FIVE Things I Learned While Co-teaching

Shaneika Smith
Apr 20, 2018
4 min read

I could tell you that I had the best Co-Teaching experience ever BUT, I would be lying. Ugh! It was a melancholic event; duly to the fact that I was coming from a Jamaican teaching space where you are the master of your own Kingdom, (the classroom). It was extremely hard for me to cope in a classroom where there was another dictator, I mean how dare you ask me to write on the board while you speak, or simply become your walking dictionary? Are you crazy?

What is co-teaching?

Two or more teachers delivering instruction at the same time in the same physical space to a heterogeneous group of students (Friend and Cook, 2004)

I had to constantly remind myself that we had to make it work, no matter what. As a professional trained by the Mico University College (The Number One Teacher’s College in the Western Hemisphere) I had to maintain respect, on-going communication, and the shared compassion to sustain positive learning experiences throughout the years. As I reflect through my familiarities for a list of things that I learned while co-teaching, my mind naturally sifts through all recent and past inspirational and uplifting practices. Of course many specific stories come to mind, and yet I keep returning to the experiences that were completely challenging and daunting. I consistently return to the stories that may not appear like a success at first glance. The process of scrutinizing through my thoughts to identify various success stories brought me to the awareness that each co-teaching experience has been a success. Therefore, I am able to share FIVE (5) things that I learned while Co- Teaching:

1. Communication

Just like a marriage that cannot and will not function effectively without effective communication, the same can be said for co-teaching. Communication is very critical for the teaching and learning process to be fruitful and successful. It is against this background that I had to force myself to learn Spanish; in an effort to communicate better with my co-teacher and fellow colleagues at work. I had come to realize that this was crucial duly to the fact that otherwise, i would not be able to communicate effectively and efficiently within the staff room.

To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.

Tony Robbins

2. Humility

Proverbs 11:2

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

The word humility conjures up meekness, passivity, even submissiveness, and, in some cases (bite yuh lip and look the other way). "Is a good thing when me chip two claaaat in my purest of Jamaican patois them nuh understand because..,"

I would have gotten fired on multiple occasions due to the fact that I am often aggravated by the students' or teachers lack thereof. True humility is both a generosity of spirit and a quiet self-confidence. In teaching, it means understanding that although one may know a great deal, one does not know everything. It means being willing to learn from others, whether they be peers, students, or other teachers. It means treating all others whether a teacher who does not speak your first language, parent with a 4th grade education or a director with a PhD as though they were as worthy and important as oneself. It means understanding that no method, strategy, or approach is the magic bullet to teaching and learning. It understands that regardless of status, race, education or culture ' we all are one under the sun".

3. Two Kings or Queens can't rule in one Kingdom

For most teachers the classroom is either one or a combination of the following: main domain, safe place, party central, main stage or United Kingdom. Therefore, they assume leadership roles in an effort to rule over their people. BUT what happens when two people believe that they have the right to be KING or QUEEN in that same domain? (Principally when it is observed, that one party is too strong willed than the other). The frustration heightens and power struggle usually evolves but this can easily be resolved if roles are clearly defined. (It takes nuff nuff nuff nuff nuff time fi plan but it’s worth it) Co-teaching works better when the partners agree on who does what, when. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities prevent either partner from feeling the other has overstepped a boundary or shirked responsibilities. (Believe me a nuff day me out fi slap a gal or bwoy innah dem face because me cah get fi talk mi mind innah mi class an me neva come fi tun statue). BUT R.E.S.P.E.C.T prevailed.....

4. Students will have the opportunity to be taught in an intense individualized manner

Students will definitely get individual attention if they have two teachers in the class fighting for the same cause this is ultimately the most important benefit of co-teaching, duly to the fact that our main goal is to impart knowledge in whichever way we can so that we can deposit decent citizens in the world.

5. Teachers can be insecure ( They are Humans Too!)

Not surprisingly, mutual respect is critical to the co-teaching relationship. You’ll have to share ideas openly and do much of your work facing students together, so respecting each other is paramount. Sometimes you’ll disagree, and that’s to be expected. (My co-teachers never spoke Standard English and often times when corrected in front of the students would feel some type of way. Teachers believe they know EVERYTHING and as such, they would most times feel disrespected when corrected. I have worked with over eight teachers in Colombia in different schools with different levels of students and honestly if it weren't for the love of God and a humility, I am pretty sure I would have given up on learning a new language duly to the extensive amount of time I felt embarrassed in-front of my students because I did not pronounce a Spanish word correctly and as such was duly punished in-front of my students. (Imagine how those teachers must have felt when I corrected them before a class of maybe thirty students or more). “Stunned Humiliated and Offended like I was, when corrected I presume”