Why Did You Join?

An hour and a half after my school day ended, I sat in another school with three educators. I was concluding our March Teacher Research Cohort monthly meeting in their empty school library. I had guided them through our meeting routine: 10-minutes of written journalling, 15-minutes each to share what you are finding out on your chosen research topic, and all offering ideas aloud and in writing to our shared feedback document about each researcher’s journey.

“Can I asked one more question? Since I am researching what happens when teachers conduct teacher research, can you each tell me why you joined this cohort?”

K -I saw the Flipgrid made by those who participated last year. I knew I was already going to do this (research IB and standards-based grading) and was happy to find out that our school district had this system in place. So I reached out to you to start a cohort here.

J – I joined because K asked me to. I also thought this would be a good time to join and spend time to understand this big topic – grading.

C – K sent an email and invited the whole school to join. I naturally am a curious person, wondering about how to make my teaching practice better. But I also know I needed a structure to persue my wonderings. It keeps my curiousities on the radar and holds me accountable.

Can I take your picture?

As I exited the library, the hallways were empty, except for one lone custodian mopping the floor at the far end of the corridor. Finally Monday, a long school day, was over for me. However, I felt enegized by having the opportunity to faciliate the discussion of these three, curious educators. And I had the chance to gather my own data for my own research. Perhaps the future of educator isn’t so dire after all.