A Galentine Brunch

The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been.  Madeleine L'Engle

One of the 5th grade teachers hosted a "Galentine's brunch" this morning.  It was a small group of 15 teachers from my school- mostly 20-something-year-olds (I'm 60ish 🤣 and an IC). We had a blast coming in our pajamas to laugh and enjoy each others' company while eating pancakes and playing a trivia game. 

I wasn't sure about how this gathering would be. Could I genuinely socialize outside of the school environment? Sure, I'm friends with everyone. But being three times older than the majority was a little unnerving at first. That little uncomfortable feeling didn't last long (thankfully), and my more introverted nerdy self enjoyed the get-together. 

Although we didn't "shop talk," I couldn't help but think about how we enjoy each others' company on a daily basis because we always learn with and from each other! As a coach, I'm modeling lessons much of the time. Modeling and co-teaching have been excellent opportunities for me to learn the new ELA curriculum this year. Although I don't intentionally make mistakes, I do. It's part of the process, and it's healthy for our newer teachers to see me navigate those mini storms. As a coach, I also have the privilege to watch them teach and interact with their students.  I learn as much (usually more) from them as they learn from me. We're all on a journey. Despite our age differences, learning and collaborating with colleagues with different strengths is a win-win for everyone.