Cross-Pollination in Education
My school is pretty big for a public high school in Ontario. We opened with 1100 students and grew to 2200 in less than 6 years. A year ago the school board put a “cap” on our school, meaning that all new students moving into our area would have to go to the next closest high school.
Of course with such a large student population, we need a large staff – over 150 people in total (including all teachers, administrators, and support staff). The photo below was taken at the end of this school year (i’m the tall, blonde guy in the center of the group). Considering the number of people working in one building, we gel very well together. I hold all of my colleagues in the highest regard and I am proud to work with such a dedicated and forward-thinking staff.
Our student population is finally starting to decline. This coming September our population will be going down by 200 students and should continue to decline over the next few years before settling in at about 1800 students. In general, this is a good thing for the operation of our building. Hopefully we will be able to lose a few portables, and the hallways will be much easier to navigate between periods.
Unfortunately, losing 200 students means that we needed to “excess” 11 teachers this year. If you’re not familiar with the term, it means that the school board will take the teachers with the least amount of seniority in the school and redeploy them to other schools that are in need of teachers. They still technically have a job, but it could be anywhere else in the board. Our department alone lost 4 teachers, which is a HUGE blow to the professional community we have grown! Because of the collegiality that is shared among the staff, having to lose 11 exceptional educators made the end of the year a little bitter-sweet.
In the 5 years that I have been teaching, I have seen a lot of great educators come and go. I have learned now that the movement of teachers is a reality of this profession. People take maternity/paternity leave or a sabbatical, they move to a new home and change schools, they transition into administration or another department, they teach overseas, they move schools simply for a change, or (unfortunately) they get redeployed because of demographic shifts. Whatever the reason, teachers can be mobile fairly easily.
I was thinking today how the relationship between teachers is like the pollinating of plants in a ecosystem. Cross-pollination occurs when the pollen from one plant is transferred to another plant of the same species resulting in the production of offspring that are genetically diverse.
Now, imagine for a moment that teachers are a species of plant, but they don’t spread pollen, then share ideas and expertise. When a teacher moves from one school to another, they pollinate across the ecosystem.
When you get attached to working with certain people, it can be hard to say goodbye when they leave – We miss them and the diverse skills, interests and expertise that they have brought to our lives. But I think it is easier to say goodbye knowing that they are not gone altogether. Instead, realize that they are, in fact, pollinating other schools and helping our species (Teacherus Excellencius) to become stronger and more diverse. If movement is a reality of this profession, it is important to recognize the tremendous benefits that can come from it.
I want to wish good luck to all of the brave teachers who are taking their expertise to unknown places in September – And though you will be missed, I know you will do good work wherever you go.
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