Time for Collaboration

​At Park, teachers are very busy. Full-time teachers are required to be at school 40 hours per week, and most regularly work an additional 16-20 hours in the evenings and on weekends planning lessons, preparing materials, evaluating student work, and writing comments and recommendations. During the school day, teachers are also responsible for important non-instructional tasks like lunch, recess, and carpool duty, and escorting younger students to and from specialists. Asking teachers to “go out, find best practices, and bring them back to the classroom” is not nearly as simple as it sounds. The Park faculty are calling for time to collaborate about curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Park21 will provide more time for this essential collaborative work by funding grade-level assistants throughout the Lower and Middle Divisions. The addition of grade-level assistants allows Park’s professional educators the valuable time to think, reflect, and revise lesson plans. They will explore innovative tools and approaches and research and evaluate new ideas. With increased time and flexibility, teachers will be able to visit one another’s classrooms and visit other schools, and will receive coaching and feedback to improve their teaching. While our teachers will continue to commit substantial time to professional work outside of the school day, the additional daily support will provide more time for our teachers to innovate, collaborate, and learn. The goal is to endow the addition of 5 assistants in the Lower and Middle Divisions as soon as the funding is raised for these positions.