When I talk to teacher-colleagues across the country, two things quickly become clear. The first is that we have an incredible amount in common. The second is that our contexts and challenges can vary wildly. So during moments of the year like Teacher Appreciation Week, the range of experiences and emotions we have can vary wildly too – from pride in our positive impact to uncertainty in the face of continued challenges. But for me, the fact remains that all educators deserve to feel connected to a sense of purpose, a sense of community and a sense of possibility as they approach this work every day. 

I want to offer a few reflections from my practice that have fed my curiosity and creativity this year, along with my sincere hope that you find similar opportunities that can energize your practice year-round. 

1. Opt in to reciprocal care 

More and more, I notice the difference between informal, organic relationship-building and formalized mentor-mentee structures. Depending on your school, you might be paired with a dedicated mentor or be a mentor to an early career educator. But in addition to that facilitated support, I think we need more opportunities to organically opt in to conversations, shared experiences and commitments to mutual care with our colleagues. 

When I first started teaching at 22, I deeply appreciated other teachers (some of whom became my “work-moms” and “work-aunts”) who would check on me, hand me a snack in the hallway, lend me supplies from their classroom cabinet or simply take a few minutes to talk after the school day. I feel immense gratitude for those relationships and our mutual decision to opt in to that generous and reciprocal care. These relationships have really been cornerstones of my career, and I’m still in touch with my earliest colleagues 10, 13, 15 years on and even as they’ve moved into retirement.

Now rounding out year 17 of my career, I see these kinds of enthusiastic opt-ins as one of the go-to moves we can make to build lasting cultures of authentic appreciation and inclusivity that can help more educators thrive. To take that a step further, we can advocate for opportunities throughout the year that allow us to form more of those connections. 

2. Delay producing some answers 

I love digging into the big questions that impact our school and shape our yearly or multiyear plans to better support every student. But some questions need more time, and there won’t be a neat or actionable answer in the first – or even the fifteenth – conversation. Rather than get discouraged, I’ve advocated for more spaces where all staff can collaborate, listen to one another and bounce ideas around without the pressure of coming to a decision immediately. 

This year, my department is reading Gholdy Muhammad’s Cultivating Genius and talking about culturally responsive education (alongside Pennsylvania’s new Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education teacher competencies and Learning for Justice’s Social Justice Standards). We’re not looking to change our curriculum by the end of the year, or implement new requirements for all our lesson plans this term – or even by the fall. Instead, we’re grappling with what inclusion and equity mean to us as a group, troubleshooting ideas and strengthening our tolerance for uncertainty as we challenge one another to grow. 

Right now, we don’t have a singular answer as a department for what that growth will look like. But I’m really happy that we‘ve provided a space to wrestle meaningfully with that question. What’s more, I feel more energized and confident that when the time comes to make more actionable decisions, we’ll be in a much better position as a department to make genuinely impactful changes. 

3. Find your explore space

One of my most exciting opportunities this year came through covering for a colleague who is one of our ESL specialists. While I have a certification as an ESL Program Specialist, I haven’t actively supported classes for our emergent multilingual learners in a formal capacity. But I was able to swap other duties for the chance to dive in. Typically, I teach English with my special education co-teacher, and we’ve been tag teaming high school English for 13 years together. 

Right now, I additionally co-teach a small math class of 10 students – all from Ukraine – and we’re figuring out how best to help meet their needs as they continue to settle into our school community. By covering for my ESL colleague (during what would otherwise be my 40-minute “lunch duty”), I’ve been able to explore a creative partnership with one of my math colleagues. I’m not only engaging my language teacher brain, but I’m co-teaching math again for the first time in over a decade!  

It’s fun – fun! – to be in a different content area and to be a support teacher again. What’s more, it’s fascinating to collaborate across the math and English departments through the medium of ESL – and I can tell this experience is feeding my curiosity and creativity around writing and literature in new ways. In a different scenario, I could have kept my routine duties, but through some creative shifting I was able to access this deeply rich exploration space. 

It might be a little obvious to point out, but none of these shifts started or ended during Teacher Appreciation Week. They developed over the course of months and years as a result of opting in, making space for open-ended discussion, and saying yes to a change in routine. So, my hope for you is that the small openings in your day to day can grow into more opportunities to forge connections, spark your curiosity and fuel your practice into the years to come.