Elizabeth Schmid, a kindergarten teacher, shared the following reflection about working in a PLC. Her insights capture the powerful sense of self-efficacy that teachers feel when they experience the benefits of the PLC process.
“So, I figured out why PLCs are so great and how they are changing my teaching – profoundly (this came to me in the car as I was drinking my coffee this morning…):
I used to be in the habit of assessing my students 3 times a year – for report cards. It was quality assessment, but when it was over, I was always relieved and excited about getting back to teaching. It wasn’t very formative – except for the strikingly low kids – then I lit the fire and intervened.
With our new “continuous learning-target approach,” I never stop assessing, so I am never far from the inside of their minds. I have never before, academically speaking, known my students so well. The flexible intervention groups that naturally come from these assessments make the entire process totally manageable. I feel like I finally have the reins (of leading these students well) securely in my hands. I’ve never felt this before in my teaching career. Thank you for bringing PLCs to Roosevelt. !!!!”
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Elizabeth Schmid
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin