Thinking about TEAM

Everyone Needs a Team?...

I have never been on an official sports team, that’s right never I was always one of the last kids picked when choosing sides for yard games, or sides in gym class and that was okay because to be honest no one wanted to play less than me.

But I am finding more and more that there is so much power in being on a team and cheering on a team.
There is something about having a team you can believe in, someone to root for. There is a sense of belonging and a sense of pride.  Those of you who have been rooting on the poets in Ed DeCaria's Madness! 2012 know this to be true. While I usually referred to my classes as family, the classroom community feels like a team and being a part of a group of teachers is a lifeline kind of team. In a broader sense our school staff is a team.

Last year when someone from our Central Office asked me how things were going at school I said I felt like a cheerleader.   I really felt foolish for saying that but then I started reflecting.  Often times at school I do feel like a cheerleader. So much of what we do is encourage and help kids develop skills so that they have the confidence that leads to their success. It is the nudge and nurture factors. I see teachers doing just that all day long.  Don't you love and treasure those quick encounters with children, in the hall, at the lunch table, etc. when you get to ask them about that special book they are reading or a piece of writing that they are crafting; the kind of encounter that is honoring and honest, lets them know that you have time to think about them and what they care about.  

I think being a part of SOL has given me even more reason to think about being on a team.  Thank you for gathering together, writing, sharing and as a team cheering one another on.