The PLC Conference

I had wanted to update during the conference, but did not find the time.


A little backstory:

My district is in the process of converting to the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model.  I have had some experience with the process throughout the year, but I was able to get the information straight from the horses' mouth (the DuFours). 

A PLC can be applied in any industry, but for education it's basically a structured, fancy way of moving from different teacher, different curriculum to different teacher, one curriculum.  Or, a consistency among teachers instructing the same grade level or course.  And it's not a consistency in that the exact same lesson is being given to every student, but a consistency in that the material is the same, and the skills being taught are the same, which means freedom for teachers to still put their personality into the lesson.  However, this isn't to say that some schools won't take it as far as same lesson among the teachers.  This isn't the case at my school--Thank goodness.

Some people like it, others hate it.  From a first-year teacher's perspective, I LOVE it. 

I mean, my first year could have gone 2 ways.  The first is spending countless hours coming up with a curriculum for the whole year on my own.  I would use the whole year as my experiment on what worked and what didn't, crying when 90% of it didn't.

Or, it could go the way it has been.  Meeting with other sophomore teachers--veterans of the craft--and seeing how they present the material, deciding what skills we will be teaching within each unit.

I am not using everything they give me, but I like to think that I can add it to my bag to pick and choose from later.  Rather than filling that bag with janky things I have no idea work, I can fill it with tried methods and choose from those.  I mean, I am still going to add my own ideas into that bag, but when those don't work, I'll have a fallback.

Anyway, the conference went well.  It was basically a reinforcement of the ideas that the English department has already been doing and implemented.  It was enlightening, too, about what still needs to be done at my school to fully function with the PLC model.

I am excited to see how it turns out!

"Professional" Conference...

So, I was sitting here, on my bed, in the hotel room, waiting for the Sandman, thinking how much like college this is beginning to feel, possibly writing a blog entry, when my roommate and I hear a knock on the door and the sound of rapidly retreating footsteps.  Looking at one another, it was easy to figure out which of our colleagues it would be.  I wasn't at all surprised, ladies.  Yes, you two.

And yes, reader, teachers like to have fun too (read: be immature).

But in all seriousness, here comes another first in my short-lived career: The conference.

I have to admit I was reluctant to come.  So far, since leaving campus and carpooling up to the hotel, I've thought multiple times about how the next two days away from the students will be.  Yes, it will be a nice time away, but giving up control for two days knowing things have to be learned is a bit nerve-wracking.

Well, here's to a new experience.  I'll let you know how it goes.