How I met The Framework

When I share the story of how I met The Framework for Teaching, I hope you arrive at the same epiphany. The Framework for Teaching is not a list of twenty-two components.

In 2005, I left the special education classroom after 22 years for a newly created position called an Instructional Facilitator. In this role, I would serve full-time as a teacher leader to create a mentoring and coaching program for our school district. Although I spent countless hours in the general education classroom as a co-teacher, as an Instructional Facilitator, I would be supporting teachers in subjects I was never enrolled in as a high school student, like Physics and Advanced Placement English classes.

As I prepared for this job, I knew I had to discover how to talk to my peers so that the subject they were teaching wouldn’t be a barrier to our coaching cycles. I used the search engine “Ask Jeeves” to find resources on how to talk about teaching and Jeeves produced, “Enhancing Professional Practice” by Charlotte Danielson.

I immersed myself in the book and read how and why Charlotte structured The Framework for Teaching. I learned about the assumptions and features of The Framework for Teaching on how and why it was created, such as the nature of learning and how to promote it, important learning for all students, the purposeful nature of teaching and the nature of professionalism. All are concepts that make sense to good teaching. The seven common themes are my favorite aspect of The Framework for Teaching. As a special education teacher, I fully agreed with attention to individual students, developmental appropriateness, high expectations, equity, cultural competence, and student assumption of responsibility and use of technology.

After five years of using The Framework for Teaching as a guide to my work with mentoring and coaching, I attended a workshop by a Danielson Group consultant. At this workshop, I was introduced to the “Smart Card” that lists the twenty-two components. I learned more about the rationale and explanation behind The Framework for Teaching and the twenty-two components were the keys to the various combinations of methods to good teaching. It is core instruction. The workshop advanced my knowledge of the anatomy of The Framework for Teaching.

I am student of The Framework for Teaching. I describe The Framework for Teaching as timeless and eternal. Through the decades, The Framework for Teaching helps me decrease the noise and distractions of the educational barrage of policies and programs because as each initiative presents itself, I analyze it with The Framework for Teaching. Where are the assumptions and features in this new initiative? How are the seven common themes represented in this new initiative? What components are nested within this new initiative? By thinking through The Framework for Teaching, it strengthens my perseverance to forge the latest demands.

In nearly thirty-five years as a public school teacher, the proverbial swings of the pendulum have rarely fatigued me. I use the anatomy of The Framework for Teaching as the foundation to exploring and navigating the new territory. The Framework for Teaching produces synergy for our ever-dynamic field of teaching. It gives me thirty-five more years! The Framework for Teaching is my professional fountain of youth.

 

Heart Beats.

Why can’t I find the exact word or words that describe our reunion with Danielle?  How can words escape me?!  Everyone knows I am full of words that always come streaming out of my mouth without hesitation.

Oh, that’s it.  It’s feelings that cannot be described by words that come from our mouths, rather feelings of emotions that come from our hearts and make our hearts’ beat.  Heart beats from Danielle to Ethan to ours and anyone who knows us.  Everyone can feel it in their heart because it is the heart beat that Danielle unselfishly let grow in others.

Adoption is truly a selfless love, a brave love, the example of unconditional love and love that grows serendipitously through anyone who has heard our story.

Some day.

That day is here.  For the past 18 years, Ethan has been waiting to meet his birth mother.  We promised him we would make it happen some day because we knew she never stopped thinking about him and kept vigilant with her prayers to keep him safe, warm and loved.

Through the years, we communicated back and forth through letters, cards and pictures.  In each and every word she wrote, you could feel her unconditional love for him.  She always supported us with statements of gratitude that were deeply moving.

This past May, Ethan and his Mom connected by phone and they have been talking on a daily basis.  She was able to see him graduate, thanks to the Cube.  We’ve been preparing for this day for over 18 years.  Everyone is excited for this long awaited reunion.

Danielle and Ethan will be able to go through his scrapbooks and with each picture, he can share the details his life.  When I was creating those scrapbook pages, I knew she would be able to see them some day.  That day is here.  We love you, Danielle!

Ethan schools me in the pursuit in knowing.

Ethan came out on the deck to sit with me.  This was a rare moment so I quickly thought about something I could say to him to keep him interested in being there.  I remembered that I was just on a flight where there was a WI Badger sitting next to me.  Everyone around me knew who this person was but I did not.

“On my flight, there was a Badger sitting next to me.” I said.  “Who?” Ethan asked.  Hmmm…”well, I can’t remember his name.”  Boom.  He asked Siri.  “Siri, who are the players on the WI Badger Mens Basketball Team?”  He read the roster from his iPod.  Nope, naw…no.  “He seemed like he was a coach.” I said.  “Siri, who are the coaches..?” he asked. “Maybe he was going to recruit players?” “Siri, who recruits for the WI Badger’s Men’s Team?”  He was determined to know and he asked me one question after another.  I was thinking this topic would eventually end.

Twenty minutes later, after he asked me and Siri several questions, he came up with Lamont Paris.  He showed me a picture and there was the Badger player I was sitting next to on the plane.  Ethan proceeded to tell me about Lamont’s career, while I nodded because I was amazed about what happened.

Ethan’s interest in knowing kept him engaged and interested in the process of discovering the answer.  Through his questioning and understanding of how to use technology, he came up with the answer.  I gave up after the first question, but Ethan was determined.  He just demonstrated to me all the strategies I “preach” to teachers.  My son schooled me.

Fountain of Youth

Every spring, for the last ten years, I have the privilege of welcoming teachers who will be new to our district in the fall.  This task lasts through the summer and into the fall.  So, for months, I congratulate them and hear their shrieks of joy about being hired and how excited they are to be a teacher.  It brings back memories of when I was in their shoes over 30 years ago.  Their enthusiasm is contagious and it sustains me.  I have at least another 30 years in me!

The days are long and the years are short.

My son turns 18 today.  When you are raising children, you tend to forget about your own age because you are consumed with raising them.  What makes it seem impossible that he is 18, is that I am older, too.  When we open up the scrapbooks on birthdays is when you realize the years have past quickly.  Although he is an adult, parenting will never end.  My mother tells me once you have kids you always have kids.  She is right.  Teresa

You are never too old.

We hear “you are never too old” all the time.  I am going to try to live up to this by starting a blog.  Although I never seem to be short on words, I always wondered what I would write about in a blog.  I always enjoy reading other blogs.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I reflect on something interesting or new, but I’m not sure who cares to hear about it.  When I shifted my perspective on blogs as a means for self-reflection rather than self-promotion, I thought it would be a great tool for continuous growth.

Now, if I can only remember how I created this account, where to find it, what password I assigned to it and to take a few moments to write a post now and again, I can do it!  T