July 15, 2024
By Aleta Margolis, Founder and President
Listen to this week’s Hooray For Monday podcast to hear Teaching with Improvisation Fellows share their thoughts on the community they’re building with Inspired Teaching.
The 2024-2025 Teaching with Improvisation Fellows are a diverse group.
Some of these teachers are new to the profession, beginning their teaching journeys this fall, while some have two or three decades of experience under their belt. They teach learners of every age, including young children, middle school science students, and re-engaged high school students. They’re at public schools, charter schools, and independent schools in neighborhoods across Washington, DC. There are French speakers, Spanish speakers, and even a Ukrainian speaker, visiting Inspired Teaching for the Institute in late June as part of our ongoing partnership with Ukrainian educators.
The joyful interaction among our teacher-participants not only added to the success of the Institute, it also served as a timely reminder of the possibility and potential of community.
Throughout our Institute in late June, our Teaching Fellows consistently remarked on how fortunate they felt in getting to know their peers. There were similarities between them, of course – all Fellows are deeply committed to teaching and seek to transform their classrooms through the Inspired Teaching Approach – but just as often, it was the differences they saw between themselves and their colleagues that inspired their feelings of excitement and optimism for the future of their practice.
“That was very refreshing to me. To go through this program, be around all these different people and cultures, and to know that we are more alike than different.”
“I love how all the teachers are very open to sharing their experiences as well…It’s helpful for me to know that other people are trying these things and I can always connect with them to see how they show their expertise.”
“I’ve learned a lot more about the need to connect with colleagues outside of your norm. I think I’ve talked to everybody, and I’ve learned so much more – not just about improvisation, but about life and about experiences… We all have things inside of us that we can share with each other.”
We exist in a world of ongoing uncertainty. Whether it’s conflicts abroad, Supreme Court cases at home, corrosive political divisions within our schools, or a looming, consequential presidential election, there is much that feels outside of our control. But, as I always say: Action is the antidote to worry.
In this moment, we can all take action by building community; connecting with others, who on the surface may seem different from us but who share the same aspirations; and building coalitions that multiply our impact.
The title of this issue, “Human connection is the engine of change,” is a powerful quote from Jenna Fournel, Inspired Teaching’s Director of Teaching and Learning, and my friend and colleague. As you rest and rebuild your strength this summer, I encourage you to reflect on the ways in which you have been connected to your colleagues and your students, and dream about the ways you wish to connect this coming school year.
For additional insights, resources, and information on Inspired Teaching teacher and youth programming, subscribe to the Hooray For Monday newsletter!
Hooray For Monday is an award-winning weekly publication by Center for Inspired Teaching, an independent nonprofit organization that invests in and supports teachers. Inspired Teaching provides transformative, improvisation-based professional learning for teachers that is 100% engaging – intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Our mission is to create radical change in the school experience – away from compliance and toward authentic engagement.