Imagine teaching with another teacher.
I鈥檓 so fortunate that I get to work right alongside other teachers鈥攅very single day. How cool is that? According to many survey results such as , observing other teachers teach is a prime factor in promoting success and satisfaction at school. You could say I am living the dream. And I truly am.
But that鈥檚 not to say it鈥檚 always easy.
Co-teaching, as you鈥檝e probably heard before, is much like a relationship. It鈥檚 complicated, as most relationships are, but can be absolute magic when it goes well. Although my co-teachers and I haven鈥檛 mastered it quite yet, I鈥檇 like to offer some firsthand, hard-earned insights for both the core teacher and co-teacher. Keep in mind that these are suggestions for success that don鈥檛 depend on the often-elusive mutual planning time, joint professional development, levels of administrative support, or other external forces. Instead, let鈥檚 reevaluate key aspects the two of you have control over, on a daily basis.
Be honest with yourself. Know what your non-negotiables are鈥攂oth of you. Yes, that means communicating these basic needs. Too often we begin our co-teaching relationships only with content鈥攚hich is a great start鈥攂ut I believe it鈥檚 more valuable to get anything that is non-negotiable out front. Maybe it鈥檚 about physical space, classroom management, or knowledge levels of certain topics. Use anything that is non-negotiable to view your content through a mutual lens that supports your strengths and needs. Then attack the content.
Appreciate this gift of co-teaching. Let鈥檚 face it, not all teaching partnerships are wanted, requested, or even supported. Plus it can be daunting to teach in front of someone. This means we need to appreciate what we do have, with intention. If you鈥檙e going to be together for the year or semester, choose to make it work. After all, you鈥檙e both there for the students and their learning. Non-negotiable No.1, right?
Remember that co-teachers are 鈥渞eal鈥� teachers, too. Each of you brings a lot to the table. As both a classroom teacher and co-teacher, I鈥檝e been loving this profession for 19 years now. I鈥檝e co-taught with first year teachers and thirty-year veterans鈥攊n all subject areas and ages, from elementary through high school. I鈥檓 not a master, but I do have a ton of varied experience under my belt. I鈥檝e learned something new every single day, and I can only hope I鈥檝e contributed as much. It鈥檚 critical for students to see co-teachers as collaborative partners: Include co-teachers on your syllabus, your letters home, in parent meetings, and in your planning. Introduce them by name on day one in class, and refer to them as 鈥渢eachers.鈥� Share the lesson load, and know that even though they may not be the 鈥渢eacher of record,鈥� they shoulder equal responsibility.
Be explicitly grateful. the ratio of positive to negative interactions should be 5-1. If you support each other, back each other up, remain present for each other, and realize that doing so equates to success for both of you, your respective values will skyrocket. Extend it one step further. What if you tried to achieve this interaction ratio as a team, with each student? What difference would that make within your classroom community?
Be realistic about timing. Miracles don鈥檛 occur overnight. As much as we may want to see immediate results of the most amazing and seamless co-teaching partnership ever, remember that this is an investment. Commitment means persisting through countless challenges, communicating, and moving forward reflectively. Baby steps are still steps forward.
Reflect. Savor the good things, but when things go amiss, stop to see, think, and wonder. Just like when we analyze images, make an initial observation without judgement. Next, think about what that means, and how you know that. What evidence do you have that it didn鈥檛 go well? Lastly, extend that thinking into a place of wonder鈥�from here, what if we鈥�?
Focus on yourself first. I鈥檓 not perfect, but when my partner is teaching, I鈥檓 observing him or her and our students. It鈥檚 easy to see what I 鈥渃ould鈥檝e done differently鈥� because I don鈥檛 have the pressure of being the one that is front and center. I could nitpick all day long, but what purpose does that serve? Instead, I look to myself, and ask what I can do to extend our teaching. I鈥檓 constantly learning, too, but what expertise can I share to complement his or her knowledge? It鈥檚 not the same as being 鈥渁ll about me鈥濃�攂ut more about what skills, knowledge, and prospects I can develop and bring to make a good thing even better.
Practice. Yep. Practice, practice, practice. The more you co-teach, co-plan, and co-reflect, the more lessons鈥攂oth content and otherwise鈥攚ill stockpile in your mind. You not only become more adept at addressing challenges, but also more agile when it comes to on-the-spot improvisation and playing off one another. Savor those moments and reflect on their manifestation. Co-teaching is a mindful, intentional, and daily process. Embrace it.
Be loyal. For better or for worse, you鈥檙e truly 鈥渨ed鈥� together (Working Every Day) as a team. As in any relationship, if you鈥檙e talking to others about what鈥檚 happening inside the relationship, but not telling those things to your partner, you鈥檙e destroying mounds of trust. There are lots of books on how to have tough conversations, but nothing compares to 5 minutes of sucking it up and mindfully airing your solutions-oriented thoughts.
Be open and resourceful. Finding that time to formally plan and communicate can be tricky. Develop a skeletal scope and sequence for the year and or the semester at a minimum, and take notes as you go. Text, call, email each other about ideas, vocabulary, groupings, objectives, and activities. Determine roles, and when reflecting, take more notes. Request pairing together again when possible, confident that your integrated approach can only improve.
Co-teaching is challenging, but when supported and nurtured, a common vision and mission can be more readily articulated and implemented. It can become a cornerstone of professional learning communities, one that inspires trust, interdependence, camaraderie through shared experiences, and intriguingly, a growing mutual obligation, not only to colleagues, but also to our many diverse learners.
Keep these tips in mind when you鈥檙e frustrated about all the 鈥渃ould haves鈥� and wishes for magical co-teaching; let鈥檚 remember we actually do have a lot of influence over our collaborative impact. There is power in teachers coming together, whether they are 鈥渋n formal or informal鈥� teaching partnerships. Use the gift of co-teaching to build upon and amplify each other鈥檚 knowledge, to create new understandings, and to develop more effective practices.
Above all else, use your unique relationship to support and inspire each other to be even better.
