term career.  Chris Lehmann believes that we must create a sustainable teaching life because teaching must be a rewarding long-term career. They both make valid points.

Certainly we need to change the culture of teaching. Chris makes some wonderful suggestions about how to do so. I especially agree that his ideas work best in small schools. I have been lucky to work with schools that embody his vision.

Reducing class size and paperwork while increasing collaboration and autonomy are important but If we want true cultural change we must attract a wider variety of people to the field. And we should learn to be comfortable with the fact that they may not stay in the field forever.

Throughout my career I have encountered a few inspirational teachers and a fair number of good teachers. Age, sex, credential status and years of experience were irrelevant. The most important characteristic common to great and good teachers is the willingness to take risks and learn.

Recently I worked with a fifty-something woman who was beginning her fifth year in teaching.  Her room was vibrant with meaningful messiness that is a sure sign kids are excited by learning. When she returned to work before the first day of school she wore a bright purple corset on top of a form fitting sweater. It had red and white laces that matched her polka-dot stockings. The Head of School actually turned pale when he saw her. I smiled and knew that the real Mrs. Frizzle had just entered the building. Later that day she told me,

"When I got my credential I promised myself that I would never forget what it is like to do something really hard. So every year, right before school starts, I take a class that forces me to push myself to learn. This year I took a corset making class. It was incredibly tough but I did it! I can’t wait to show my class.”

Her students couldn't wait to get to school everyday.

Children deserve teachers who are not afraid to learn something difficult.

Children deserve schools that are open; that invite learners to explore the world beyond the classroom walls and welcome non-traditional teachers who share wisdom and expertise.

Teacher Talk

When I began blogging I intentionally omitted the words "teaching" and "teacher" from my list of categories. I did so because I think the educational community spends far too much time talking about teaching and too little time thinking about learning.

A discussion about learning must begin with a deep understanding of the  developmental stages of learning. There must be a persistent desire to increase clarity about each learner's  learning style, interests, strengths and challenges.  Most teacher education classes and professional development courses are about instructional methods not about how children learn. Indeed the golden rule of professional development is to give the teachers something they can take back to school and use in their classrooms the next day. Unfortunately most nuggets that can be shared in a 90 minute or all day workshop will not make an authentic difference in learning. Educational communities need to be engaged in continuous study of learning and refinement of instruction based on patient, ongoing observation of the learner. The writings of Howard Gardner  and Mel Levine are great resources for learning about learning. Schools Attuned, based on Levine's work, is a 35 hour course that helps teachers look at learners in meaningful ways and gives them tools for reaching "all kinds of minds."

Today I added teaching and teachers  to my list of categories. Recent posts by Christian Long at think:lab and Chris Lehmann at Practical Theory inspired me expand my category list and jump into the discussion about the teaching profession. More tomorrow.........