The Jam Sessions

Last May, as I was heading to get my students from PE, I saw Zoe walking towards me. I thought she’d found the extra folders we joked about trying to get ahold of earlier, but instead, she came to say goodbye.

“I had my last Writer’s Workshop with my class today,” she said. There was a soft grateful tone in her voice that made me think she’d miss it. She thanked me for everything I’d share with her, and I thanked her for her trust and willingness to try something new.

Gaining someone’s trust is a huge deal for me. It’s an invaluable gift that I keep on the highest shelf.

I’ve worked with many teachers at my school for the past couple of years. I’ve had the fortune to spend quality time with them unpacking/writing units, studying student writing, discussing mini-lessons, and helping them practice the skillful and precise teaching that has to happen in less than 12 minutes. My biggest goal has been to boost their confidence so they dive into the pool instead of tipping their toes while we hold hands.

Granted, I love holding their hands. In the few minutes we squeeze for these chats/working sessions, I feel more like myself than any other time I spend teaching alone. Meeting with teachers and working together has become my dose of caffeine to get me through the day. And yes, that means I am finding more and more joy outside of my single classroom. I am hungry for more. I want to be in all the classrooms.

Sadly, I don’t get to be in all classrooms as much as I wish, but until that dream comes true, I will reflect on those jam sessions I’ve had with the people who have trusted me with their professional growth. Writing these posts will also serve as the right amount of motivation to return to the blog and bring the reflection muscle back to life.

I wanted to first write about last year’s literacy institute to get it out of the way, just like one does with the heaviest box in the closet. This jam session, unlike most of the others, had A TON of preparation, so expectations were high.

Literacy institute? It’s me, hi. I’m the impostor syndrome!

No one wants to do any professional development right before summer starts. Yet, somehow, this group of teachers brought a “let’s do this” attitude and a ton of snacks to a five-day institute to stretch our understanding, as a school, about what Writer’s Workshop looks like and how to serve our writers better. This was the second time I gathered with teachers at my school to discuss this topic, but this time, they were bringing anecdotes about implementing new approaches with a ton of questions. They needed grab-and-go tips and answers to their biggest concerns.

This time together would also allow us to go deeper and dig into the roots of why this or why that. Knowing the reason for each move makes us all understand the importance of getting it right.

To prepare for the institute, I printed the “How can I help you?” survey responses, dusted my memories of what I’d learned from the experts and the many years immersed in this model, and gathered a few books to support my claims. Then, with a few glasses of Pinot, I created a draft that looked something like this:

• List of read-alouds as inclusion activities
• Mini-lessons for teachers to write each day
• A predictable structure to each day, going from content dumping to hands-on what-do-you-notice times
• Make each day a new topic, but make them follow a logical flow for “easy digestion”
• Learning protocols for groups and individual learning
• Plan for participation protocols, breaks, and closings

It took me many days to have a program I could share with teachers, with handouts, charts, and presentations included. On day 1, I set the tables, took one, two, three deep breaths, and got ready to jump in.

The first day flew by. A buzz of tiredness mixed with curiosity was just enough to get us going. From one chat to the next, I took notes and tweaked the program based on what teachers asked for and responded to, which is my favorite memory of those five days, the immediate feedback, and how I handed the keys to my colleagues. I felt like the driving instructor in the passenger seat, with my facilitating moves on a clipboard, and them eager to take turns at the steering wheel.

Day after day, we modified protocols, adjusted lunch/break times, and switched working sessions to a moment when our brains were less thinking of a lovely beach somewhere and more thinking of that first month of school.

I learned so much about facilitating from this experience and got to bring back some moves I hadn’t danced to in many years, but most of all, I realized that I didn’t need to feel validated to stand in front of this (or any?) crowd. The impostor monster is now a bit less scary.

Thank you, girls.

For the next few jam sessions:

• An interview with Amy about her memoir writing unit
• My experience coaching the kindergarten team
• Hopes and dreams with the Grade 2 team