Trying not to Leech off of my Teaching Partner

Because I'm new to first grade (but not new to teaching at my present school) I sometimes feel like I'm not doing a great job.  I don't have a good sense of where we're going.  I don't have a wealth of activities and resources that I can whip out if a lesson is going south.  And sometimes I feel like I'm leeching off of my teaching partner. 

She does a lot for me.  She was sending me her lesson plans in the beginning.  She gives me advice (our adjoining door is always open before and after school, and she let me know I can text or Email her on weekends.  Which I did a few times per week in the beginning).  And she shares resources.  I have no clipboards, listening center materials, or visuals for science and social studies.  Not only did she let me know that I'm welcome to them; she has even checked in with me on Constitution Day, "Do you want to use this photo of the Constitution?  I don't need it back until after lunch." 

If you're reading this blog because you are in transition, and having some insecurity about no longer being the expert in your domain, here are some things I've done to help me sleep at night be a good teaching partner.

Listen.  I make an extra effort not just to go to my partner teacher for advice and resources.  I ask how her difficult students are doing.  It doesn't matter how experienced you are, there are always going to be those students who struggle.  It lets her vent as well as gives me insight about the student (who I supervise at lunch and recess duty) and playground dynamic.

Make copies.  Whenever I can, I'll offer to do those menial tasks that take a little time.  Having a test?  Preparing a notice home?  If you are on your way to the machine with something you know she will be copying too, ask if she's made copies yet.  It saves your partner time and takes very, very little of yours. 

Find a niche.  The moment my partner said, "I notice that's something you're good at," I offered to take on that role for the two of us.  For me, it was typing up reminder notes and notices to communicate with parents.  Maybe yours is bulletin boards.  Whatever your special skill is, share it.

Share resources, but do the right thing.  Before school started I had briefly looked through the resources that I "inherited," sorting and categorizing anything that would be used for September through December.  Anything that I felt was lacking went on my Teachers Pay Teachers wish list and when the Back to School sale rolled around, I did a lot of shopping.  So I've offered materials to my teaching partner and she has been grateful and used some of them.  But please, do the right thing.  Anything that she has been interested in and seen her use, I be sure to go back in and purchase an additional license.  It's the law and the ethical thing to do. 

Transition from the mentee to partner, not mentee to independent.  For the first few weeks of school, my teaching partner was Emailing me her lesson plans every Sunday night.  I didn't ask; she offered.  I felt a little guilty, like she was doing my job for me.  I accepted them graciously because I didn't want to insult her by rejecting her help, and (more importantly), they helped me tremendously, haha.  However, I knew I couldn't just leech off of her lessons for the whole year.  So when she let me know one of her evaluation goals that she chose for herself for last year and this year was to meet weekly, I saw an opportunity.  

I asked if we could meet Friday before she sent the plans, that way I could be part of the planning process.  I told her, "I'm not asking you to do your plans for next week two days early; maybe if we could look at your plans from last year together, you could have a refresher and I could get a sense of what I should start prepping before I leave school for the weekend."

I'm still at that stage where I'm looking to her for guidance at this point.  However, I'm in more of a position where I can contribute ideas instead of just being at the receiving end.  Once I start getting those ideas, I have the time and place to share. 

I still feel like the scales are not balanced with the first grade team.  However one day when I was thanking my teaching partner for the lesson plans, letting her know that her advice in math made a huge difference when I implemented them the next day, she told me, "It's fine.  I've benefited too.  You've given me resources that have been really helpful." 

So I don't feel like too much of a leech.  And things will only get better, I'm sure.

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