Donuts and Lunch - The Backbone of School Culture

There are few things that contribute more to a positive school culture as our Friday rituals... wearing jeans, sharing donuts & coffee in the teachers lounge, and sharing our weekend plans with colleagues. The daily dose of that energy (without the sugar and caffeine) is eating lunch together with your fellows. Many underestimate the importance of these activities in the school, but I believe them to be the foundation on which the risk-taking culture of a building is built. Allow me to explain...

Where Should I Lunch?

Like many of you reading this, I had (have) a habit using my 30 minutes of uninterrupted lunch to take care of the necessities, answer email and voicemail, and regroup for my afternoon classes. One year, I committed to get out of my classroom and walk myself down to the teachers lounge for lunch. Eating at my desk versus eating in the lounge is not a matter of location – It's a matter of relationships.

When people gather together in the teachers lounge for lunch, there is sometimes "shop talk," and can include commiserating on occasion. But there are also conversations of upcoming vacations, planning for babies or weddings, sharing stories of the new puppy, talking about movies, and getting ready for the big rivalry game. We learn something about each other. We develop relationships. We build trust.

Teachers who really know each other as people are more likely to trust each other. When teachers trust each other, they are able to let their guard down. They feel safe taking risks. As a teacher, I probably know what my struggles are. I can either try to hide those struggles from my colleagues, or reach out to my friends for help. There may be new classroom ideas that intrigue me, but am hesitant to try them myself. I can either play it safe and stay the course, or reach out to get tips or observe a friend who is already trying something new. Those conversations of true collaboration and team won't happen without trust.

It's common for teachers to eat lunch with a few others in someone's classroom. I have seen this help to create strong bonds within that group which, in turn, leads to some amazing things from that team and their students. When those smaller groups converge into the larger group – either the grade level at lunch, or whole staff gathering for Friday donuts – the connections spread to a whole-school culture. The entire organization is impacted. Ultimately, student learning is impacted.

I am a Technology Learning Coach in my second year at two new middle schools. As a coach, relationships are the most important thing when it comes to making an impact with teachers and their students. Having strong relationships with teachers is the first hurdle – Nothing else happens until that hurdle is cleared. The teachers lounge was my inroad.

I'm not a shy person. However, it still takes a certain amount of bravery to walk into the teachers lounge for lunch when the rest of the teachers already know each other. Nevertheless, I made a point to enter into conversations across peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches.

Magic happened! I got to know people. I was able to join in casual conversations not only in the teachers lounge, but also in the hallway. Casual conversations led way to, "Hey! Check this out! I just learned this and thought of you. I know you're into fill in the blanks. Do you want to get together sometime and talk some more about this?"

On a side note, this blog entry and the commitment to blog once each month is a result of a challenge with one of my teachers. Although I knew her professionally, it was our lunches together that initially allowed us to develop a relationship where we had a casual conversation about blogging. We came up with this challenge, then encourage each other to be successful. Thanks, Melissa Voss!

I don't always practice what I preach. I find myself immersed in a project and a good stopping point doesn't always cooperate with the bell schedule. I do believe in what I'm saying. I think the teachers lounge is the place where relationships and trust are established, and I think that kids ultimately benefit from the culture that is created there.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's time for lunch.

I have something to say! But what is it?

Years ago, I started my blog because I had something to say. The problem I still struggle with is – what is my voice? It's not just about a topic. It's bigger than that.

So, why do we need a voice anyway?

Consume
When we first start connecting with other professionals, we are mostly consumers. We find ideas and inspiration, then seek to make those come to life in our own classrooms. All good things! Getting out there and looking for people and resources is an important part of our professional growth. It gives us lots of viewpoints – some good, some not so good – to use as we make our own way.

Curate
There's a lot of stuff out there! Once we find ourselves culling the herd of ideas, we need to start making decisions. It's time to curate. As yourself – What ideas fit into my teaching style and philosophy? Which ideas are best for kids and their learning? What culture am I trying to create in my classroom? Everyone has their own litmus test for determining the value of new resources.

Diversify your resources – Find people to follow on Twitter, blogs to read, websites to bookmark, podcasts to listen to, books to chat about, conferences to attend, colleagues to talk with, and many more. And don't underestimate that spontaneous conversation in the hallway with another teacher. Those informal talks can really put a spring in your step!

How will you organize your thoughts and resources? How will you synthesize all of these ideas so they can grow into your own thought and practice? This is where I should insert the perfect suggestion on how to best organize your thoughts, but I don't have one. Perhaps that's a blog for another day!

Create
Although you may be too humble to admit it, at some point, you're ready to give back. You've consumed, curated, and have emerged as someone who can pass along inspiration and ideas to others.

• Share your classroom activities on Twitter. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
• Participate in a Twitter chat - not just as a lurker!
• Write a blog, and tell people about it.
• Create a website to share resources. Don't worry if they're not perfect. 
• Present at a conference.

When creating, the most important things is that you find your voice - What are you passionate about? Sharing your passion allows you transform from being inspired to being inspirational. You don't always have to be epic to get people's wheels turning. Somebody out there wants to hear just what you have to say.

I personally have had a difficult time following my own advice. I do feel like I have something to say, but haven't taken the time to say it. Have a buddy. Encourage and challenge each other. Thanks to Melissa Voss and Kristen Bennett for being my buddies!

Take a chance. You can find your voice, too!