Courtney Lisa Lorrie Anesha Sarah
I started my first job teaching middle school in 1988, in Lakeview, Oregon. Marsha Nichols, my colleague, came into my classroom, sat down with her lesson plan book, and helped me plan my first semester. And she brought me copies of all of her materials. I don't think I fully comprehended her generosity then, but I do now. Her willingness to share and collaborate gave me the confidence to "chart my own course."
Katie Skrove did the same thing when I started teaching AP Language. She photocopied everything for me, sat down with me to plan, and treated me as an equal partner as we taught the same class for three years. We created a syllabus together, and I eventually began sharing lessons I created-- building that vital rapport about our craft.
When I started at King, our principal, Ray Plutko established a motto for our staff: Whatever It Takes. He challenged us to make student learning our focus, and he meant it. Our meetings addressed how to make this happen. Our departments discussed how to make this happen. So even though we joked about it sometimes as a staff, that vision seeped into our philosophies. It was not about us and our content area-- it was about the students.
My life as an educator is continually shaped by my interactions with others-- their generosity, their willingness to collaborate, and their leadership.
So, this blog, for me, is all about putting everything out there. It is about sharing what we've developed, it is about snooping around to see what interesting things our colleagues are up to, and it is about collaborating to create something new. Let’s start the conversation.
Lorrie
Hello!
I am very excited about this blog. One of my favorite ways to process information is to write about it, collaborate with others, and then reflect and write some more. I am hopeful that this will be a place to do all of these things. I am starting my 17th year as an educator, which makes me feel both very proud and a little bit old. I always wanted to be a teacher, and honestly cannot imagine doing anything else (except for maybe traveling the world and getting paid to do it). I love to read and hike and ride my bike, and I especially love doing all of these things with my husband and our three kids.
My philosophy of education is quite simple: I love to learn, to explore complex questions, and to create opportunities for young people to think and contribute. I believe all students can do scholarly work, and feel that we have an obligation to design learning opportunities that lead to success for our students, and for ourselves. What is success? Well, I think I will save that for a future blog post.
Two of my educational mentors are John Dewey and Grant Wiggins, and a quote that drives my work is, “The motivating force of the theory of a Democratic way of life is still a belief that as individuals we live cooperatively, and, to the best of our ability, serve the community in which we live, and that our own success, to be real, must contribute to the success of others” by Eleanor Roosevelt.
Courtney
“Teacher? You want to be a teacher?” A question that has been asked until my first job at Earhart
middle school. I have always wanted to teach, no question in my mind. Of course, like many teachers, I have had some amazing influences in my educational career: Mrs. Grove with her long red hair and encouraging words. Mrs. Pagliaro who invested in developing my character. Mrs. DellaRipa who modeled intellectual thought and helped connect me to school. Mr. Defrance who inspired and motivated me to pursue what he phrased as “my calling”, which I have come to understand is my passion for teaching.
My passion for teaching is a culmination of my family, education, and culture. The more I have come to understand my own journey, the more affirmed I am to be in this incredible role. The call to teach is one that I found to be deeply rooted in labor. I know, labor sounds so negative; But, it is laborious for both student and teacher to engage in critical intellectual thought. To constantly treat ideas,my own included, with respect and compassion while challenging the very core of those ideas.Only teachers can understand this tightrope walk. To create an environment that “respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin” (hooks, 7). And I admit, that it is both the scariest and greatest part of teaching. I know the work teachers do is powerful and I am fortunate enough to be in such an incredible field of work with great professionals.
I am extremely excited to share my passion for education and to share in yours. Collaborative work is what drives education and I am looking forward to working with such a pool of experts. We are all teachers and learners, let’s walk the tightrope to a new frontier in education.
Anesha
Hi! I’m Sarah. If you met me as a little girl and asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up I would have replied without hesitation “I’m going to be a teacher.” The five year old version of myself wanted to be a teacher because I wanted to help people and maybe, in small part, because I wanted to talk all day and boss people around. The older version of myself never waivers in my desire to be an educator but now for very different reasons. Sure I want to help students, and yes, I do talk all day and tell people what to do - but I also desire to challenge students, to support students, to push students, and love students in order to help them become who they were met to be and in being that individual change and impact the world. I deeply believe all were given the desire to learn and also given a nature curiosity about the world around them and it’s an educator's job to tap into that natural resource and guide students into critical thinking and deep learning that empowers students to see themselves as someone with a voice and a purpose. I’m always learning and growing as an educator - I by no means have it all figured out. But if I could back to the smaller version of myself I would tell her that being a teacher is all she ever thought it was and more.
Outside of the classroom, I get the privilege of loving a great man, a small human, and a fur child. I love traveling and learning other cultures. And when my toddler gives me some free time (which doesn’t happen very often) I will promptly get lost in a good book and a glass of tea.
Sarah
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