Mine, Mine, Mine!

There are two characteristics common among teachers that get in the way of helping one another. First, teachers are territorial. These are my kids. This is my classroom. We defend that territory primarily by standing guard at the gate and growling at anyone who dares to enter. We don't handle criticism very well. We don't share well. If someone asks for supplies because they've run out, our first reaction may not be to offer them our own. The very value of sharing we seek to teach our students is somehow lost in the shuffle from the classroom to the lounge.

Second, teachers isolate themselves. We are very comfortable closing our classroom doors. It is not uncommon to walk through a hallway and see every door closed, with construction paper covering a window that might happen to exist in the door. If we struggle with teaching, we tend to keep it to ourselves. In this age of accountability, showing weakness is discouraged. So we may sit in our misery or confusion alone for a very long time.

We can encourage one another. Who better knows what your life is like than another teacher? Offer another teacher food for thought. Is someone on your faculty working towards their master's degree? Is there a way you can help? Is someone struggling with staying organized and it is your strength? Offer practical tips without sounding high and mighty about it. Does a teacher wrestle with a student that you taught the year before? Partner with him or her to come up with strategies to reach that student. There is not only safety in numbers, but joy!