NBCT Spencer Olmsted is a new NBCT in Early Adolescent Mathematics and has been teaching 5th grade in Olympia, WA since 2006. He recently attended NBPTS Teaching and Learning Conference in Washington, DC.
I’m a fifth grade math and science teacher. I spend most of my work day in the company of 10 and 11 year-olds, helping them develop critical thinking skills so they can learn how to read the world. We work on getting better at collaborating, accessing and analyzing information, and communicating our findings and questions to others. It’s good work, but all too often I work in isolation of other adults.
When I became a new NBCT this past year the thing that surprised me most was my sudden connection to new network of teachers and education advocates. I began to receive regular communication from people looking to engage and empower teacher-leaders. One of the emails that caught my attention was an invitation to attend the Teaching & Learning Conference in Washington D.C. I was instantly excited by the expanding line-up of impressive speakers, but as I live in the other Washington, on the other side of the country, and would need to pay for airfare, hotel, and arrange for a substitute to teach my classes (I had never considered the possibility of doing this during a school day!) I struggled with the decision. Around this time the Seahawks were imagining a Super Bowl win, and Russell Wilson was famously asking “Why not us?” I asked myself the same question, why not me, and decided to go.
This decision opened the first door, and as I began to walk down the road other doors opened. I found funding sources, was offered the opportunity to introduce one of the speakers, and connected with an organization (CSTP) that works to strengthen and empower teachers. The lesson I learned was that you have to take the leap: there are people and organizations out there that support teachers doing this kind of work. Once you begin to connect with people outside of the classroom, this support network grows.
As someone who had never before attended a conference on this scale my expectations ran a little high. Amazingly, the conference met them. The first session I attended was with Charlotte Danielson (yes, the Charlotte Danielson) who talked about the framework for teaching and how it is developing and can work with the Common Core. After that I learned about Ralph Smith’s work with Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, and about the amazing work going on in a small district in rural McDowell County, West Virginia. I introduced Pedro Noguera, who spoke eloquently about the fact that the achievement gap is simply an educational indicator of inequality. Then there was Bill Gates, Andy Hargreaves, and Arne Duncan before the day was over. I remember thinking to myself during Arne Duncan’s speech: I am in a room listing to Arne Duncan(!) – this is a relatively outrageous thing for me to be doing on a Friday afternoon in March. My staff meetings don’t typically include the Secretary of Education.
I’m a little bit of a note taker so I took 27 pages of notes during the two-day conference. I bought three books (Noguera’s Schooling for Resilience, Hargreaves’ Professional Capital, and Berry’s Teacherpreneurs) and plan to buy Tony Wagner’s latest very soon. There is so much material for me to process after this experience, it will be some time before I can determine the cumulative impact of this conference on my professional life. The one thing I can say with complete confidence is that I will continue to engage with the larger community of educators and advocates working to strengthen public education in this country and around the world. The overarching take-away I got from my experience attending the conference is that classroom teachers need to connect and take part in the discourse around public education. If you feel isolated, reach out to other educators. The future of public education, as Pedro would tell us, will determine the future of our society. It is not going to be teachers or even schools alone who will do this work. It takes everyone, and we need to stay connected.
NBCT Spencer Olmsted:
I have been teaching 5th grade in Olympia, Washington since 2006. During those years I have specialized in mathematics and science by sharing students with other 5th grade teachers in my building. In 2010 I went back to school to deepen my teaching practice, earning a Master’s in Mathematics Education at The Evergreen State College. This past year I became an NBCT in Early Adolescent Mathematics.
Great work, Spencer–and I wish more and more teachers would get inspired to ask that same question: “why not me?” Teachers have the expertise to do far more than we often give ourselves credit for, and there are many opportunities for teachers to learn, explore, advocate… the tough part is finding time. Sometimes it is worth the effort to write those sub plans, though, even if being gone is more work than being present!
Thanks for the post, Spencer, and welcome to the community of Washington State NBCTs! I didn’t see you at the conference, probably because there were so many other outstanding sessions. As you say, the teaching profession is dependent on the voices and efforts of teachers like you.