Contributed by Head Of Lower School Colleen Schilly
On Wednesday evening when we gather as a Hillbrook community for the annual 4th-8th grade Winter Concert, I invite you to spend a moment reflecting on the work of the specialist teacher. The concert will be a beautiful opportunity to witness the magic of music, drama, and dance, and will showcase in a profound way what a truly extraordinary and diverse educational experience each child receives here at Hillbrook. During the week your child enjoys rich learning opportunities in math, reading, writing, social studies, and more in their homeroom classroom with the teachers you probably know best. They also enjoy equally rich opportunities in science, music, art, PE, library, and foreign language with a talented group of dedicated specialists.
I began my career as a specialist teacher, teaching science to preschool – 3rd grade students. As I prepared to transition into the homeroom as a 3rd Grade teacher,…I received some interesting responses to this move. I was genuinely surprised how many people saw the move from science to a homeroom classroom not as a lateral one that would diversify my experience and skill set as an educator,…but as a professional step up.
While students transition in and out of specialists classrooms and learning spaces, the learning opportunities they have are incredibly impactful and speak to the skill and dedication of each of their teachers.
The work that our specialists at Hillbrook do is uniquely challenging and incredibly impactful:
I invite you to celebrate them with me by considering the unique nature of teaching in a classroom meant for many ages and inspiring dozens of children each day. Every day specialist teachers…
- Create a learning environment that is both functional and transitional. They design flexible spaces that are appropriate for a variety of different age ranges. In some cases, a classroom needs to serve an age range of 5+ years!
- Provide age-appropriate materials that are accessible to all learners that come in and out of the room. In order to move from teaching Kindergartners to 2nd graders, the materials need to be appropriate for all and managed safely and efficiently by students.
- Design routines that work for different ages to move into the space, around the space, and out of the space in a safe, clean, and joyful way.
- Create, maintain, and repair (when necessary) a strong sense of community that is, by nature, transitional. Any given class can come to the room in different emotional, mental, and physical conditions. Your expectations for them need to be such that they can feel emotionally safe moving to your space knowing that their community of learners is maintained.
- Know, in a deep and meaningful way, a hundred or more learners at very different developmental stages, different personalities, and different life situations. This takes a well-trained and intimate knowledge of developmental milestones. What works to engage or redirect a 6-year-old is not always the same as for a 9-year-old.
- Differentiate and personalize the learning experience, engaging so many children each in meaningful and connective ways.
- Develop and maintain strong professional relationships with other faculty so that the above goals can be achieved. This includes attending a wide variety of meetings to support children in different grade levels.
Overall, being a specialist teacher is one of the most interpersonal jobs in a school. The sheer number of people – students, parents, faculty – they need to successfully relate to in order to make each child’s learning meaningful is astounding. They don’t all assign homework, they don’t welcome or dismiss the children in a homeroom, they don’t do traditional parent conferences, but they are professional equals with a diverse set of talents and skills in the world of educators.
Every day, Hillbrook specialists embody our school’s key philosophies. They skillfully meet each student where he or she is, stepping beyond themselves into the world of young learners, and serving as a bridge that connects students to an educational experience in unique, unexpected, and engaging environments. Specialists partner with homeroom teachers as all members of our staff and faculty strive to know each child and support them in his or her growth as learners and individuals. Specialists are quiet heroes in the educational world; we could not be who we are as teachers or as a learning community without them, and children’s lives would be less rich. In this season of celebration, giving, and gratitude, I encourage you to take a moment to express appreciation to the teachers in your life – and to make sure that some of them are specialists!