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Winter Solstice is a time of reflection as we appreciate what darkness brings and celebrate the return of the light, through longer days. After years of not being able to gather together and celebrate the changing seasons and other holidays, the opportunity to do so this year sparked a greater appreciation in doing so. It also allowed me to reflect deeply on what is truly important and what I will choose to focus on during 2023. 

In reflecting on celebrations, I thought of June, the end of the school year for us here in Ontario. What a joyous, transitional time for us to celebrate our school year, our students’ success and ready ourselves for a time of rest and relaxation as we anticipate summer break. 

The past three “Junes” were not quite the same as what we’re used to. Although this year, we will not likely endure drive-by graduations, individual photo-ops, social distanced chairs or other modified year end celebrations keeping us more than just physically apart; It is hoped we will finally be able to celebrate the successes of our students, together, in ways we have in the past. 

This opportunity to gather and celebrate student resilience and growth should be a celebration in and of itself. Perhaps though, the pause button during the peaks of the pandemic combined with the COVID-19 restrictions we were following, may also provide us with the opportunity to consider the past celebrations and rethink how we view student success and what we choose to highlight, honour and celebrate.

Last June, as the music teacher, I was asked to select one grade six student to acknowledge for their individual music achievement. To many, it seemed a simple enough task. Selecting the student who obtained the highest achievement or grade, showed the greatest improvement, was determined most valuable, or was the hardest worker were some suggestions to narrow down the recipient. 

But still I struggled. And in the end because I could not choose just one student, a music award was not given. 

Like many good teachers, I had spent the better part of the school year encouraging cooperation, interdependence and group success; I promoted group interaction and dialogue. And by the end of the year, my students, for the most part, became a unit. A group. A community. They were a community of learners: Where everyone tried their best; Where each student improved in some way; Where every single student felt valuable; And many attained high grades. 

Students supported and helped one another. In my eyes that was the success. What else could I want from a heterogeneous group of eleven and twelve year olds from varying backgrounds, strengths, challenges, and capacities? A community of learners. Could our year end celebrations recognize the collective success of students rather than honour only those whose individual achievements stand out? What message do we want to send our learners as they move into the world and become our future leaders? That of individualistic achievement and getting ahead of another or do we want to emphasize the sense of community, collaboration, collective growth, and group wisdom? 

As we move into 2023, and old traditions reemerge, I will continue to reflect on and challenge our traditions, their origins, and the messages they send by asking myself:

Whose philosophies are these practices built upon?  Whose worldview do they highlight? Do my current practices and past traditions align with my teaching philosophy, classroom makeup and community values?  I urge you to pause and ask yourself the same.

Strong teacher collaboration is intentional, organized, and grounded in norms of mutual respect, trust and professional relationships. And while collaboration can be fun and engaging, it can also require planning and at times, difficult conversations. Having a plan for collaboration is essential for ensuring that the time you and your team spend together is productive and efficient. 

Start by establishing why and when you will collaborate. In some cases, collaboration will take place during time allocated by your administrators during staff meetings or professional learning days. In other cases, you may want to carve out some time with your colleagues during a planning time or when the team is voluntarily available before or after school to focus on more practical matters, such as cross-curricular unit planning or planning for a specific group of students.

Make the most of your collaboration plan by establishing a clear outcome for the meeting – you or one of your colleagues may feel comfortable taking the lead on creating objectives, or as a team you can determine the objective through email or a casual conversation. Establish a timeframe and honour that time – don’t be afraid to refocus the group if the conversation goes off-topic, or remind the group when time is winding down. You might even mutually agree to assign these roles to each other if the group is big enough, just as you would with your students!

Finally, ensure there is time at the end of the meeting to plan next steps and possible follow-up meetings or emails. Keep everyone in the loop that should know what is happening: support teachers, DECEs, administrators, or even students and families.

Attributes of Strong Teacher Collaborators

To collaborate effectively with others, we also need to intentionally be good collaborators ourselves. Over the years, I’ve had opportunities to work with so many effective collaborators – and those who were not so effective – which made me realize how much I still had to improve myself.

In my current role, I have the unique privilege of seeing teams work together. What strikes me about the teams that work best are their ability to talk openly with one another, even when disagreements arise. They understand the importance of each other’s time, make an effort to ask questions about each other’s lives outside of school, and maintain a professional dialogue that is authentic and respectful. They prioritize their own well-being and that of their students, and understand that everyone plays a role in reaching successful outcomes for the school community.

Let’s explore some attributes of strong teacher collaborators.

Relationship Building

Good collaborators understand the importance of relationship building: establishing trust, getting to know your colleagues, and valuing the strengths they bring to the table. You are probably already building strong relationships with your colleagues without even realizing it – hallway conversations about your families, weekends, commutes, or shared interests are some small ways we build vital connections with others. When these personal connections are in place, it can be much easier engage in deeper professional discussions about teaching and assessment.

Growth Mindset

“Growth mindset” is a familiar term for many teachers, particularly in the context of math. It is important to bring the same growth mindset when we collaborate with other teachers. It is all too easy to get accustomed to our own way of doing things, especially when we see success. But there is also so much to learn, try, and explore, and many of your colleagues may have ways of managing their classroom or developing a learning activity that will enable you to enhance your practice.

Active Listening

It’s no secret that teachers like to talk, and as a teacher you may have been in situations with teachers where the talking never stops or people even start talking over each other! When collaborating, the act of listening actively and attentively is critical. Honour the ideas of your colleagues, ask follow up questions, and listen more. You might be surprised at how much you can discover about others and learn by being an engaged listener.

Generosity

Don’t hesitate to be generous when you are collaborating. Be generous in your praise and encouragement where it is due, share your own knowledge, resources and ideas, and offer help when you have the time and resources. You will not only receive generosity in kind, but bring positive energy into your collaboration for strong professional relationships.

Ready for Hard Conversations

There will be times where discussions will lead to hard conversations. Sometimes you may be faced with someone that wants to confront, to question your statements, or simply is not interested in changing the way they work. It can feel challenging if not impossible to collaborate in a situation like this.

When you do find yourself in these conversations, stay focused on the work and utilize protocols for collaboration established by your school or board. If there is an agenda in place to guide the planning you are engaged in, use it keep the conversation moving. Keep in mind what matters most: that you are working together to optimize the learning environments of the students you teach.

Winter has arrived and I’m celebrating! I want children to enjoy the outdoors and feel connected to nature in every season.  We all need the vitamin D from the sunshine so let’s get out there and do explorations and investigations about snow, ice, friction, sound, habitats, survival and more.

There are obstacles to getting students outdoors.  Appropriate winter clothing is one that is easy to solve but what about attitudes? There is a prevailing attitude in society that winter weather is dangerous. The media tends to put out warnings that create fear and anxiety in our students, their families and school staff.  I agree that driving conditions can be treacherous but when it comes to recess time, outdoor p.e. classes, science experiments, daily physical activity and neighbourhood walks I believe we should embrace this beautiful season.

A few years ago I was attending the Reading for the Love of It conference in Toronto and the session I attended had attracted people from across Canada (it was the incredible illustrator, Barbara Reid – but that’s for another post).  Teachers at my table were from Saskatchewan, Northern Ontario, Newfoundland and Southern Ontario. I learned that attitudes toward winter weather vary across the country. The teacher from Saskatchewan said, “we go outdoors in all kinds of weather or we wouldn’t ever get outside!”. They gave examples that in parts of Canada children arrive to school by snowmobile. I bet they live by the saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing”.

What is wrong with hunkering down for the winter months with movies, video games and books? If we do too much of that we miss the chance to develop a positive relationship with the natural world. In the big picture, we know this disconnect means that children do not grasp our role as humans in the natural ecosystems where we live.  We want these students to grow up to be adults who understand the need to protect the natural world and minimize negative human impacts.

For some students, their families may not do any outdoor winter activities.   Even if you just do a few winter outdoor activities this season, your students will be thanking you.  You may even help us have less fear and anxiety in schools about winter weather. 

Enjoy the season!

For many educators, December can be a fun, albeit busy, time of year. It is also a time of the year that brings about much controversy in regards to how we celebrate the season. While many people around the world celebrate Christmas in a similar way, many do not. And with an ever changing population, it is imperative that we, as educators reflect on our past and current practices.

We might ask ourselves:Whose traditions, values and worldviews are we highlighting in the classroom?
When I reflected on that question, I realized that for many years of my career, I emphasized colonial and Western traditions with my students. Many writing and reading lessons previously centered around a jolly man with a red suit, his elves, and of course his famous reindeer.
In an effort to promote cultural diversity and increase feelings of inclusion amongst students, I have been making a conscious effort to avoid work, games or activities surrounding Santa, elves or Rudolph this season.

In addition to rethinking past activities, I have also sought out materials I could use to highlight worldviews that are different from Western or colonial worldviews. If you want to utilize culturally oriented techniques and generate excitement, foster learning and create community, music is a well-known strategy. As a starting point, I utilized a resource I have found useful for teaching music virtually and in-person over the past few years. Joyti De published on Musicplay Online in the Holi unit is sung in the Hindi language. Because I do not speak (or sing) Hindi, I really appreciate that India-born, educator Manju Durairaj partnered with Musicplay Online to offer this song to educators. If you are interested in accessing this content and do not subscribe to Musicplay Online, the lesson can be found on YouTube as well.

Joyti De is often sung during Holi (Festival of Colours, Hindu religious) and is a call and response song in which the students’ response is Joyti De. I explained that Joyti De translates to Give Light in English. With Manju’s guidance, the other lyrics were explained too. My students were also recently familiar with the book I am Love by Susan Verde which focuses on sharing the love and light within us with our friends, family and community. In the follow up activity I connected the song with the book. Students coloured and cut out three candles. Students kept for themselves to remind themselves to be self-compassionate, loving and kind to themselves. The remaining two they gave to others to symbolize giving their light or sharing their love.

I cover teachers’ preps and therefore am in a number of classes throughout a week. What resonated with me was that my Hindi speaking students could connect with the lesson. In one Grade 3 class, a student new to Canada proudly stated “I know that is Hindi”, and translated the song for me and his peers. In another primary class, a young girl heard the song and said, “I hear that (language) in my country, Pakistan”.

Give Light (Joyti De) is a good reminder for all of us at any time of the year and because this song is traditionally sung during Spring, I look forward to revisiting it with my classes later in the year.

On December 19, 2017  we lost a lovely colleague, Joyce Snoek-Hoekstra, in a car accident.  There were poor road conditions that night and she was almost home when it happened. Joyce was a kindergarten teacher who had embraced the job with her whole heart.  She could see the good in absolutely every one of those children and she believed in them.  I covered her class for her prep time so I saw how dearly she loved her work.  I mourn her loss but I also celebrate the gifts she brought into so many lives.  

The last time I heard Joyce’s voice she was on the public address system during the lunch break. I had never heard her on the PA system before.  There was a book she was determined to read to her class during her gingerbread theme and she couldn’t find her copy, It was The Gingerbread Pirates.  As she finished her announcement she giggled a bit and said, “Bye!”, as she hung up. I saw her in the hall shortly after and she was still giggling about the whole thing.  Stepping out of the comfort zone, laughing at her mistakes, going easy on herself for being human, these were qualities that I saw in Joyce.  She was so positive and encouraging with her students, always cheering them on to reach their individual goals.

December’s long dark nights give me a chance to reflect with gratitude on the joys of teaching.  That can be difficult to do with the stress of the teaching job.  It’s a great month to pick up my gratitude journal and double my efforts.  It’s a time to pull back from the noise of the day and appreciate the people who have helped me along the way and remind myself why I’m in this profession. Our students may need that time as well.  Classroom activities that focus on kindness and gratitude are a wonderful way to show students these skills of reflection and appreciation.  I’m going to do a kindness countdown with my early intervention groups.  They will be practicing some literacy skills and building a stronger class community at the same time.  

Take care.