SOLS 18 of 31

I was a bit nervous about how it would be received, but I had to say it. I just couldn't let it go. So as soon as I had the chance, I took a deep breath and said, "Can I share an observation from Wednesday when I had a chance to be in your 7th grade class for a few minutes?"

"Please do!" My colleague exclaimed. His tone of voice and body language were clearly communicating an eagerness to learn and improve his teaching. Tat always amazes me. I have so much respect for Gary. He is older than me, is a full time pastor and a college professor. He has been teaching much longer than I have, yet he is always eager for input.

A student had been reading aloud to the class. This particular student "reads" very quickly. That is, he can say the words in the order they are printed. He doesn't always absorb what he is reading. When ever he has read aloud in my class, I make him slow down. On Wednesday when this student was reading in Gary's class, another student said, "Can you please slow down? I can't understand you." Speedy Reader replied, "You just have to follow along," and kept reading quickly. I was so delighted that the student had spoken up for his needs as a learner and heart sick that he had been shut down so rudely and Gary hadn't intervened.

When Gary and I talked this morning, I explained what I had observed, the important teachable moment he had missed, and how he should handle the situation when it comes up next time. We talked about some other activities that he can use to reinforce literacy skills in his history class.

I love my coworkers and I enjoy working with them. I love that we can collaborate and that we can learn from each other. I wish that we got more time to actually work and plan together; we could be so much more effective!