TOSAs Working Together

Hello. My name is Erin Miller, and I have problem. I am a teacher who has lost her classroom. I have a cubicle. I have a very nice desk in a freezing office - at least the temperature makes me feel at home. I have access to a conference room across the hall that makes me feel claustrophobic when there are more than two other people in there with me. I no longer have a parade of high school speech students wandering in my room at various hours of the day needing help. I can’t find any students assigned to my name on Infinite Campus. I will admit that this has been the most difficult start to a school year for me since I started teaching.

However, after a full two months on the job, I’m realizing all that I’ve gained. I’ve found an amazing group of TOSAs (Teachers on Special Assignment) who are passionate about teaching and learning in Ames. They are passionate about their subject areas. They want to work together to support teachers as they work each day to help students achieve things they never thought possible.

Lisa Clayberg, TOSA for Professional Development and Teacher Leadership, is dedicated to supporting all teacher leaders across the district. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that everyone out there who is feeling a little lost in a new role feels supported. She gives us passion when we are feeling overwhelmed by all we want to accomplish. Most of all, she isn’t afraid to put up funny pictures in our office to keep the mood light.

Kari Smith, our veteran TOSA, is our quiet leader. She has great tips for transitioning from teaching students to learning alongside adults. Already, I want to go to every science PD opportunity she is offering this year - engineering with tin foil? Yes, please! If you have the chance to hear Kari share a Think Aloud, take it. Her ability to open up her thinking to allow students to better understand how an expert tackles a math problem or reads a science text is inspiring.

Dan Andrews, another C & I veteran, has been an invaluable resource to all of the TOSAs as we begin our work this year. As the Data and Assessment Coordinator, he can provide a variety of information about our district, programs, and student assessment results. He answers all of our questions with the patience of a saint, demonstrates how to use all of the tools available to us, and challenges our thinking when we are discussing the data. As a classroom teacher, I rarely had the opportunity to work with him, but as a TOSA, he is one of my most valuable new resources.

In addition to the veteran C & I staff, I have discovered that the other new TOSAs have provided me with a great sense of support as I make this transition. Vonda Junck is also leaving a classroom behind to embark on her new adventure as the TOSA for mentoring, CTE and World Languages. She was put to the test before the school year even started, working hard all summer to create an energetic, positive, and useful new teacher orientation workshop. The teachers left well prepared to start the school year, but more importantly, they left with a mentor who will support them throughout the year. Vonda will be providing newsletters, monthly meetings, and one-on-one support for both the mentors and the mentees as they learn and grow together. Additionally, Vonda will be supporting Career and Technical Education teachers and World Languages teachers as they continue to study best practices in their respective fields.

I couldn’t be more grateful to have gone through the last two months with Mary Morton, the PK-6 language arts & social studies, PK - 12 Art & PE, and TTL TOSA. She has been an inspiration with her willingness to tackle the new FAST and ELI updates, coordinate a revision of the testing protocol for Benchmarking and FAST, and deliver PD to support the entire elementary staff as they begin to gather data. As we move forward into more PD opportunities, I am excited to have more opportunities to deliver innovative PD that has Mary’s focus on quality instruction and hard work.

I’m looking forward to getting to know all of the counseling and music staff across the district as well as the secondary language arts and social studies departments. The counselors are dedicated individuals who are embracing their new challenge around implementing new standards without their own classrooms. The music staff has a big year of curriculum review; I am excited to hear the conversations as we talk about best practice and have vertical alignment discussions. In social studies, the content team will begin an exploration into the C3 Framework, as they prepare for new state standards to come out sometime in 2016. Finally, the secondary language arts teachers are studying best practices around instructional methods. Throughout these experiences this year, I’m hoping to feel as though instead of losing one classroom, I’ve gained insight into many. If I can connect teachers to others using all types of Ames teacher leaders, I will have had a successful year.

While I still have days where I want to spend the day conferencing with student writers, I am grateful for these new experiences. I am excited to work with the other TOSAs as we help support teachers & coaches as they implement the district vision. At our weekly meetings, we learn together, share our ideas, and leave with one voice: the Ames CSD vision.