I am not a classroom teacher, although I feel that I have
always been a teacher if only for my children. Because of that, I need the
expertise of my collegial, professional learning community. Each and every one
of us has something to contribute to the early childhood systems. Whenever I
need input, I would consult with this group who has proved to be dedicated,
devoted, and passionate early childhood professionals.
Have I had experiences of being a part of a caring and
collaborative learning community? I feel fortunate to have been a part of
community advocacy group. Whenever I have an idea, or a letter, or an article,
the group can improve the idea or the article in amazing ways. Sometimes it
would be something I had forgotten like the time I forgot about transportation
for my hypothetical family project, and my colleague reminded me of that.
Sometimes, it was an idea I had never thought about before. I have come to
depend on our collective thinking process to make something even better.
Sometimes, I feel frustrated by a process that appears to
not be working. The collegial, professional learning group can boost my
self-confidence by giving me ideas of how to work through or around a thorny
issue. That could be because some of our group members have had the experiences
and can share their expertise.
Ultimately, it is much more fun to work within a group that
shares the same goals. I hope I have been as much fun for others as they have
had been for me.
