Establishing Ties

I loved what Tomlinson says about establishing ties, "..teachers who are willing to establish ties with students discover new depths of truth each day.....There are, of course, things teachers are supposed to know--ideas, skills, understandings they are charged with transmitting to the young. Such teachers are willing to be vulnerable learners. The puzzle pieces of knowledge and ideas they 'own' make sense more fully when combined with the mysteries of each of the lives in the classroom." This is so true!! Those teachers are the teachers that make differences, they are the teachers that shape the future. We, as teachers, are to learn from our students as much as they learn from us. As teachers, if we are open to learning as we teach there will be so many opportunities for us to grow and "discover new depths of truth each day". I am excited to uncover mysteries as a teacher.

An example of a teacher who is willing to establish ties with students to discover new depths of truth is a teacher I worked with many years ago in a kindergarten class. Mrs. Andrus didn't worry about what other teachers thought about her, she just loved her children. There wasn't a day where she would pull me aside to share something she learned from her children. I quickly learned for myself to be a vulnerable learner and establish ties. I thank her still for that example!