The rise of unconventional teaching roles: How do educators in these roles feel about them?

One webinar panelist, teacher Sarah Keel, is part of an interdisciplinary approach at a traditional public high school with two other teachers. Together, the three teachers – who collectively teach English, Spanish and history – integrate their curricula and flexibly adapt their three-hour block of teaching time to the needs of their students on a given day.

Many spoke of having renewed energy for the profession and greater ability to connect with and serve students and families with personalized learning. For example, Carissa Solomon was a traditional classroom teacher for a decade who transitioned to a micro-school setting. She spoke on our webinar of how excited she was to build authentic relationships with her students because she only saw 25 per day rather than the 125 students she taught previously.

Team and mentor teaching had additional benefits, teachers reported, making it easier for teachers to feel they could leave for a doctor’s appointment or stay home with a sick child without having to rely on a substitute teacher to ensure students stayed on track with their coursework. Teachers of all experience levels also reported how valuable it was to watch other teachers in their team and learn from them.

These benefits, however, also brought challenges, something advocates for strategic or innovative staffing models must keep in mind going forward. The teachers who gained the most autonomy in their roles often felt isolated or unprepared to handle all of that autonomy. This was especially true of teachers in something akin to one room schoolhouses, even when such programs were supported by a national microschool support provider. One teacher said running her own microschool felt like “being on a lonely island” and another said that she “missed having coworkers.” Unlike teachers who experienced the relief of having a team of colleagues to step in for them in an emergency, these solo operators sometimes had to close the school if their own child was sick. Access to high quality curriculum and professional development was also limited.

Even high functioning teams in more traditional schools sometimes had trouble sustaining the “magic” that made their collaboration work. Teachers who were empowered with decision making or curricular authority often reported it was a lot more work with little guidance. And in the end, many were unsure how long they would stay in these roles more than five to seven years.

All of this led report author Steven Weiner to call for more opportunities to give teachers more satisfying professional opportunities, such as team and specialized teaching roles. However, he says, they should be paired with more highly structured support infrastructure to allow teachers to thrive and sustain themselves in such roles. And finally, the report notes that any new staffing initiatives must honestly examine and report on whether these staffing changes result in better student experiences and learning.