When one walks into the middle school social studies classroom of co-teachers, Cynthya Blandino and Patrick Holness, in the Charles P. DeFuccio School in Jersey City, NJ, you could see students actively learning under the direction of Mr. Holness how to create powerpoints for their culminating activities, conferencing with Ms. Blandino about an essay on the causes of the American Revolution, or working independently at their desks, alone or in pairs. These two teachers are excellent examples of the positive effects of collaboration and a seamless approach to making inclusion classrooms work for all students. Ms Blandino has been teaching for seven years and Mr. Holness for four years but their classroom is run as if they were working together for much longer than just a few years.
In what ways do you plan and collaborate together?
Patrick: The most difficult part, perhaps surprisingly, is finding the time to work together because we are both very involved in other things at school. Once we do sit down together, we each bring ideas to the table and work them out together. We usually sit down on a Friday afternoon and plan out the week or weeks ahead but we keep in touch frequently by telephone, email and text messages.
Cynthya: We start by asking, ‘What worked? Did the students truly gain concepts, skills, real world connections and ultimately life skills? ‘ We then brainstorm to create authentic, innovative units to engage our students.
How do you make full use of your strengths and weaknesses?
Patrick: We first acknowledge and respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses and work to make them fit together. Modeling respect towards others is very important to us both.
Cynthya offers an example, “Patrick is much better with technology than I am and I readily admit that. He never puts me down, but rather teaches me right in front of our students’ eyes and they see firsthand that learning is a life long endeavor and that we treat each other professionally.”
In what ways have your strong collaboration affected your students?
Patrick: Our collaboration provides our students with an example of how two adults can work together without issues of ego or power struggles. They have no idea which one of us is the general education teacher and which is the special education specialist. We like it this way. We are there to help all students learn the skills and content needed for the course work and to model how to be a good citizen and responsible adult. We always know who is going to be doing what in a class period, whether it’s a 45 or 90 minute block.
Cynthya: We wear many hats during our day and play the role of parent, sibling, or other relative, and teacher but most importantly, they see us as two young professionals who chose to work in an urban setting and work hard for their benefit. Patrick and I, and the rest of our school staff, really believe it’s all about the kids and we put their needs ahead of any issues of our own.
Do you have a favorite example of your collaboration at work?
Cynthya: one of my favorites was the culminating activity for the last marking period where our sixth graders put on their creative hats and became Islamic and West African explorers. They created books about their adventures and presented their material to their peers. Their books were excellent!
Do you have any words of advice for other co-teaching partners?
Patrick: I would say to get to know the other person as a person outside of school as well as a teacher. Learn about each other and what commonalities you share, whether is it family size, education, likes and dislikes. Find out what makes each other tick and where your strengths and weaknesses lie.
Cynthya: Respe
ct and communication are key. Talk to each other. Stay in touch. Let him/her know if you are going to be out sick as a courtesy and out of respect. Find out about each other’s educational philosophy and what is important to him/her. Our titles are invisible to our students. All they see is two teachers who care about them and teach them as equal partners. We address each other with respect at all times and never show any dissatisfaction with each other in front of them. If there is a misunderstanding we are quick to clear it up. We both are here to help the students learn. It really is all about the kids!
The DeFuccio school is a full inclusion school and Ms. Blandino and Mr. Holness reflect the school’s belief that all students can and will learn in an inviting classroom offering options. It is no wonder that students will seek their teachers out when they need help making a decision or want to share a difficulty they are currently facing. The social studies room on the third floor is a safe environment where academic expectations are clear, learning is fun, and mutual respect is evident thanks to Ms. Blandino and Mr. Holness.