Time Well Spent

The school year has begun, with fresh faces entering my team's classrooms for the first time. This being my sixth year, I've noticed a few things about what happens when you remain in one place for awhile. For one, you establish a reputation, good or bad. Far less of me was known to my first homeroom and to my fellow teachers than is true now. One of the first comments from a student this year related to what others have said about me. Happily, they were good things. In the same way, my fellow teachers know me enough to involve me in some tasks and not in others. The same is true of the other teachers on the team, the "youngest" of whom-- in terms of time on our team-- has been here a year. For that reason, there is a set of definite (though unwritten) expectations placed on each member of the team, wherein we take on roles that pertain to our skill sets. This now happens naturally: while once it was unclear who would do what, it is now clear who will do what. This has led to a much greater measure of stability on the team and-- crucially-- in our respective classrooms, as well. By now, most of us know who we are in the classroom, and why we're there. The more stable the team, the more stable the classrooms that team leads. I suppose this is true for all professions. It's just nice to notice it personally.