We Can Do It!

Today's post was contributed by Jaimie Howe.

I believe today’s current reality for most educators is a tremendous overwhelmed feeling.  With the significant amount of initiatives across the state encompassed with an extreme sense of urgency to prepare all students for post-secondary success, teachers are worn-out.  

For example, take a peek at the chart below.  I wanted to have a visual showing the changes teachers have been up against over the last few years in education.  These are new initiatives that have happened in my district over the last 4 years.  I’m sure I am missing some, but this still clearly shows what we as educators have been faced with.

2011-2012	2012-2013	2013-2014	2014-2015
-New ELA Curriculum -CCSS -PLCs -New Master Schedule ·   (to provide more opportunities for collaboration) -Monthly ELA Collaboration -AIMSWeb -DRA2 -WTW Inventory -Common Assessments -New Standards Based ELA Report Card	-Intervention Block -2x week grade Level Collaboration (1 math/1 ELA) -Data Roll Through Meetings 4x per year -PALS (KDG)	-Universal Coaching (K-1) -New Writing Curriculum -PALS (1st) -Progress Monitoring	-New Math Curriculum -Educator Effectiveness - PALS (2nd) -SBAC -New Standards Based Math Report Card

This chart alone indicates a total of 24 NEW initiatives in just four years.

So how do we manage all of this?  Believe me, it is hard work.  24 new initiatives in 4 years is in no way ideal nor recommended, but we can do it.

Just like we want our students to do, we need to start looking at the connections each of these initiatives have and how they fit together. When we treat everything as it’s own entity, it IS overwhelming. Stop, take a breath, and find the connection between all of the initiatives and in turn it will give you reason and purpose for following them.  When we understand the purpose for why we do things, it makes it so much easier. So, whenever I am faced with a new initiative, I always ask myself, “How does this fit in with the whole RtI framework?”  Every single time, I am able to place the initiative into one of the framework categories:High Quality Instruction, Collaboration, or Balanced Assessment and then the initiative starts to make so much more sense and has a purpose.

As a literacy coach, we need to remember to make these connections for teachers when we are introducing a new skill, strategy, or way of teaching.  When we have purpose for what we do, it makes it all worthwhile.