Madsen's Musings

This is dedicated to the “Awesome Squad.” We worked together for 4 years in Grand Forks and did some great professional learning together! And we had a lot of fun.

Some days I swear I’d do this job for nothing. Reality, of course, is that not all days are brilliant. Some days are rough. Some days are exhausting. And some days are tear-filled, hair-pulling, sleep-deprived messes. So glad we’re not in it alone.

Like in any aspect of life, a strong support system is essential. You need people who understand your challenges. You need people who celebrate your successes (and who listen when things go south). You need people to laugh with. You need people to vent with. You need people to walk you around the block at lunch when the stress demons are plaguing you. You just need people. So glad we’re not in it alone.

I’ve been a teacher for 24 years, and somehow this job never gets easier. The needs of the kids are still complex. The scope of the challenge is still enormous. And the weight of the importance is still crushing. So glad we’re not in it alone.

But aside from the emotional support, your squad also helps you grow professionally. They give you feedback to improve. They inspire you with their own work. They explore new ideas and approaches with you. They sit and talk teaching and talk learning and talk assessing and talk reading and talk writing and talk counselling and talk coaching… and talk every “ing” you’re responsible for in this profession. They make you better. SO GLAD WE’RE NOT IN IT ALONE!!!

Sometimes the tendency with stuff that challenges us and stuff that isn’t going well is to keep it private. It’s hard to admit it’s hard. Having a squad that you trust and that you know values you, allows you to share. And that is clearly important in terms of moving forward. How do you work out that stuff that isn’t going well if you are insular? That stuff needs to air out. So glad we’re not in it alone.

Collectively we know more and can accomplish more than we can individually. And if we fulfill our potential, then our students are more likely to fulfill their potential. Characteristics of community– trust, shared values, acceptance, communication, commitment, reciprocity, accountability, equity, openness, cohesion, respect, participation—are precisely what drive learning in a classroom. And they’re precisely what drive learning among professionals. So glad we’re not in it alone.

 I am actually quite proud of how I have managed my own personal growth and development as a teacher. In fact, my decision to enrol in this diploma program was spurred on by my principal telling me that I already engaged in the kind of learning that exists in graduate programs, so I might as well be getting paid for it! Obviously I agreed. 💰

What he meant was I read things. I ask questions. I talk teaching. I go to every workshop offered. I join committees. I self-assess and look for resources or advice to help me with what I want to improve. I think my own personality helps. I am a perfectionist; the one thing I value above all else is competence. Seriously. The biggest compliment you could pay me is to tell me that I’m competent. Not nice, not generous, not pretty, not kind. Competent. Consequently, I have always been driven to seek out learning opportunities and networks throughout my career. I also find that I am drawn in this way to like-minded teachers, other people who also wanna learn stuff. When you find your squad, you will find that the conversations just naturally happen, whether at lunch or after school or somewhere else if you are friends outside of school. And these casual conversations can be some of the best professional exploration you do. Furthermore, chances are pretty good that they do all the things you do, like follow great people on Twitter, seek out good articles and quality blogs, and look for pro d opportunities, and then they will share those ideas with you.

My professional squad-ships led me to the opportunity to travel for what were two of the greatest professional learning experiences of my career. First of all I was blessed to do a three day residency at High Tech High in San Diego. Secondly, I was invited to go to the ISTE Conference in the summer of 2015. The best thing about the ISTE experience (and CUEBC locally) was that I learned about some great tools that I could put in my back pedagogical pocket. Later, when I had an idea for something I wanted to do, and was asking myself, “How do I make this happen?” I had these tools and strategies to draw on.  So cast a wider net, if you can. 

In the near future, I think the greatest opportunity I have two develop and explore exist right within my own current role. As the newest member of an Apple Distinguished School project-based learning program, I have a LOT to learn. 😂 But the best part is, I have the right people beside me. A new squad. This is a tremendous group who really strive to develop the best program we can for our learners. We meet together every Wednesday after school, we are constantly talking during the school day, particularly in the 45 minute tutorial block where we all work in the same room, we have a group chat on iMessage, we collaborate and build our curriculum on a shared platform (Craft), and when one of us has questions or wants to explore something new, the others are more than willing to get together at lunch and co-learn and co-explore.

I know there is also a lot of great stuff going on in cyberspace. For example, last year I was invited to attend a Saturday virtual unconference with a grassroots group exploring assessment. (As usual, someone in my squad told me about it.) In my own school district, I joined the mentorship team and worked virtually with other mentors exploring strategies for how we could help newer teachers. I joined a virtual book club exploring the impact of trauma through The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog. And, of course, our schools brought us virtual pro D events. My favourite was Katie White. I learned a lot in these experiences, and I am grateful for them. But it just wasn’t the same as a real conference. After two years of the Covid Zoom universe, I am really excited to be back and doing my professional learning in person with real people.

So glad we’re not in it alone.

Find your squad!