When I started working at the SRSS, I was excited to be part of a learning environment that offered such a wide array of courses.  I thought of the amazing opportunity I would have to collaborate with teachers in different subject areas. I had developed a wonderful picture in my mind of teachers gathering together to share, discover, explore, analyze, and problem solve. As time passed, I realized just how challenging this is.  You may think that collaboration would be simple enough, especially when you work at a school with a teaching staff of 143, but the reality is, the demands of our job limit the time we have to connect with teachers outside our own departments.

We are on a journey to expand our views of collaboration at the SRSS.  What started this process for me was when we were given the opportunity to observe our colleagues in action in their classrooms.  As I was observing a colleague teaching a math class, an idea struck me. Beyond the math I expect to see in my courses (time, money, proportions), I saw patterns in math that relate to patterns I see in hairstyling.  Is there a connection? If so, what do I do with it? Who can I share it with?

Since the light vocational department has identified numeracy as one of our goals for this year’s school plan, I shared my observations with our numeracy coach.  I feel like we are in the beginning stages of meaningful collaboration between subject areas. Our coaches are helping us see the commonalities between departments and we are discovering together why that might matter.

Author: Kyle VonRiesen, SRSS Staff