I have learned a gazillion things from my colleagues. Among other things, I have learned that working alone isn’t healthy. Educators need one another for ideas, inspiration, accountability, and the sense of collegiality and safety that comes with teamwork.
On days I just want to quit— and we all have those days, don’t we?"— a little voice inside me protests: “But… the people! Your colleagues! Your teammates! Your work friends! You love them!”
And I do.
It’s the people in the trench with me, the ones who understand and appreciate the work, who make it worthwhile. And fun. They make it fun! I was reminded of this a few years ago when I was in a funk. Everything was… blah. It was January, probably, and cold and windy and icky. My assistant principal, who I’ll call Sarah, came to me. “We need to have some fun at our next staff meeting,” she said. “It’s just… well, we’re not having fun. People are in a rut. Grumpy. Disconnected. We need to get them working together again.”
Bah. I let out a deep internal sigh. I don’t have the energy for fun. Or, heaven forbid, “working together.”
“I read about a team activity we should try.” She sat down. “It’s easy. And inexpensive. And short.” She saw my face. “Trust me!” she said. “It’ll be fun!”
I sighed, resigned. Oh, the irony— I didn’t wanna connect with my colleagues in an activity that would create connection and collegiality.
Not surprisingly, when we rolled out our Fun Plan at the next staff meeting, I found myself having a great time. So did everyone else. Afterward, countless teachers came to us and told us how much they appreciated our activity. “Much needed,” they said. “It changed my mindset,” they said. Several planned to use the activity with their students, who, they felt, could use some rut-busting themselves.
I was grateful Sarah had gotten me out of my own way. My rut had been limiting me, shoving me into a place where things felt comfortable and simple. But comfortable and simple are just a hop away from bored and tired.
It was just one of hundreds of examples in which input from a colleague shifted my perspective in much-needed ways. If given a choice, I would always work alone, at my own pace, in charge of my time. I find peace and comfort in working alone. But it’s not good for me.
When I first started teaching, I had an amazing mentor in my team leader. Christy believed deeply in the power of teams. She brought a joy and perspective to our work that made it seem like play. There were five of us on the team, and our meetings were a perfect mixture of all-business productivity and just hanging out. We were very different— different mindsets, different perspectives, different priorities. We worked together for four years, and for four years, we met at 11:00 every Tuesday morning. And every Tuesday, I woke up genuinely excited for our meeting. (Yes! Excited for a meeting!) From those teachers, I learned so stinkin’ much about student advocacy, curriculum, classroom management—and about getting along, in spite of the differences between us. From Christy, I learned that colleagues bring value and purpose to our jobs. To this day, I am actually someone who looks forward to staff meetings, department meetings, curriculum reviews, committee work. I always come out having shifted my outlook, learned something, or been inspired to do something differently or better.
It’s not perfect. Sometimes my coworkers want to punch me, I’m sure, and I have my own moments of irritation with them. Collegiality doesn’t mean constantly copacetic. It doesn’t mean we dance and sing with joy every day. We’re at work, after all. Which is… well, it’s work.
But.
Every single day, I’m reminded how important colleagues really are. They make me smarter, wiser, more patient, and more effective. They also make me love my job. They bust my ruts. They challenge me. They keep me sharp. They make me smile, and laugh, and roll my eyes. They make me more articulate. They keep me young.
Settling exclusively in one’s own head slowly narrows one’s point of view. It limits the capacity we have to learn and grow. Colleagues are always teaching us something, even if they irritate us, even if we disagree. I wish I’d counted every time I have been blown away, chastised, enlightened, corrected, inspired, and moved toward improvement by one of my colleagues. Their ideas move me; their accountability keeps me focused on the right things. They make me push back against my loner instinct, and I am better for them.
Let’s stay curious—
Jen
Remember: 100% of the words in this newsletter are mine. No AI at all. Ever.