Randy Thompson

Randy Thompson was in our district for four days this past week. I was only able to attend on Thursday (July 22). Having heard him the one day, I really wish that I had been able to hear him the other three days.

Tuesday - Thursday he was in Paris doing team training. Crockett (5-6) and PJH (7-8) are both going to have teaming this year. Crockett is teaming with all of their core teachers. I think the word they are using is pods. Each pod of three teachers will share a group of kids and have them for reading, math, and the science teacher will also teach social studies. This configuration is interesting to me as the reading and math teachers will get 1.5 hours a day for their discipline and the science teacher (at least in 5th grade) is responsible for a test and only gets, at best, half the time. At PJH there will be one "pilot" team for 7th and one for 8th. I am going to be a part of the 7th team. There are five of us that will share 80 kids. Interesting point on our team is that it will have no g/t kids.

Paris has done the teaming thing before and I will say that I hope it is a better experience than I have previously been a part of. Thompson's spin on the teaming thing is interesting. I hope that it will be implemented as he suggests. I haven't yet read the book that he left with us Get Fit!. I am looking forward to reading it.
A few intriguing things I have read / heard thus far;
We have scripted (not really)agendas for our team meetings.
COW (curriculum on the wall) as a method of cross curricular lesson planning.
thumbs down - heads up an administrator sits in on a team meeting and then talks to kids with a thumbs down.
business involvement (not this year, maybe next?)

I'm really looking forward to this year and the teaming process. Again I hope that administration supports this and our team is up to the challenge.