Considering Change

I have had a very busy schedule the past two weeks. Last week I had the privilege of working with a group of kindergarten, first and second grade teachers. It was an exciting and hopeful week. This week I am joining a group of third grade teachers in training. Also exciting and hopeful! The theme of June for me has been "considering change." As I spend time with teachers, administrators, classmates and professors the undercurrent of change is on everyone's mind. What I know for sure is that change is hard, uncomfortable, exciting and stressful all at the same time. I love that teachers are recognizing that change is needed and most are willing to put themselves out there and learn how to give each and every student the opportunities they deserve to learn. For one of my classes I am reading Best Practice (again) and like a good movie, everytime I delve into it different things speak to me. Last night I kept coming back to a passage describing what is needed to move past traditional teacher centered instruction and toward the "best practice" model. It reads, "So when teachers, schools, or districts want to move toward this new model, everyone involved in the change needs lots of information and reassurance: they need a chance to construct their own understanding of what the new curriculum means, what research and theory supports it, how it can be implemented, and why it holds so much promise for our children" (Zemelman, 2005). As an instructional coach I strive to make change easier and reassurance is a huge part of what I do. As a classroom teacher more than anything I wanted to be treated as a professional. I constantly try to value teachers professional judgement while supporting growth and change. When given the information about what their being asked to do in the classroom teachers will always pick what works for learners but the opportunity to consider change is one opportunity that teachers should be afforded.