I’m proud to be a member of the Illinois Writing Project, and I’m proud to be helping out this summer with our Summer Leadership Institute.  It’s been a great experience so far (three days into our twelve days together) sharing and connecting with great teachers from around the Chicago area.  I’m always impressed at the collective brainpower – it’s like the best kind of EdCamp feeling, where the room is full of great teachers who want to work together to help everyone do more and be more.

So far, we’ve done a lot of writing, and I’ve tried to participate as much as possible (though I haven’t been writing as much as I should lately . . . ).  I’ve shared before that I learn the most and get the most excited about collaborating with teachers who have a different perspective, a different role or focus.  We’re from a variety of schools and districts, and we serve the full spectrum of students.  That’s the best kind of environment, in my opinion, for useful collaboration.  I like to think that I have a good understanding of my current role and my students.  But we don’t know what we don’t know, right?  Sharing with others gives me a chance to learn more about what I don’t know, and to hear other ways to see things.  It’s a rare and precious opportunity for meaningful learning, and it’s the biggest reason I do things like this.

For example, I shared part of a text I had begun about my grandmother, who I was close to for part of my life and who recently passed away at 97.  After sharing details about her attitude toward housework (she was a dilligent and dedicated) and her justification (my grandfather, a lifelong military man), I was surprised that people speculated about her motivation.  It had never occurred to me that she might have been working so carefully and thoroughly on her housecleaning because of my grandfather, really.  It changed my thinking – maybe my grandmother wasn’t as simple as I thought.  (It’s funny how you accept things about people, without really thinking about the complex thinking and circumstances that must have been part of who they are, as much as it is a part of you.)

I’m looking forward to spending more time with these teachers, and I hope that we can continue to collaborate beyond the summer.  After all, that’s when it really becomes useful to be connected . . .