Thanks for Your Support
By Carol Macken

Have you ever returned from a workshop eager to try new ideas, only to find a few weeks later that you're stymied again? I'm a member of Caldwell/West Caldwell Language Arts Network in New Jersey, and our goals are to break down the isolation that often occurs in today's busy classrooms and to further literacy in our professional development.

You can also reap the benefits of belonging to a support system where you'll not only enhance your development as a teacher, but also establish professional relationships. Here are key factors to keep in mind when starting your own teacher support group.

Choose a specific area of interest. Consider choosing a subject or methodology as your focus. When we gather, we share successful lessons and professional articles related to reading and writing along with new children's literature.

Get the word out. Talk to like-minded colleagues about your area of interest and the rationale for starting a network of your own. Each fall, we invite new teachers to join our group. This has insured a regular membership of approximately 12 teachers despite retirements and maternity leaves. New members infuse the group with fresh ideas while veterans share invaluable expertise.

Keep it simple. Make membership a no-hassle commitment. Our meeting dates are set up at the first meeting in September. There are no mandates about attendance or dues. The meetings are held in members' homes and our district supports the group by allowing the members to leave after the bell rings on meeting days.

Seek funding. Our network has received grant funding from a variety of sources and the money has been used to purchase children's literature to support the lessons we've shared. Funding has also been used to purchase professional books and pay for guest speakers.

Promote your work. Let your administrators know what you're doing. We invite our district administrators to one meeting each year. We tell them about what we're working on for that year and invite them to join in our discussions. At a recent meeting, our superintendent offered to buy each member a professional book that was recommended during the discussion.

While there are clearly benefits to belonging to a professional development group for you, your students will also benefit from the fine-tuning of strategies, and other teachers will benefit when you share your learning.

Carol Macken has taught for 12 years and is currently a first grade classroom teacher.

November/December 2005, Vol.36, No.3