Teachers Impact Learning

As I sat at the Labor Day barbecue last night, I thought about all the New York City and Long Island teachers who were preparing to open their classrooms for a new year of learning. I recalled my conversation with a young friend who was entering her second year of teaching. All the fresh ideas and excitement of the new year were in front of her and summer thoughts were drifting into memories. 

Although I am not in the classroom daily, I thought about my journey as a consultant and the teachers who would become my learners. Ideas floated solidifying my feeling about teachers as awakeners and activators of learning. Michael Fullan who writes on change theory, talks about teachers as both learners and change agents, powerful forces within classrooms who continually impact student thinking. 

At the beginning of the school year, all teachers offer a gift to their learners, internal lights that ignite the flames of learning. Filled with the passion for affecting learning, the teachers become the difference makers, reflective and observant practitioners who build cultures of trust for harmonious relationships to grow and thrive. With their literacy toolkits in hand and thoughtful listening and observation skills, they craft teachable moments to invite learners to notice, wonder, explore, question, and discover additional paths to meaning making. Passionate hearts, creativity, and careful planning are essential resources they have to create powerhouses of learning where students are empowered to ignite their own learning lives. 

As activators of learning, teachers become the stewards of change and guides on the journey. The following eduinspiration is offered as a beginning-of-the-year call to action. 

My wish for all educators is to enjoy the journey to creating lasting change for learners. It is a certainty that teachers' active interactions within their spaces of learning impact students' literary lives. 

Please visit Two Writing Teachers for the Tuesday Slice of Life.