Teaching is about relationships. While students, parents, and administrators all expect you to partner with them, your connections with colleagues will play the largest role in your ability to enjoy your work and grow as a professional.
Tracy from Rhode Island, our guest from episode 56, had some great insight following our episode 57 discussion about the value of Twitter for educators today.
In a vox to our PodcastPD Voxer group, she honed in on AJ\u2019s point about building your PLN and connecting and learning from the teachers closest to you. Those would be your colleagues in your grade level, department, and your building and district.
So today we\u2019re going to talk about ways we\u2019ve been great colleagues, failed at being great colleagues, and we hope to inspire your next positive teaching relationship.
Strategies for Being a Great Colleague:
AJ: Still listening to Feedback (and Other Dirty Words) by M. Tamra Chandler and Laura Grealish as mentioned on episode 56.
Chris: Art of Manliness #551: Inside the Gangsters\u2019 Code \u2013 Lou Ferrante was a mobster who worked for the Gambino crime family and made a trade out of hijacking trucks loaded with expensive goods. Eventually, the law caught up with him and he ended up in prison. There, he discovered a love for reading and writing which set off a personal transformation that led to him leaving the mafia. After his stint in jail, Lou went on to become an author and the host of a Discovery Channel documentary series called Inside the Gangsters\u2019 Code.
Stacey: Note to Self-How to Create Good Digital Citizens \u2013 Right from wrong. We teach our kids what this means in the classroom and at home. But what about online? The next generation of tech users could be a part of much more civilized digital universe, but only if they learn how now. Manoush talks to Richard Culatta (CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education) about the five steps to creating good digital citizens, and how to turn the current online \u201cculture shift\u201d into something positive, respectful, and more accessible to all.