My room, Your room, 2 Teachers in a Classroom!

Ruthie B.--Blog 6, Ch. 8

Creative Connector:

1. "...there is always a possibility that two people assigned to work together may be total strangers. Like personal relationships, professional pairings are complex phenomena full of nuances that are best viewed as works constantly in progress." (p. 173)


     I have a vivid memory of discovering 4 days before school who I was working with a couple of years ago.  It was a name that was familiar to me, but beyond that, I didn't know much more.  That was really very intimidating to me.  I was so unsure of how the year would go.  He and I did a little dance for the first bit of school, feeling each other out and figuring out where each other's strength's and weakness's.  But, we ended up being very fortunate and really thoroughly enjoying working with one another. 


2. "Sharing a classroom has often been compared to a professional marriage." (p. 166)

     I cannot even express how true this is.  When you talk about co-teaching with someone it is almost silly how much like marriage it is.  There is a give and take, the load is shared, and amongst other things it takes EFFORT to make it work!  It means that you have to give respect to your co-teacher and acknowledge that regardless of how well you work together, you may still disagree on how to do everything. 

Vocabulary Vitalizer:

1. Pitfalls-
1: trap; snare; specifically : a pit flimsily covered or camouflaged and used to capture and hold animals or men

2: a hidden or not easily recognized danger or difficulty

2. Collaborative-
1: to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor

2: to cooperate with or willingly assist an enemy of one's country and especially an occupying force

3: to cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected

3. Compromise-
1: obsolete : to bind by mutual agreement

2: to adjust or settle by mutual concessions

3a : to expose to suspicion, discredit, or mischief; b : to reveal or expose to an unauthorized person and especially to an enemy; c : to cause the impairment of 

4a : to come to agreement by mutual concession b : to find or follow a way between extremes

5: to make a shameful or disreputable concession

4. Relationship-
1: the state of being related or interrelated

2: the relation connecting or binding participants in a relationship: asa : kinship b : a specific instance or type of kinship

3a : a state of affairs existing between those having relations or dealings. b : a romantic or passionate attachment

Idea Illustrator:

The Amazing Race is an award winning show that not only takes people all over the world but also is a testament to relationships.  It showcases how people work together and capitalize on one another's strength's to achieve a goal.  As people travel and continue they learn more about what does and does not work as is very similar to the relationship of team teachers that requires an ebb and flow.

It is important that we all have different things to contribute...different things in different ways...it may not be right or wrong....each way may touch a different child...