As I build my PLN, I am writing my first blog. Here goes:
After a stressful summer of job searching with no success, I am back in the classroom. Not in my own classroom as I had hoped, but as a Substitute Teacher. I had the opportunity yesterday to return to the same school that I completed my student teaching in last spring. Ironically, I was two doors down from the classroom I taught in!
I walked in the school and felt right at home. The secretaries greeted me and we caught up on our lives since we last met. I gathered my materials and went to the classroom. While on my way, I saw a few of my former students. We spoke and I smiled and watched as they did double takes as if in shock I was back. I saw smiles brighten and before the end of the first hour everyone knew that I was back in the building. My first hour was a planning hour so I took that time to visit one of my host teachers who was also planning that hour. We caught up and talked about the disadvantages of accounting text workbook going online this year.
As the day continued I encountered more of my former students in class and received the same reaction as I did in the hallways. By the last hour of the day it hit me. Last spring I had made a powerful application between my coursework and the classroom/school. I had truly built relationships. During the four months I spent at this high school interacting with administrators, staff and the 85 students I taught, I established a powerful bond. After four months away students picked up right where we left off and staff members did the same. As I am writing this I realize that this happens all the time. When I am a Substitute Teacher in various classrooms around the city I run into students that I have worked with in the community and I have gotten the same reaction.
Having trained in human resources for a few years I know this somethings that is ingrained in employees all the time, especially those on teams. Building relationships is essential for the success of a business. Relationships between upper management and employees, amongst employees, employees and customers as well as employees and suppliers. These relationships lead to better business and more business for a company. The same is true in education. When we build relationships with administrators, teachers, parents and students it will lead to better education and more education for all involved. There is a lot of pressure for the world of education to mimic tactics from the world of business. While I do not agree with that idea completely, this is one concept we should mimic from business on all levels of partnerships in education.
What do you think?
