“Working in teams and working as a team in a cooperative manner was precisely the way Jesus engaged in ministry. It gave power and was truly transformative.”

— Stephen K. Pickard

Introduction

In October my kids celebrate their half-birthdays. That means that by October it has been six months since our family has hosted a birthday party. Six months since adrenaline-driven excitement has dominated our household. Six months since I have felt the rush that accompanies intensive party planning.

By October I get antsy. So we have celebrated half-birthdays by throwing unbirthday parties. We have hosted Halloween parties at home. We have turned our family Thanksgiving* celebration into a bigger affair by welcoming homegroups into our house for the occasion.

In October 2018 I was technically unemployed, having recently resigned from my position as nightshift caregiver while I contemplated applying to study to become a teacher. However, I was also our church’s recently inducted Voluntary Families Pastor, so I decided to put my annual October itch to good use and throw a community Light Party hosted by the church.

I announced my plan to the congregation and requested help, telling them, “I cannot do this without you.” But when people offered their assistance and inquired when they should come help I told them to arrive at 4:30pm on the day of the party.

The party was advertised to begin at 5:00pm.

That October I spent hours and hours creating flyers and doing letterbox drops, putting together games, purchasing materials, filling bags with glow sticks and lollies, organising prizes, baking cookies, and planning decorations and lights for the disco.

The day before the party I made 100 candy apples in a variety of flavours and colours.

The morning of the party I was a wreck. There was so much to do and so much was not working out. This is when the church office staff swooped in to help. They blacked out the hall for the disco, set up party games, prepared the sausage sizzle, and thought of a whole bunch of details I had not even considered.

In the end we had 140 children come through our doors. The party was a success.

But it was not my success. If things had gone the way I planned and I had done everythingmyself it would have been a complete shambles. The children of the Omanu community would have not had nearly as much fun.

I learnt an important lesson that day about the value of teamwork.

*In Canada Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October.

Teamwork

Granted a community party is very different from teaching. Much of teaching “tends to be a solo activity” – the lesson planning, the marking, the instruction are all often done in isolation from other adults (Heinemann, 2009, p. 9). In some ways there is not the immediate obvious need for teamwork. Yet as I learnt through my experience with the Light Party, talking through the planning process with other supportive adults is beneficial. Apart from the support, hearing from other perspectives can help strengthen good ideas and point out ideas that might not work so well. This is particularly important as a beginning teacher who is still learning the curriculum and developing a repertoire of material and strategies.  

If I had chosen to let other people into my party planning earlier I would have been much less likely to face the morning of the party certain I was failing the children of our church and community. Wolgast & Fischer (2017) conducted a study that affirmed their theory that when teachers combine their efforts, engage in relationships of mutual assistance, and share their resources their stress levels decrease. This mutually supportive relationship amongst colleagues or members of a team is called collegiality. “Collegiality exists,” explains Van Brummelen (2009), “where the whole staff eagerly and collectively focuses on improvements that benefit student learning” (k.l. 5164-5165). In other words, teachers’ interactions are much more likely to be supportive and positive if they are “cooperating to reach a common goal,” specifically, the goal of transformative student learning (Wolgast & Fischer, 2017, p. 101).

Metaphors for Goal-Oriented Teamwork

The Apostle Paul provides an effective metaphor for teamwork in his first letter to the church in Corinth, saying, “the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12, ESV). Norsworthy builds on the metaphor when she speaks about “the integrated parts of the human body all working together in their unique fashion” as useful for understanding connected, relational pedagogy that is “purposeful and therefore transformative” (Norsworthy, 2007, p. 33). The NZC advocates for teams in which each member has a defined role to play that is agreed upon by everyone (TKI, 2015). Such teams are effective because they are “aware that successful collaboration and problem solving require respect and trust and that they are challenging to achieve but can lead to significant change” (TKI, 2015, para. 2). We are not our students’ only teachers, nor should we feel the need to work in isolation. If transformative student learning is education’s goal, then we teachers need to work together to become a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Here’s where things get personal. The Light Party was not an unprecedented incident. Pickard comments that in order for teams to actually work its members need both grace and forgiveness, due no doubt to the inevitable differences of opinion and clashes of character that occur in any team setting (Pickard, 2009). I would argue that teamwork also requires humility. I frequently attempt to carry too great a load because I struggle to humble myself and confess that I need help. I also, quite simply, do not like asking for favours. I would rather hoist the entire burden onto my own back than burden someone else.

In Otumoetai College’s English Department I saw things being done in a different way than that to which my natural disposition inclines. While I am quick to answer offers of assistance with, “No thanks. I can do it myself!”, at OC I saw experienced teachers frequently asking for others’ input, help, or cover. Where I tend to plan and implement ideas without reference to others’ opinions (in part because I am scared of those opinions), I witnessed frequent departmental discussions about the best way to help a struggling student learn or to teach a tricky assessment standard. These teachers realised that they had a team to rely on and turn to when things became too much. They also knew that what mattered was not their own prestige but their students’ learning.

My Role

I am shortly to begin working at a Christian school, thus the biblical metaphor of the body is particularly apt. If “in Christ we are indeed ‘one of another’. . . .this will be the mark of those ministries that serve the kingdom of Christ” – that we work in collaboration in the hopes of seeing transformative learning that goes beyond the intellectual to the spiritual (Pickard, 2009, p. 225).

In another of Paul’s letters he reminds his readers that their attitude should be like Christ’s, who came in humility, gathered a team around himself, and brought about the ultimate transformation of his creation. “Complete my joy,” exhorts Paul, “by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). As I step out of this programme and into the workforce I need to allow myself to be transformed by humility so that I, too, can be used to transform.

References

Heinemann, H. (2009). Teacher: Christlike colleague. Christian School Teacher, Fall, 8-10.

Norsworthy, B. (2007). Pedagogy as person: Relational and transformative teachers. Christian School Education, 10(3), 32-34.

Pickard, S. K. (2009). Theological foundations for collaborative ministry. Farnham, England: Ashgate.

Te Kete Ipurangi (2015). Working in a team. Retrieved on 8 November, 2019 from https://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Inclusive-practices/Implementing-an-inclusive-curriculum/Working-together/Working-in-a-team?fbclid=IwAR0Rvdh0VhRhTYMMSVCZc0OHbiDbb3hvclnZekMUIFtWM2nSvh39MlvzQ5s

Van Brummelen, H. (2009). Walking with God in the classroom: Christian approaches to teaching and learning [Kindle Edition]. Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design Publications.

Wolgast, A., & Fischer, N. (2017). You are not alone: colleague support and goal-oriented cooperation as resources to reduce teachers’ stress. Social Psychology of Education, 20(1), 97–114.

“Human beings were made for relationships: without a rich and nourishing network of connections, we wither and die.”

— Parker Palmer

Introduction

For most school-aged children in India going to school was a chore, a daily test of mental endurance and emotional resilience. In large classes with sixty-plus students, a teacher’s main mode of maintaining order was intimidation, threats, student humiliation, and shouting. Corporal punishment was not unusual. Statistics show that as recently as 2016 one student in India commits suicide every 55 minutes (Bhattacharya, 2018).

In sharp contrast with the surrounding schools, our small, intimate Christian school had the feeling of a family. Missing a day of school due to illness seemed like a lost privilege. Teachers maintained order through love and respect. Our days began with singing and prayer, and it was always clear that our teachers were there, not to receive a paycheque but out of love for Christ and for the students. Students who struggled to succeed in their previous schools suddenly found they could flourish in this new environment.

At our school, “Relationships formed the foundation for success and focused on a culture of care and wellbeing for students” (ERO, 2014, p. 9). As a result, students’ mental and emotional health flourished, lives were transformed, and those who had transitioned into the school with failing grades from their previous school found they suddenly had the support to succeed.

Teacher-Student and Student-Student Relationships for Learning

Absolum puts it bluntly when he states that the “quality of the relationship between teacher and student is the key to the success of teaching” (Absolum, 2006, p. 48). No one enjoys spending time with, learning from, or teaching someone they do not like. Both “[t]eacher-student and student-student relationships. . .have a significant impact on how the teachers [feel] on a daily basis” (Le Cornu, 2013, p. 4). This means that it is not solely the relationships between teacher and students that has an impact on teaching, the relationships between the students themselves has an impact as well.

I saw this first-hand at Otumoetai College when the dynamics in one of my classes crumbled because a group of students had an internal falling out. The strained relationships within the group affected both the students’ ability to learn and my ability to teach. As a result, I had to put most of my focus the next few lessons into conflict resolution and making reparations where necessary.

Absolum explains that learning-focused relationships develop when your teaching is guided by the principles of openness, respect, and honesty – although I prefer the term integrity (Absolum, 2006).

1. Openness refers to being open with your students about what is happening. In my class this meant acknowledging with the classroom that we were facing challenges in our relationships and that we needed to work on how we were going to move forward. It also meant that I talked through some of my decision-making processes.
2. Respect is reflected in more than the way a teacher speaks with their students, it is also present in how teachers support their students in making informed decisions. A lot of this comes down to clarity, providing options, and manaakitanga. Students need to have some ownership over their education. I tried, whenever possible, to get students actively involved. I sought to provide some choice in lesson tasks, clarifying all the options and inviting questions.
3. Integrity means sticking to the decisions that are made – following through on promises given. At the same time it means that you as a teacher are open to new ideas, to being flexible in changing circumstances, and to always seeking new information. After one lesson my AT had to give me some constructive criticism because I had not followed through on a decision. In consequence, in the next unit I had with the class I prefaced my lesson with an apology and committed to greater integrity in the future.

Learning-focused relationships simultaneously require a loosening of control in some areas, such as in some of the decision-making, and a tightening in others, like in the realm of a teachers’ brain that produces negative thoughts about students’ abilities (Absolum, 2006). When students recognise their teacher is guided by principles of openness, respect, and integrity they are much more likely to engage in the positive trust-based relationships necessary for learning. This involves an investment in time, but in time, these relationships can be transformative.

Teacher-Adult Relationships for Resilience

In addition to positive relationships with their students, teachers need to ensure they do not neglect relationships with other adults as well. Of key importance are relationships with colleagues, relationships with peers (i.e. other beginning teachers), and relationships with family and community (Le Cornu, 2013). These relationships should be what teachers can turn to when they need support, both in the difficult teaching moments and in the times of celebration.

When describing the importance of safe, supportive collegial relationships, Heinemann asserts that teachers “need to make an effort to spend time together” (Heinemann, 2009, p. 10). She also outlines what she describes as the three main hindrances (or ‘bond-busters’) to the development of supportive relationships with colleagues, namely gossip in the workplace, a sense of awkwardness or fear of intimidation, and, quite simply, busyness (Heinemann, 2009).

Maintaining relationships with other beginning teachers may play “a key role in ‘keeping each other going’” through the varying emotions that teaching inspires (Le Cornu, 2013, p. 6). Knowing that other people are going through similar experiences can help you realise that you are neither alone nor crazy. I personally believe that mutual venting can be beneficial provided it does not devolve into gossip (Heinemann, 2009).  

It is important not to allow yourself to become subsumed by teaching. In the Le Cornu study it was found that “resilience was enhanced when the early career teachers were able to retain a strong sense of their personal selves” (Le Cornu, 2013, p. 12). One of the main ways that this personal self can be retained is through sustained relationships outside of the teaching environment. Jackson highlighted this imperative during the English tutoring sessions at BTI, recommending, “Get as much of your marking, report writing – all that stuff – done at school as possible. Don’t spend so much time ‘making connections’ with colleagues that you have to take all your work home. School is for school. Your home is for your family and your own mental health” (A. Jackson, 19 June 2019, tutoring notes).

Relationship with God and Self for Transformation

Le Cornu’s study concluded that “early career teachers who felt empowered were very conscious of the importance of looking after their own wellbeing” (Le Cornu, 2013, p. 7).  Palmer contends that we can only truly be in community if we are first in holistic communion with ourselves: “Community is an outward and visible sign of. . .the flowing of personal identity and integrity into the world of relationships” (Palmer, 2007, k.l. 2031-2032). We teach out of who we are (Palmer, 2007). If we are truly to develop effective, learning-focused relationships with our students we must first be grounded in who we are as individuals. As a Christian teacher, that grounding, that foundation, must be based on who I am in Christ: redeemed, loved, and part of a vast family.

As a result, my number one priority in my daily life must be to make time to commune with God in prayer and in reading His word. 2 Corinthians 3:18 states, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (NIV). My ability to cultivate a culture of care, manaakitanga, and loving transformation in my classroom is predicated on my willingness to be transformed.

References

Absolum, M. (2010). Clarity in the classroom: using formative assessment for building learning-focused relationships. Winnipeg, MB: Portage & Main Press.

Bhattacharya, A. (January 8, 2018). In India, one student commits suicide every hour. Retrieved from https://qz.com/india/1174057/in-india-one-student-commits-suicide-every-hour/.

Education Review Office (2014). Towards equitable outcomes in secondary schools: Good practice. Wellington, NZ: Crown.

Heinemann, H. (2009). Teacher: Christlike colleague. Christian School Teacher, Fall, 8-10.

Le Cornu, R. (2013). Building early career teacher resilience: The role of relationships. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(4).

Palmer, P. J. (2007). The courage to teach: exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. (10^th Ed.) San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

“Grace does not entail receiving our just reward. It involves receiving something that we have done absolutely nothing to earn, receiving a blessing when our just reward is punishment and being loved when we deserve judgment.”

— Donovan Graham

Introduction

It was 1999 and the internet was still relatively new. Y2K hysteria both amused and alarmed the global population, while on people’s bedside tables digital clocks silently ticked closer to the new millennium.

My own fears and worries were wrapped up in something much more personal and selfish than that of global computer failure. No, although computers were involved, what concerned me was my own potential lack of success as I began an entirely new system of education.

“Hello, my name is Charlotte Dickau.

I am fifteen years old.

This is my first year as a student at St. Gabriel Cyber School.

I am absolutely terrified.”

When I told people I was doing high school online they were fascinated, “You can do school online? Is that even legal?” I was less worried about the legality than about my work being assessed by a faceless entity halfway around the world. Until this time my teachers had mostly been either my mother or close family friends.

When I saw my first assignment it was like my worst fears were realised. It was weighted towards my final English grade and I did not understand it at all. Confused, I spent several hours doing trying to meet the requirements as best as I could understand them. Then I submitted the assignment and waited.

The next morning I woke up to an email.

All wrong. My answers were all wrong. Red marks covered the screen. I felt demoralised, humiliated, and ready to give up before I had barely begun.

Then I read my teacher’s note: “Charlotte, it is obvious you spent a long time on this. I don’t think you understood the assignment. I’m not going to count this towards your final grade.”

Grace. I had been given grace. My teacher, whom I didn’t know, whose face I had never seen, was giving me a second chance. I was not going to begin the year with a failed grade on my record.

The Place of Grace in Becoming a Teacher

Ferguson and Packer write that the biblical words for grace indicate “an objective relation of undeserved favour by a superior to an inferior . . . . This favour to the individual as both creature and sinner results . . . in a transformed life through an effective calling (Gal. 1:15) and the production of faith and repentance (Eph. 2:8–9; 2 Tim. 2:25)” (Ferguson & Packer, 2000, p. 280). Graham puts it more simply, stating that grace “takes everything away from us and puts it all in God’s hands” (Graham, 2009, k.l. 935). Obedience to God is a result of the grace he has given us. As a student teacher on my recent PPE I knew that it was only that grace at work in my life that made my obedience possible. I did not feel I had the strength to keep going on my own. My ‘resilience’ was not mine, it was a positive consequence of trusting in and leaning on the calling of the grace of God in my life.

Furthermore, I was experiencing ongoing grace from my AT, who continued to work with me even when I messed up. I received grace from Mark, my husband, who sacrificed access to the car and forgave my sleep-deprived negative behaviour. Even my students were gracious when I was slow to provide feedback on a draft or ran out of time to play a game.

The grace that was given to me during my PPE helped me to extend grace in turn: to my students, to the staff in the English department, and to my AT. I was only at Otumoetai College intensively for six weeks, but during that time I experienced a microcosm of the kind of ongoing grace that could make teaching possible.

The Outworking of Grace

Tait writes that “efficacious teachers see difficult tasks as challenges rather than threats” (Tait, 2008, p. 59). One of the greatest challenges teachers face is extending grace to those students who are intentionally trying to sabotage your teaching efforts. These students bring so many layers of hurt with them to school that it can seem impossible reach the inner person and inspire transformation. But grace is not grace unless it is given freely. “It is wholly unmerited,” explains Ferguson and Packer, “not evoked by the creature’s disposition (e.g. Eph. 2:1–10; Tit. 3:3–7)” (Ferguson & Packer, 2000, p. 280). As teachers we need to see our students’ negative attitudes as an ongoing challenge. Grace is not a one-time offer. It keeps going, even when the individual being offered grace refuses to receive it, it is always transformative. Although we might not see transformation in our students’ lives, we as teachers will be changed because the giving of grace is a self-sacrificial and transformative act.

Van Brummelen speaks about assessment as a form of grace, writing that “we affirm our students as human beings—unconditionally, no matter what their grades. At the same time, we help them turn bad into good and mistakes into successes” (Van Brummelen, 2009, k.l. 3103-3104). Assessment is a way of scaffolding the transformation that goes on at school, thus it, in a way, reflects the transformative nature of grace. Additionally, assessment events often provide excellent opportunities for teachers to model grace, as was the case when I received grace from my online teacher in my very first assignment in high school.

When we freely give grace to others we are far more likely to receive grace in return. This is true not just of our students but of our colleagues as well. As teachers we will clash sometimes with other teachers. We will encounter colleagues who are unpleasant, vindictive, or selfish. The wise Christian teacher knows to ask for God’s grace to be present in their interactions both inside and outside of the classroom. On a practical level, grace can mean being pleasant and friendly even when your coworkers are less-than-easy to get along with. Grace means forgiving the hurt their behaviour and attitude may cause you. With forgiveness and grace we may prevent strained workplace relationships from tearing us down.

When we make our classrooms, our department lounges, our lives places “where the grace-full Christ is King” we become more than recipients of grace,“we become dispensers of it as well” (Graham, 2009, k.l. 876, emphasis in original). As I discovered on my most recent PPE, sometimes the first person we need to dispense grace to is ourselves. I am not perfect. My sanctification process is ongoing and messy. I need grace and will continue to need grace if I am to become a resilient, efficacious teacher who is both wise and gracious.

References

Ferguson, S.B., & Packer, J.I., (2000). New dictionary of theology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Graham, D. (2009) Teaching redemptively: bringing grace and truth into your classroom [Kindle Edition]. Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design Publications. 

Tait, M. (Fall, 2008). Resilience as a contributor to novice teacher success, commitment and retention. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35(4), 57-75.

Van Brummelen, H. (2009). Walking with God in the classroom: Christian approaches to teaching and learning [Kindle Edition]. Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design Publications.

Stumbling steps towards maturity.

Self-efficacy. Resilience. These are words that I am trying to create meaning for within myself. It is a slow gathering of information: external, internal, and experiential. I hope in the process of meaning making – in the act of taking in – to come to a place of transformation, or turning out. “[T]he etymology of the verb develop,” Norsworthy explains, “indicates that it means to release from that which envelops.” Transforming to transform. Or at least, to grow a little.