WARNING: This post includes much tooting of my colleagues’ horns. 

One of the goals for us Carondelet teachers, as I understand it, is to maintain a reflective teaching practice (a very worthy pursuit). I have found this year that I am most reflective when planning curriculum for US History. 

US History is taught by Phil Miller, Lauren Konopka, and myself. Between us we have nearly 40 years of combined teaching experience. We have each taught US History multiple times prior to this year and prior to knowing each other. One might expect that planning our curriculum would be a breeze: We march out old lesson plans one by one and select what we want to do in class. This could not be further from reality. 

Because Phil, Lauren, and I have all taught US History before, we each have our own specific interests and perspectives on the subject. We’ve developed lessons and projects, and we have a good idea of what’s worked well and what hasn’t. When it comes time to plan for this year, we invariably start by sharing out what we’ve done in the past. Then comes the discussion, followed by bargaining, begging, pleading, and arguing (respectfully) over what we should teach, how we should teach it, and how best to assess it. 

Planning together is incredibly slow, sometimes to the point of frustration. I have no doubt that individually each of us could plan the curriculum much faster. BUT, working together has forced each of us to reflect much more about what we are teaching and how. We are always challenging each other, encouraging each other to try new things, and listening as we kvetch about what worked well and what didn’t. It is slow and rewarding. 

It’s easy to find oneself in a silo as a teacher. As much as possible, I encourage this type of collaboration – even for those (like myself) who often prefer to work alone. Working with Lauren and Phil is so important for my growth as a teacher.