When a 10-Minute Activity Turns Into 90-Minutes, That's the Power of @kpchandl and A Good Fit - It Gets Teachers Thinking

Julie Roneson, my co-director for the summer work, was tasked with leading a conversation on Kelly Chandler Olcott's A Good Fit For All Kids: Collaborating to Teaching Writing in Diverse, Inclusive Settings and she began with Chapter One. She pulled forward 7 quotes from the writing and handed them out to groups to think about, write, and then lead a conversation, as we did a gallery walk around the room, where the quotes were also taped on white boards.

Quote, think, reflect, write, White Board, Lead Discussion, Group discussion, Collaborate ahead.

The KCO quotes led to deep, reflective, moving, and engaging conversations with the summer crew, which let to deeper dialogue, more inquiry, and even more possibility, especially on the collaborative part of working with colleagues to meet the needs of all kids in a variety of schools.

"It'll only take 10-minutes," Julie predicted. "Then we'll finish the day with the workshop we didn't get to yesterday."

I'm a facilitator with a lil' insight knowledge about KCO's book, but I tell the team, "I want to hear what you have to say and to learn how KCO's words inspire your ways of knowing." 

Yes, I was antsy. I had a 90-minute workshop up next, but I couldn't do it. They were so engaged by the quotes and what they were thinking as a result of A Good Fit For All Kids, that I knew I needed to seize the moment and let their processing go forward. It was too rich a conversation to push the original agenda ahead. The workshop could wait.

I have to say, it is surreal to have been part of something that had another 3 years of life, and to learn with Kelly Chandler Olcott's writing and its influence on classroom teachers. I don't have it here, but one of my teachers presented that she was thinking KCO actually is Kelly: COmmunity, COmmitment, COllaboration, and COnsideration. I wish I recorded the mini-speech. It was brilliant. In one chapter she took away these for words she wants to bring back to her middle school students.

This is all to say, "Dang. I was one lucky doctoral student to have the guidance of such a sage." 

I am, because of her. 

But now, I need to rest this brain. 6-hour daily institutes is something that might take a little while to adjust to again, especially back-to-back, day-to day. And these monsoon rains. How do we get the dogs outside?

What a week! So thankful to the NWP teacher leadership model.