Learn Better - Together
This is my community. These are my people. We are better when we learn together
One of the things the pandemic has taught me is that even with all the information out there, it’s still hard to figure out what to do. Or maybe it’s because of all the information out there I find it hard to prioritize and implement. Are you feeling that too? This is where learning together in a network of peers can help!
Last fall, I had the privilege of facilitating a Learning Network to support COVID-19 testing in schools across the U.S. This network, hosted by the Rockefeller Foundations and CIVITAS Networks for Health in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Education, brought educators from all over the country to participate in an 8-week series of virtual sessions aimed at increasing knowledge of COVID-19 testing in schools. Our collective story of successes and missteps helped us work collaboratively and create a community. Every participant could take something back to their respective communities and apply it in their schools. They came to the learning network with various levels of experience in running COVID testing programs, and by the end of the eight weeks, they all had a game plan for their district.
In each session, we showcased speakers who were experts in their field, who could share their best practices and push participants to consider questions that actually mattered to getting the job done. This was not your typical webinar! Participants were encouraged to participate, share their concerns or tricks, and lift up our shared experiences as teachers and humans. I can honestly say I feel connected to these people (yes, all 2,000 of them!). We built a community that brought support and growth to educators who were having a rough couple of years navigating academics, a really contagious disease, and the ongoing mental health needs of staff and students.
The last thing an educator or district leader needs is yet another zoom meeting. Yet, participants indicated that these calls were invaluable to them - both for their learning and their mental health. It is good for educators to connect - we are all better for it. One participant of a local learning network I led this past year called our communities of practice her “therapy.” Why? Her experience was validated, and she got to learn from others in the trenches like her.
So, what’s my secret sauce? When I lead a learning network (community of practice, resource group, whatever you want to call it), I focus on trust, rapport, and authentic connection with participants. I also tell jokes. Jokes? Well, it’s really about being humble and vulnerable with the folks I am pulling together for shared learning. We can be humble and know we don’t have all the answers. We can be vulnerable and let folks know that we really want to learn from them. And we can be authentic in our engagement, showing that we really believe that we are in this work together and have more to learn than to teach.
Connecting individuals to work collaboratively toward student-centered solutions is my passion; I love facilitating the growth that occurs when colleagues can learn from each other. While my primary goal is to ensure that students thrive, I know that the best way to achieve that goal is to support their schools. We simply won’t create an environment where students can thrive if the educators don’t feel supported or that they need to reinvent the wheel with every new initiative or bump in the road. We are better together. Let me help you connect your staff; let me help you create that space for community and collaboration. Let’s learn better - together.