Chapter 13: Surrender the ME for the WE: Joyful Collaboration

Within geographically spread-out school districts, or in places where there are lower socio-economic statuses, teachers often work and teach in isolation. Whether that is due to them being the only content teacher, or due to a workplace culture that is increasingly demanding and overwhelming, with little support offered. We know and value that learning is a social process and has social influence. Collaboration between teachers, teachers and librarians, and teachers and community partners (i.e the public library) can bring a new breath of fresh air into the learning and teaching process. When true collaboration occurs, teachers feel connected to a stronger learning and teaching community because they have built trust through their collaborative relationships with each other. Through the process of collaboration, teachers must utilize effective communication skills, not only with each other, but also with students who may not be familiar with co-taught classroom structures. The most powerful tool that comes from the collaborative teaching process is modeling. When teachers feel like they are in isolation, teaching practices sometimes stagnate and become more routine, than innovative. Through modeling, teachers get to see strategies and pedagogies in real life application through their collaborative teaching partner. When collaborating specifically with school librarians, teachers get to see new strategies, technologies, and protocols for enriching and extending the content of the classroom. Through a series of vignettes focusing on collaboration, I will explore what collaboration can be and how finding that joy can lead to a stronger, more impactful teaching process.