(by Taylor Ainsworth)
You open the doors to your home-away-from-home, set down your stuff for the day, and walk over to the classroom across the hall.
There's music playing. It’s her favorite song. You smile and wave good morning as she chuckles and pauses the sound coming from her phone.
You say an affirmation together and get ready for the day, which includes teaching the amazing souls of your second grade students.
You both smile, because you know that you’re in it together, and you have each other to rely on.
You walk back over to your own classroom and think about how thankful you are to have each other.
You start to wonder, how did we create a working partnership that allows us to feel safe, trusted, encouraged and inspired? How is it that we know we can handle all 3,000 plus questions that are asked on any given day?
And it's in that moment, when you realize you have something incredibly powerful. You can count on that person across the hall to celebrate and empower you, through the good and the hard days. And you'd do the same for her.
It was a powerful awareness—that moment -- when you realized you've built a healthy and successful teaching partnership.
I'm hopeful that you've also had these powerful realizations about the teachers you get to collaborate with on a daily basis.
We’re about to dive deep into what it takes to be a great teaching partner, and I believe the best way to do that is by discussing insights directly from the sources mentioned in the earlier scenario.
Miss Adrian and Miss Durr are successful in creating a bonded teaching partnership -- one that they are proud of.
While talking with them, they identified three requirements that allowed them to create the partnership they have: balance, vulnerability and communication.
Take a moment and read those three words again. Did anyone else just get goose bumps?! What powerful and brave words to feel and to share.
Creating an environment with balance, vulnerability and open communication is crucial to setting yourself and your teaching partner up for success.
I might just add one more trait: giving yourself grace. This gig of teaching is hard work and you are human. There are going to be hard days, mistakes and tears -- but there will also be joy, celebration and love.
I hope that as you read about what makes their teaching partnership successful and how they've united as a team to support second grade, you'll feel inspired to reflect on your own needs and how you can become the best possible teaching partner for your grade-level colleague.
Okay, let's get to it.
First up is, balance.
According to Miss Adrian and Miss Durr, balance is a key factor in their everyday routine at school because it allows them to fully engage in embracing who they are as an individual, and as a teacher.
They approach their work free from guilt or the fear of being alone in the process. Confident in teaching in a way that reflects their true selves, they achieve balance by embracing both their own strengths and those of their teaching partner.
Adrian and Durr play on each other's strengths and trust in one another's way of teaching. One way this plays out for them is by lesson planning together (sharing the weight of the work as a team), and then allowing space to step into their own classrooms and execute the lesson plan however suits them best.
The most important step in aligning with balance is that at the end of the day they come together and reflect on what went well, what they would change, what they loved or what was hard.
They make sure there is room for them to be different but stand together as they celebrate, learn, grow and adapt together.
Something they both agree on is to celebrate it all! The little, big and the in-between. This includes being your own biggest cheerleader and sharing these successes with each other.
They work together to ensure that while their teaching is different they lead with the same intentions.
While cultivating their teaching partnership they came together to find a shared core belief to keep each other grounded and balanced from day to day. That message is, “you do what’s best for your students and you.”
Next up is vulnerability.
Vulnerability allows you to be strong, confident and believe in your capabilities while also being gentle, open and curious.
Together, Adrian and Durr believe in the power of the environment they’ve created. By both of them being vulnerable with each other, they’ve been able to create a space where they can show up and feel welcomed - not judged.
Just imagine what that must feel like. What a beautiful place to be. What an incredible place to teach. What a beautiful thing to experience.
They both agree, “you need to be able to say the hard things,” to be honest with each other through tough love AND support.
Their willingness to show up for each other, the students and themselves -- simply by being who they are -- allows them to actively choose to see the magic they are creating.
What is the magic happening you ask? Bringing out the best in each other and their students!
To be vulnerable, and inspire vulnerability in their students. To show up and do the best you can with what you have, and if you need help, ask! What more could anyone want?
They do the hard work of looking at themselves in the mirror everyday, facing their own anxious thoughts of who they think they are not, and challenging those thoughts to change the narrative:
To welcome feedback and encouragement.
To experience the push forward toward big wins.
To believe in not only who they are, but also the way they teach.
To be vulnerable and face the light shining on their faces everyday.
To let their capabilities and strengths lead them forward, together.
Last but not least, is communication.
I think we can all agree that effective communication takes commitment, practice and time.
It takes moments of feeling so incredibly uncomfortable, and yet trusting that this feeling will turn into celebrations of watching all you do come to life because you set a boundary, expressed how you felt, spoke up and shared your heart out loud!
Communication looks different for everyone and embracing what works for you will help your teaching partner do the same.
Adrian and Durr focus on being open minded and flexible to try new things. They welcome feedback and show each other compassion, patience and support.
Good communication allows a bridge to be built -- strong on clarity and not confusion. It leaves no room for a "guessing game” or beating around the bush.
It welcomes all conversations, the good, the hard, the sad and the joyous!
They work on communicating by simultaneously working on active listening. If you aren’t listening, you’ll never understand.
They both agree to cultivate a space where they are willing to have empathy and meet each other where they are at, to ensure they feel understood and safe to speak their truth.
What’s amazing is that the second graders in their classrooms feel empowered to do the same.
Are you feeling inspired?
I know I am!
At the end of the day, here's what's important:
Show up.
Be your best self.
Welcome all things difficult, little, big, happy and celebratory.
Get to know yourself and your teaching partner.
Work together as a team.
Lean on one another.
Trust in each other's strengths.
Build up any area where doubt creeps in.
Give each other grace.
Set goals and check in on each other.
Your job is tough, there’s no way around that.
Why do it alone when you have someone you can count on?
To close things out, Miss Adrian and Miss Durr shared this piece of advice taken from the show New Girl, "... be ready to throw out quotes like shut it down!" (If you know, you know).
I interpret that to mean: laugh together, have fun, and embrace the incredible fact that you have someone to face everyday with -- growing and shaping little minds along the way.
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