My high school Latin teacher would be proud of me for sharing a brief Latin lesson with all of you. The word collaborate comes from the Latin word collaborare, which literally means “to labor together.” What does this mean in the context of our collective responsibility and collaborative practices? A great deal! If you had been present at our most recent staff meeting, you would have seen collaboration in action. Our entire instructional staff were discussing the results of a recent Developmental Spelling Assessment that was given to our students. The team of teachers was looking at student scores and interpreting the results to determine what each student needed for instruction. During this time, great conversations were taking place in regard to looking at what the information was telling us, what we needed to do with it, and how we can improve outcomes for students. There were even some challenges when two teachers looking at the same data arrived at different ideas of what should be done. Nonetheless, the discussion was respectful and impactful while focused on what is best for students. A few moments later, a piece of chart paper appeared. From there, teachers were plotting out who could work with whom on what specific skills. A list was created of students who had similar needs for instruction and teachers were volunteering to work on specific skills within a group they chose to lead. To hear the conversations that were taking place and to see everyone jump into action was truly an amazing experience to be part of and witness. It is a testament to how our staff at Roxbury Village School works together to meet the needs of our students.
As you know, we are a very small school. We have 38 students and 5 full-time members of our instructional staff. We also have 3 part-time teachers and a full-time instructional assistant. I am beyond grateful for our staff who all have a commitment to doing what is best for students. We know that the essential purpose of our school is to ensure high levels of learning for all students. This commitment to and focus on each student is the foundation for our learning community. Beyond that, we know that one person can’t do it all. This is especially true in a multiage classroom where there is a diverse range of students and many needs contained therein. To support effective instruction that meets the needs of all learners, we have an “all hands on deck” approach. Every available member of our instructional staff is responsible for working with a small group of students during our WIN (What I Need) block for intervention. We are committed to working together and sharing the responsibilities for teaching and learning. In our small school, working together is an expectation we have for one another. We all have a shared goal and we are accountable to each other in this work because we understand our collective responsibility to each and every one of our students. We understand that the “we” is greater than the “me”. At Roxbury Village School, we don’t talk about “your” student or “my” student. We talk about “our” students. In using pronouns such as “us” and “we” our staff takes ownership of student learning. The culture of our school supports our small team of teachers as we work collaboratively and collectively to ensure student learning at high levels.
Our collaborative practices extend well beyond the walls of our school. We recognize that Roxbury Village School is part of the larger Montpelier Roxbury Public School District. As such, we work both vertically and horizontally throughout the system as well as between and within our schools. For example, elementary, middle, and high school level teachers meet in district-wide curriculum groups for English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies to ensure alignment in the priority standards that are being taught in our K-12 continuum. Beyond that, our specialists, interventionists, counselors, and special education staff meet in their respective (vertical) teams on a regular basis to plan, share ideas, and discuss best practices. Because of our commitment to creating connections between our staff and our schools as well as developing direction and alignment, we have made it possible for teachers to spend time with colleagues in similar positions as part of their collaborative team to share ideas, knowledge, resources, and learning. We are doing whatever it takes to increase our collaboration with other teachers, other schools, and other professionals for our own learning and the learning of our students.
We know that the only way we can ensure all students learn at high levels is to work collaboratively and to take collective responsibility for the success of each student. We are far more effective when we learn with and from one another. We endeavor to be a high-performing team of educators and are ever mindful of our responsibilities to each other and the students we serve. Through our work together, we know we are making an impact on student learning while building a limitless future for every learner.
