by Ann Larson Ericson
Teaching can be an isolating profession. Some days our only adult contact may be the teacher we pass in the hall as we’re rushing to the restroom between classes. I can still vividly recall my first year of teaching 30 years ago and how lonely I felt. I rarely interacted with other teachers at school. I went home after school to roommates who worked at banks and hospitals and law offices, and they had no concept of what my days were like. I frequently found myself overwhelmed and unsure how to approach challenging students or challenging lessons, and I didn’t know where to turn. It was hard, and I drove home many days in tears wondering if I had chosen the right profession. What I needed was a wise person in my life, but I didn’t know that I needed to seek that person out.
In my next teaching job, I found a wise person and that changed everything for me. I met a colleague who regularly checked in with me. Don helped me process lessons that went poorly and lessons that went well. His nonjudgmental approach made me feel safe enough to talk about mistakes I made and how I could grow from those mistakes. I remember one failure particularly well. I found a lab activity in a book, photocopied it, set out the supplies, and sent my students back to the lab to do the experiment. Nothing in the lab worked. The proportions were off, the directions were confusing, and I was hopelessly unprepared for the questions and problems that kept coming up. I talked to Don during my prep hour. He listened to my ranting about my lesson failure and calmly asked me what needed to be done and how he could help. No judgment, no scolding me for not testing the lab ahead of time, just the questions, “What needs to be done?” and “How can I help?” I learned that I needed to bounce back from the tough lesson and move on. I learned to be prepared and anticipate where students might have problems. Most importantly, I learned that I wasn’t a bad teacher because I had a bad lesson.
Besides support in the classroom, Don talked me into leaving my desk at lunchtime and joining a group to talk and laugh about non-school related topics. He invited me to join colleagues at Friday afternoon gatherings. Through Don, I connected to a group of colleagues who were open and positive and shared my values about teaching and kids. As I began to feel more connected to my colleagues and built relationships on the staff, my confidence grew. Don pushed me to observe the science teacher at our school who was an expert at managing classroom projects. Through Don, I also got to know the English teacher at our school who was a master at classroom management and building relationships with kids. I spent time observing her class and picking her brain for strategies to bring to my own classroom.
My wise person’s influence made me a better teacher and a healthier person. I think about him often and how his wisdom kept me in the teaching profession. Here are few nuggets of wisdom I learned:
- Eat lunch in the staff lounge—talk about sports or recipes or current events or movies or the latest Netflix craze. Keep the conversation positive and upbeat. If the conversations are bringing you down, eat somewhere else.
- Take advantage of the support your school provides—mentor teachers, coaches, and administrators.
- Find a colleague you connect to—it doesn’t need to be your assigned mentor, coach, or administrator, but someone you feel safe sharing challenges with.
- Strategically seek out teachers to observe who have strengths you can learn from. Arrange to visit their classrooms and to pick their brains afterwards for new ideas and strategies.
- Go out after work with your colleagues and enjoy one another’s company outside of school.
- Attend a professional conference with a colleague so you have a day out of school where you can pique your curiosity and enthusiasm for teaching.
Who are your wise people? How have they enriched your teaching career?
What pearls of wisdom have they shared with you? Let’s talk about it.
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About Ann Larson Ericson
For more than nine years, I've been using the Developmental Designs approach in my school. I am currently the 7–12 Instructional Coach at Community of Peace Academy, a public charter school on the east side of St. Paul, Minnesota. Before starting my new position, I taught high school chemistry and physical science at Community of Peace Academy. Since 2011 I've spent my summers as a Developmental Designs facilitator of professional development. Previously, I've taught science at urban and suburban schools, served as a director of gifted and talented education in a rural Wisconsin school district, and taught English in Shanghai, China. I hold a Bachelor of Arts from St. Olaf College and a Master of Arts from St. Catherine University. Contact me at Origins@OriginsOnline.org
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