I was lucky enough to spend my first year as a full-time educator as a part of Francis C Richmond Middle School’s eighth grade team. Erik Goodling, an ELA teacher and a part of that eighth-grade team, notes in his letter of recommendation the respect with which all students approached me. What he doesn’t mention is the way in which this was enabled by the teachers who treated me as a welcome member of the team. I collaborated with Erik and the rest of the grade as their regular substitute when my para-educational duties afforded me the time. They were happy to sit down and explain the aims of any particular exercise, the standards and skills being targeted. They were happy then to let me take the lead on modifying activities for my 504 and IEP students, trusting that I knew what they wanted to see demonstrated. And they respected my opinions and my relationships with my students, welcoming my voice in team meetings.
Because of the trust that the eighth-grade team had in me, I was able to develop deep and rewarding relationships with my students. In my interview for this position, I remember discussing my belief that it is important to encourage students to make mistakes, and how that is a part of centering student voices and growth. Aligning with Moss and Brookhart’s Learning Targets, I used an approach of helping students understand what it is we wanted them to demonstrate rather than helping students to demonstrate it. I assured them that any genuine attempt at demonstrating the learning target would be sufficient, and once they had generated a genuine attempt, I would help them close any gap. Once students knew both that I would reward any genuine attempt, and that I could help them succeed eventually, they rewarded me with a trust, a willingness to try things, and an honesty about their beliefs and abilities that enabled them to greatly further their learning.
This was a wonderful introduction to full-time classroom work, as I benefited from a team willing to mentor me, and a community of students willing to learn from and with me.