Allisence: Siloed

First of all, I’m not so proud to share that I have not started running, nor have I made much progress in finding any balance in my life. But I did walk outside and buy myself a new pair of earrings. Baby steps, I tell you, baby steps.

Anyway, did you know that 1873, a man named Henry Hatch of McHenry County, Ill., invented the very first silo? He built it out of wood and stored grains inside of it. He was probably a very forward-thinking man.

I saw my very first silo when I moved to Michigan for college. After being told farmers kept grain inside of them to feed their animals, I could not figure out how they filled those things up. I mean, if you put the grains in through a little window, all the grain already in there would just spill out! Little did I know that silos require some fancy engineering . . . on the inside.

My grad program is built on the idea of co-teaching. In the past year and a half it’s been drilled into my head that silos are bad news and that no teacher should operate in silo fashion. Everyone knows this, but when you’ve been trained to operate as a co-planner, co-teacher, and co-assessor, being the sole teacher-of-record in a self-contained class where I have no team whatsoever is quite hard.

Boy, do I miss last year, when I and the kindergarten teacher I worked with bounced ideas off of each other all afternoon long and practiced co-teaching to a point that we didn’t even have to verbalize what we needed the other person to do. For sure, in the beginning I was a little hesitant and I definitely agree with Theresa that too much of a good thing can be, well, a bad thing. But once my co-teacher and I got going, there was no stopping us.

Nowadays there are rare occasions when my aides and I bounce ideas off of each other, but most of the time, I’m on my own. And after all my kids go home, I sit at my desk and plan all by my lonesome.

I guess if my student teaching experience last year had been a “normal” one, I wouldn’t know the difference. But to have been trained as a co-teacher and now not have the opportunities to use those skills—well, it’s sad. This is especially true when I hear stories of teachers who are being forced to co-teach for the very first time and are so frustrated all they want to do is stomp back to their silos.

This is not to say I don’t see benefits in working alone. Stuff certainly gets done faster, but I think I so enjoyed co-teaching because, in the end, our kids benefited so much from having both of us in the room.

Now if only I can figure out a way to co-teach in my self-contained class . . . that is, if only I could put on a magic cape and be two people at the same time . . . hmmm. . . .

Comments

[Bailey]

In my undergraduate program, we spend a majority of the time preparing lesson plans with partners or groups and then presenting them in a co-teaching format. I once asked my professor why we spent so much time working in groups on lesson plans when a majority of us will be working by ourselves in a classroom. She told me that, as a future teacher, we wouldn't have gone into the field if we weren't confident in how to teach by ourselves, but most of us need to work on communication and working well with others. After hearing that, it put it into perspective for me and I realize that co-teaching would be a great opportunity to hone my teamwork and communication skills in the classroom. There are not many co-teaching opportunities in the state in which I live, but I believe that my professors are getting something right in having us co-teach in our learning field.

[allisence]

@D — I agree that it's difficult. I think as new teachers especially in co-teaching situations, it's very important to work on building that relationship with your fellow teachers. Be honest with them. Tell them that, no, you don't have the experience they have in math, but that you do have experience breaking down information so that all students can access the curriculum. It took awhile before the kindergarten teacher I co-taught with really grew into a relationship where we were able to function the way we did. Show the other teachers how hard you're willing to work for your students!

[D]

I am a brand new teacher as in just weeks of being a teacher. However, I feel very fortunate as I was in the corporate world first and feel the drama I went through prepared me for teaching. It is hard just like you my graduate program is about learning how to co-teach and collaborate effectively. Now, I work with two generations of teachers for my inclusion math classes. Even though they are two different generations I still feel like neither one trust me to teach or help the students. I understand that my program didn't specify on math, but it is frustrating because it did focus on how to break down materials and curriculum for students. How do I get them to trust me?

[Alyse]

I have been reading a lot about coteaching and I think it is such a great way of delivering information to all students. SPED teachers have the knowledge to help students with disabilities but can be very beneficial in helping other students to grasp concepts too. When working together each teacher gains insight on different teaching styles. I think that I can understand how it might be frustrating to move into a co-teaching role but it should be something that the school helps to train with and educate the teachers about what is effective in co-teaching.

[Jesse James]

I like the idea of being able to have a fellow teacher to bounce ideas off of, but the co-teaching classrooms that I have watched kind of made me feel that I would have a lot of trouble trying to co-teach. I'm the type of person who likes to make sure everything is being done a certain way, and I feel that having another person doing something a different way might throw me off. I'm student teaching right now and I like how the teachers are able to give each other advice, but they don't co-teach. Personally I like the challenge of having to find new things for the students to do, but don't get me wrong, a little extra help never hurts!

[Greensboro Tutor]

Don't worry, with time you WILL find your magic cape!

Don't let the system get you beaten down. Co-teaching, when well executed is great. Alas, it's not always well executed. Poorly executed co-teaching can be even more painful than a rough independant classroom.

I've run both styles of teaching, and 9 out of 10 times the best classrooms are the ones I ran solo. Hopefully folks will get better about running a co-planned classroom, I really enjoy it when it works.

I promise you'll make it in an independant class though, and that if you keep your heart in it you'll discover that you can be a great teacher. Keep on doing what you're doing!

[Morgan]

It is encouraging to hear your positive attitude about co-teaching! In many cases, it is a very difficult experience for teachers who have spent so much time teaching alone to have to transition to a co-teaching model, or even models like one-teach, one-assist where there is another adult present, although only one person is teaching. Last semester I had my clinicals in an inclusive classroom that was taught by two teachers. This was a very unique experience for me, but I loved the opportunity to see how the class functioned as a whole! I hope I can have this opportunity again in the future!

[Janette De]

Even planning with your assistants/therapists would be a blessing. I also liked to plan with a grade level. I kinda just picked one where most of my kids were or ones I had a good repore with-usually K or first. It worked out so nice. If they went on a field trip, so did we. I liked that some of our field trips were not just Spec. Ed only classes.

[Tim Talcott]

I am a new teacher and I am working at a district that just this year went to a coteaching platform for each grade level. I have talked with many of those teachers in the district and they have found both positive and negative aspects of coteaching. The platform is that there cannot be more than 50% of students with IEPS in the class and the rest are the "atypical" or average to above average students. The positive aspects we have discussed is that students with disabilities gain social acceptance among their peers and have positive role models. THe negative aspects are the noise level in the classroom with two teachers and the lack of intensive instruction that students might otherwise have gotten in a more restrictive environment. They say that like your situation, they are experiencing growing pains, but they feel it will benefit everyone. I was wondering if you have had the same pros and cons in your experiences or any other ones.

[Darrica]

I have experienced "co-teaching" and often found myself wishing I could just do it alone. The teachers that I worked with often just sat me at the back of the class where I was nothing more than a glorified paraprofessional. I do know that there are good collaboration methods out there though, and I will not end my quest to find those that work. I did see one great example that I felt worked really well. The teacher that had the self-contained class worked with a general education history teacher. Together they made the decision to put one of her students in his classroom, partially for the socialization purposes, but also to challenge the student to reach farther than he thought possible. The student participated in class, did all of the regular classroom assignments, and completed regular class tests. In his self-contained class his teacher gave him the assistance that he needed and made modifications as necessary. Not only did the student pass with a good grade, but his self-esteem soared. Other students picked up on that and rather than being one of "those" kids, he actually became "just one of the guys." I can only hope that in my future endeavors, I can experience that much success!

[Erin]

I enjoyed reading your blog. The school district that I am teaching in is currently test-driving the idea of co teaching and full inclusion. I teach at the high school level, it is my first year there. I love it so far, but I have to admit that there have been several occasions that I have wished that my special education Intro to Physics course was co taught. I would love the opportunity to bounce ideas and collaborate on lesson planning for this course. The graduate class that I am currently enrolled in is having us address an issue in our district. I have chosen the concept of co teaching and inclusion. I have been met with great optimism. Most of the teachers I have talked to have welcomed the idea of co teaching. They suggest that this would push our current students to work harder. The parents that I have talked with are definitely pro co teaching. They feel that their special education student would be pushed harder at the high school level and therefore be better prepared for college. The only ones that don't seem to be to sure of the concept are the students. I have discussed this topic with my students and they feel that their privacy would be violated. They feel that everyone would know they were special ed, or that they have a disability. I have one student who says she will quit school before she is forced into a co taught classroom. I think they like the safe a secure, small numbered enviornment of their special education classroom. I am still looking forward to the challege and just like everything else, change is difficult.

[Chelsea V]

You say that you do have aides in your classroom, right? Is there a way that you could get them all together at some point during the week and just share what your plans are with them and give them a chance to voice any concerns or observations. I think a sign of a good teacher leader is being able to relinquish some power and jobs to the others in your room. Or do this with another teacher at your school? Even if they are in general education you may have some of the same underlying issues.

Another solution may be to collaborate with teacher using the internet (like you are now). I wonder if you could find a teacher pen pal of some kind. I know it's not the same but it may help a little.

I can definitely see how this could get depressing fast however and I do see the issues. It's hard to get excited about things by yourself.

[Megan Flock]

I am student teaching right now and I know what you mean about co-teaching. Most of the time I am teaching the students but there are times when my cooperating teacher has suggests for improvements or gives praise and takes ideas from me. It's always nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of and receive input. I am always looking for advice from her and I'm never afraid to ask for help or input.

I've worked with my cooperating teacher many times and we work together very well. We always seem to be thinking the same thing about everything. When we teacher together, we seem to know what the other is going to do. I can see where it would be a problem if two teachers were co-teaching and they didn't get along or had different opinions on how to teach. This could be an issue and the students would ultimately suffer.

[Leighann]

This is a very interesting article. I think that there are benefits and drawbacks to both teaching on your own and co-teaching. I think that it is important to know both systems, because I never know when I will switch from one to the other. I am beginning my first of three student teachings next semester, and I am interested to see the kind of classroom into which I will be placed. During student teaching, I hope to experience both a co-teaching and an independent teaching classroom, so that way I will be expose to both systems, and I will be prepared when I get my first teaching job.

I think that co-teaching would be a very good presentation style, because this way I would always have someone who I can bounce ideas off of and someone who I can depend on if times get tough, especially as a first year teacher. I will always have someone who can work with me and help me learn things that I did not know before, so in turn I can better help my students to learn. Although, I know that it would not be easy to be co-teachers, because perhaps my cooperating teacher and I may have different ideas, and that could be tricky to navigate.

Independent teaching may eliminate the differences of opinions, but it also takes away that built in support system. If I was a first year teacher, by myself, and I had to plan all of the lessons, teach all of the lessons, evaluate all of the lessons, and complete all of the paper work by myself, I think it would be difficult for me, because I would not have someone there who could help me and guide me. Especially as a first year teacher, where even if I am as prepared as possible, it will still be scary and nerve-wracking, having that built-in support system cannot be underestimated. I think that I would prefer to be placed in a co-teaching situation during my first job, and although there may be issues, I think I would learn the most, and would be able to grow and evolve as an educator.

I am interested to learn more about both systems, and to hopefully one day teach in both situations. This way I will become a well-rounded educator. Thank you for your insight. It has given me a lot to think about before my student teaching begins.

[How to Relieve Stress]

Just think of it this way...now you will know both how to co-teach and solo teach, so overall you will be a better teacher for the experience. Maybe you will eventually get back to co-teaching later on.