that I had given to a child with special needs. Nancy and I were able to dialogue around questions to help me reflect on the situation. Had I adequately modified his assignment? Should he have been able to complete the assignment in a timely fashion? Was I treating him more fairly because of his disability?
Working with Nancy, I discovered many wonderful insights about my teaching. We even took our show on the road and shared with other teachers the joys of collaborative teaching. Not only did we share in the successes of our teaching, but we also consoled and supported each other through dieappointments and failures. We found that it takes time, patience, and courage to find and open up to a trusted friend. Thinking about those days before we worked together, I wonder how I was able to survive the isolation. I have grown tremendously through our relationship.
We continue to encourage as well as challenge each other. We stick together and support each other, especially when our beliefs come into conflict with those of our colleagues. A situation concerning interdisciplinary teaching became ouch an issue for us. I believe that for many reasons thematic, interdisciplinary teaching is best for students. Though it involves many hours of planning to integrate different areas of the curriculum, the rewards of students' underetanding are well worth it. My colleagues at my grade level are not ae passionate about thematic teaching as I am. The team wanted to departmentalize science instruction. They felt it would be more efficient if teachers planned and became an expert on one topic rather than on six. I worried about how this could benefit children. Was this a better way of teaching science or simply a way to reduce teacher planning time? As Nancy and I dialogued with each other, the fact that this idea did not fit with my beliefs about children and learning became evident. My response to the team'S initiative had negative results for me. My colleagues' reactions both hurt me and made me defensive. How could they ostracize me in this way? I was labeled as "too dedicated," a negative rather than a positive in their eyes. They accused me of not being a "team player." It was only by being in touch with who I am as a teacher and with what I believe is good teaching and having Nancy as a support that I was able to make a difficult decision like thie, dissent from the norm, and live with the consequences. The time we have spent together has helped to fortify and strengthen my understanding of who I am and what I believe. My teaching years with Nancy have been my best.