Creating+a+Focus+6

**Final Thoughts:** A school-wide system of interventions requires a collaborative culture; a school culture in which staff members work together to provide each student with access to the same essential learning and a culture in which the proficiency of each student is assessed in a way that is timely, authentic, and consistent. In many schools and districts, however, educators squander precious time that has been provided for collaboration on topics that have no impact on student achievement.


 * Share your thoughts:

Harstelle City System have many great interventions. However, teachers do not have time in their schedule to work collaboratively. It would be great if time could be used for teachers of a grade level to collaborate on common accessments, this would benefit both teachers and students.B.Spur I feel that teachers need time to reflect on how students are preforming in the other classes of their grade level. I also think that cross grade level meetings (ex. 2nd with 3rd, and so on) would be benificial. It would help the teachers know what was mastered the previous year and what concepts need extra practice. (J.Haynes) This is another unfunded, in terms of time, mandate. Our principals are constructing the time for us to plan together, and we all realize that we need to be planning together to benefit each child. However, NCLB is a conundrum. It tells us to teach all students, no matter what. Those students, in the elementary school and especially in the first grades, that can not be controlled in the traditional classroom environment- for whatever reason, take an inordinate amount of each teacher's planning and preparation time. This does not count the interruptions within instruction. These students in many systems are blocking that precious learning time for other students. We have allowed the educational pendulum to swing far too far. We have learned the lesson well that all students can learn, but educators have not mastered how to create a bettter learning environment for the majority of students. In Hartselle, we are trying our best to meet each child where they are and take him or her to a reasonable next step. (E. Hodgen) Sometimes we just need time to vent about a child, lesson, etc to other collegues who understand. However, since we are in a time cruch to meet AYP every year now, we really have no choice but to begin collaborating and working together as grade levels to reach our goals. (H. Witt) **  I feel that we are provided time to plan/colaborate as a grade-level, however, we all have MANY little time-consuming task that eat away at that precious few minutes. It is not as if the time is squandered away. We have meetings about individual students, phone calls and notes to answer, not to mention needing a bathroom break. I do all of my planning at home on my on time where I can hopefully have some uninterrupted, quiet time to do it. Also, each of the 12 classes I have taught have had different needs as a whole and as individuals. The ability to take EACH child where THEY are could be lost in the quest for all teachers to teach the exact same way. On the other hand, we do need common goals and common assessments so that we do have a place to begin with each child based upon a common diagnostic indicator. Collaborating with other teachers could provide helpful feedback on ideas with our own students. (R. Hames) I am seeing less "squandering" and more collaboration. We have good teacher. We are not perfect, but we are positively moving toward a communtiy of interaction to support the growth of each student. (S. Rahm) I know there are teachers who squander precious time, and precious is what it is, but most teachers do not. If a teacher is not collaborating during time that has been allotted, I have a feeling they are using it to grade, plan, or better prepare for an upcoming lesson? Sometimes the best thing to help student acheivement is for a teacher to have the time to "think" through lessons and create a great experience for the students. I don't believe teachers are balking at collaborating as much as they are in survival mode trying to accomplish the tasks they are already responsible for. (P.Roy) I agree totally. We are so busy during our small amount of time given without students that there is little time during the day for collaboration. Meetings of various kinds-(Data, special education, BBSST) further eat away at instructional time. Also as was said above, students that are within the class as a result of NCLB take up an enormous amount of the teacher's time-- not that this is not important, but it is often at the expense of other children. (Lane Hampton)

I know that there are systems that have problems with educators who do not make use of the time provided for collaboration. I do not see that problem in our system. I see more teachers using the time provided and sacrificing their personal time in order to collaborate and prepare for their students. It seems that there are so many other duties that are a part of teaching that we still do not have enough time to collaborate with our fellow teachers. (E Harris) As a Title 1 teacher working with teachers and students in grades K-3, cooperation, planning, and collaborating is very important for the success of the struggling readers. The data meetings have helped me stay abreast of the students' progress. Coordination forms and many informal meetings with teachers also provide feedback that I can use to meet the students' needs. Not enough time is given for collaborating!!(B. Wallace)
 * NCLB has many positives in its mantra to educate all students no matter their ability levels, but it assumes that this can be accomplished during the school day with no parental reinforcement or responsibility. If the child were a inanimate product, this goal could be accomplished within the school walls, but the child is a thinking human whose environment has more effect than is given credit. Therefore, for a variety of reasons, the teacher can only offer as much progress to the student as is allowed by the child’s willingness to do his part; as much as the parent is willing to accept his/her responsibility in reinforcing the importance of education before sports and other activities; and lastly, as much as the community/environment puts an importance of education in the overall growth and development of the child. (Julie Hall) Yes, all of our children need access to the same essential learning and we do need authentic ways to monitor proficiency. However, we need to balance that with the fact that each school has a different population of students and each teacher has a multitiude of needs within the population he or she is given. These needs often extend beyond academics. I want whatever will help children, regardless of the amount of work it requires from me. Many of the expectations placed on teachers also extend beyond teaching and that chisels away at our precious collaborative time. I have a great deal of respect for our administrators who struggle daily with these problems across their school, rather than just with one classroom. (JPenrod)Most of the time by my planning time I just need a little peace and quiet to regroup and get ready for the next round with them! Planning is done after the students are gone.(LWren) I think Julie Hall's point is completely valid and much too often ignored. It would be wonderful if teachers had the super powers expected of us, but there are variables that we simply cannot control. (pweaver) Some educators do squander time, but most ALL that are worth their salt give, give, give of themselves in more ways than just during that alotted time during the day. They plan ways to get the most out of their students and to make the most of the time in the classroom, and whatever time is allowed for other things. Some of this just comes with experience, and also depends on the particular class you have that year. Some classes are more needy, and require more record keeping, conferencing, etc. (pbradford)I don't feel that our planning time is ever squandered regardless of what we do during that time. Sometimes it is used for regrouping, finishing paperwork, IEP's, etc. Much of our collaboration is completed before school or after school. As teachers, we have learned to use our time effectively, regardless of when that "time" is. (ARobinson) **