Could collaboration save the teaching profession?

We published an article 3 months ago titled Why Half of the Nation’s New Teachers Can’t Leave the Profession Fast Enough. To date, it’s our most read article on the site – almost 700,000 views and counting. When we received an email from two teachers to respond, we immediately said, “Yes!” 

English teacher Steve Main and Social Science teacher Cathy Alderman have been teaching-partners for the last ten years at Anderson New Technology High School.  This is their response to “Why Half of the Nation’s New Teachers Can’t Leave the Profession Fast Enough.”

Steve:

While it may be true that half the nation’s new teachers are leaving the profession, I am holding on tightly to my daily love affair with education. I offer these thoughts to those who have the opportunity to make a difference in education. First, I am in complete agreement with the idea that the biggest difference maker is the administrator. I am working with a seasoned high school principal who is extraordinarily judicious in the use of her power and an articulate and staunch advocate of her staff and program. I am concerned that she may be the exception to the rule.

The educational community may want to consider more support and training for administrators, especially in promoting and recognizing the art of teaching, and in learning how to embrace the concept of shared leadership, not to mention the novel concept that they might consider inviting the staff to collaboratively critique leader performance. Too often today, administrators think that programs and books can prepare teachers, when in fact it is a guiding hand, a willing listener and a critical friend that is most important to the development of great teachers. Leadership must hire wisely and well, build upon best practices, and carefully assess the needs of staff, students and community. Once this has been accomplished, once a school-wide unity is established, as it has been at our school, an administrator is serving all the stakeholders at the highest level.

But when administrators flounder, or do not appear interested in improving their craft, there is another idea which may combat teacher burnout. For the last ten years of my 41 year teaching career, I have been enervated and rejuvenated by the presence of a colleague in my classroom – make that our classroom. Team teaching has allowed me to stretch the limits of my competence. I have a critical friend who daily challenges and supports me, offering ideas and critiques regularly as we teach our mutually designed curriculum. For ten years, we have spent weekends and summer days reshaping and recreating ideas from our own histories and from around the world. We have developed clear high standards and have mutual, consistent expectations of our students. We have engaged in healthy debate and dialogue about everything from grading practices to philosophical issues to how to approach a student who is struggling.

After teaching together in the same classroom for a decade, we thought we could share some successful strategies with newly partnered teachers.  This opportunity presented itself at the 2013 National New Tech conference, where Cathy and I presented a workshop on successful team-teaching.  We are the longest tenured teaching team in the New Tech network, and thought we had something to offer. Ironically, in the days leading up to our workshop, the strangest transformation occurred. The one of us who was always prepared to “wing it” demanded a carefully planned outline and rehearsal of our presentation, and the one of us who was typically an attention-to-detail type A, was comfortable and confident that we had talked enough about our plans, and that we were ready to “wing it”. Our colleagues were baffled bystanders as the frustration and tension boiled over between us in the 24 hours leading up to the presentation. And as it invariably does, our misgivings and exasperation eventually transformed into poise and confidence, as we collaborated to present our ideas that day. We have become the epitome of providing students with the best of both our worlds. Team teaching works!

Cathy:

The synergy that is created when two competent, hardworking individuals come together for a common purpose produces rewards far beyond what they could have accomplished independently.  The Wright Brothers, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, and Larry Page and Sergey Brin are but a few examples. When two creative and industrious minds work collaboratively, they can change the world.

Why hasn’t this idea been practically applied to the classroom? It’s in the classroom where teachers nurture and challenge the minds of our future Wrights, Gates, and Allens, so shouldn’t we double the odds that we can do just that?. It is our students who will change the world, not our new technology or our standards based curriculums.

Steve and I were successful educators in our own classrooms, for many years, but we are both far better together, as a teaching team, than we ever were separately. The blending of our teaching styles and educational philosophies, and the synergy of our personal experiences has created a classroom atmosphere that is lively, unique and always evolving.

Team-teaching:  It is a simple idea that produces profound results on multiple levels.  For example, we have had numerous students over the years who, for whatever reason, have difficulty successfully relating to a female or a male teacher.  In  single teacher classrooms, these students performances sometimes suffer simply because they will not engage with the teacher.  In our classroom, the chances of every student being able to engage with at least one of us multiples his/her chances of being successful.

Thousands of single parents do an admirable job in raising their children.  Many acknowledge that it is exhausting, and they miss a partner to share the joys and anxieties of raising children.  It is no different in the classroom.  Single teachers across the country do a fantastic job every day, but with little support or understanding from their administrators or peers. Furthermore, there is no one in the classroom with whom they can collaborate, commiserate and laugh. It is no surprise why so many are leaving the classroom.

I have experienced all the highs and lows, challenges and mountain-top experiences every other teacher has.  But because I am with my teaching partner, I have been immune from the isolation and burnout that is experienced by so many of my fellow educators.  Team-teaching is beneficial for all stakeholders in education:  administrators have fewer turnovers because they have positive, effective teachers collaborating in the classroom.  Teachers have a built-in support system, but the real beneficiaries of this slightly radical idea are the students, who receive two times the best teaching practices they can get from one teacher. Two competent teachers, teaching side by side, are an idea whose time has come.

“Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor.”

Most people would nod their heads in agreement with wise King Solomon.

To contact Cathy or Steve for more information use aldermancathy@hotmail.com

Check out more from Steve and Cathy in the links below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZURG8e4ThQ

http://youtu.be/FXr8Sr2sBXM