WipeBook

I found Team WipeBook (@wipebook) on Twitter somehow. I think their products are innovative and creative.

My first experience was their WipeBook Workbook. I bought a class set and lent them to a gr. 4/5 class I was collaborating with. COVID distracted us so we haven't really played with them much.

Then WipeBook approached me about trying one of their products. Being a sucker for a freebie… I couldn’t resist!

I am playing with their Pocket Workbook now ^_^. I was hesitant at first because it erases so easily... But I was pleasantly surprised to find myself quite enjoying it in lieu of sticky notes all over the place! I have a terrible memory so it's really convenient to be able to pull the little workbook out of my pencil case, jot down a reminder, and put it away again until later!

Conversations

My friend @kruu_justin recently posted on Twitter about dealing with "problematic adults" and "meeting them where they are at" which meant they had to "sacrifice [their] humanity". These statements have really stayed with me and my need to share this blog post has intensified since beginning to read, "Team up! Speak up! Fire up!" by Audrey Cohen, Andrea Honigsfeld, and Maria G. Dove.

I was barely 16 pages into Team up! Speak up! Fire up! when I read this:

This quote made me reflect on times when I have become silent during a conversation. I thought about times I have held my tongue for fear of being wrong. There were times I held my tongue for fear of starting a fight. There were times I held my tongue because I wasn't thinking or processing fast enough to continue a conversation.

The "Speak up!" element of Team up! Speak up! Fire up! is all about using your voice and participating in conversations. Pages 17-18 explain four types of conversations. I have summarized my understanding in this diginote:

This year, I have really been intentional about cultivating relationships that enable confidential conversations. I have been able to bring systemic issues to my administrators. And odd as this may sound, my Twitter network is often a place where I feel safe to have "confidential" conversations because I feel comfortable thinking out loud and putting my thoughts into order. This blog is a bit like that, too!

This year I have also found opportunities for compelling conversations. Mostly notably, my advocating for a name change from ELL (English Language Learners) --> ML (Multilingual/ Multicultural Learners). I went so far as to email my ministry of education, and push back on their reply. My school has been very receptive to the new label and I continue to have compelling conversations with colleagues in my department.

I've not had much success with coordinated conversations. I think I have struggled to collaborate on a larger scale so my opinions tend to not get a lot of traction on a larger scale. I am REALLY feeling successful at my school so I have been content to grow and develop at this safe and supportive level.

Courageous conversations have really surprised me this year! Not so much by "speaking truth to power" but more a case of occasionally not holding my tongue. I approached a colleague about something that was said that didn't fit with an asset-based mindset. I brought it up through an email, and in retrospect, in person would have been clearer, but the conversation was still had! I also pushed back on some traditional thinking after doing a bit of research to be certain I could hold my own in a conversation that was going to have differing opinions.

So... wow... I am really pleased with my developing conversational skills! I am feeling more comfortable and more willing to meet adults wherever they are at and then gently lean on them until they get somewhere else. I know the conversations will get more challenging as I interact with people I don't have foundational relationships with, but I also know the conversations will be rewarding, meaningful, and satisfying.

My Co-Teaching Journey: Book, Bookshelf, & Bookend

My co-teaching journey is definitely diverse, mercurial, and ever-changing. Sometimes I feel like the bookend doing my very best to be useful. Sometimes I feel like the bookshelf because I hold some information that I happily share with my colleagues. Sometimes I feel like the book that everyone can't live without. My status changes class-to-class, and day-to-day within each class!

Sometimes I feel like the book that everyone can't live without! I feel like the book when I am engaging directly with students. Sometimes I lead whole-class activities, sometimes I lead a small group of students at a station with a mini-lesson. When I feel like the book I am building relationships with students and getting to know them. We are teaching, exploring, and learning together.

Sometimes I feel like the bookshelf because I hold some information that I excitedly share with my colleagues, admin, and/or families. I feel like the bookshelf when I share one of my newsletters. I feel like the bookshelf when I lead professional development opportunities. When I feel like the bookshelf I feel a bit like I am on the periphery, peeking in, patiently hoping I can do more.

Sometimes I feel like the bookend doing my very best to be useful. I feel like the bookend when I drop in to a class and don't know what to expect. I feel like the bookend when I arrive at a class and they aren't there... lol. I feel like the bookend when a colleagues says they don't need me this day because they have to get an activity done for report cards. When I feel like the bookend I wonder if I have been unclear in sharing my role in the school.

I think I might be able to say I am enjoying this co-teaching journey. I like and appreciate the opportunities I find every day. I like and appreciate the diversity of the support I am able to offer my colleagues, their classes, our students and our students' families. I think I am getting better and embracing and challenging the mercurial and ever-changing aspects of my co-teaching journey!