Entry 71: Time for the "giant sucking sound" again. Every year about this time, teachers get sucked into a high-pressure swirl that signals the approach of the summer wind-down mode. High-stakes testing ended last week. The state writing assessment begins next week. As of now, five weeks remain for teaching and learning, and then final exams kick in. By this time, students generally know their academic status for this year, but apparently some parents' eyes just blinked open. Phone calls now swamp the school lines as suddenly-concerned parents schedule conferences with teachers during planning times, before school, and after school. If a team started a FAQ sheet based on year-end parent conferences, I'll bet the number-one question would be "What extra-credit work can my child do to pass?"

Meanwhile, some students are already trying to shut down for the year. Their eyes drift from the chalkboard to the dazzling blue sky and the brilliant sunshine beckoning just outside the window and their faces reflect a "Why am I here and not at the beach?" state of mind. Teachers work doubly hard to convince students that school is still in session. (Actually, teachers probably work even harder to fight the impulse to join the reverie.) As an aside, I wonder - would year-round school keep teaching and learning on the front burner longer? The process of shutting down school every year seems to send the message, "Okay, it's over for this year, so let's wind up the learning."

Teachers develop a growing sense of being in a pressure cooker this time of year. Groups of teachers meet after school almost every day for some reason. They write the School Improvement Plan. They gather, analyze, and write up pages of information for the school's accreditation efforts. Right now, lots of things are on the teacher front burner. Guess what's not on the front burner. Impact Team meetings.

Entry 72: I'm getting a bit antsy - not because of the "sun and sky" syndrome - since there are no windows in my office. I'm feeling obstinate about the fact the Impact Team meetings seem to be winding down - crushed to the bottom of the pressure cooker. In my opinion, that's happening about four weeks too soon. Now is the best time! Now is the time to reflect on the process and put guidelines in motion to ensure a more valuable and successful experience for next year.

So, exactly how do I end the Impact Team projects at both schools on a high note? What needs to happen to build a sense of anticipation for next year? Well, for beginnings, I need more teacher feedback on the process. What value, what disadvantages do teachers see? What changes did teams and teachers make as a result of being involved in the process? What would produce more teacher "buy-in" for those who lack enthusiasm? What support did they need that they didn't get? What things seemed a waste of time and effort? What things proved really helpful? Candid feedback is great nourishment for a new beginning. I'm scheduling at least two meetings with each Impact Team during May to gather information and get some help in evaluating the project.

As I looked around my slightly cluttered office (I refer to it as "slightly" cluttered because I can still see the top of the desk in two places, and one chair is free of stacks of paper), another question plopped atop my under-performing brain cells. How and when do I gather and store team materials until next year? Should this year's team logs be left in the team notebooks, or should they be archived and placed in the teacher center in the library? And where will all of the "stuff" accumulated throughout the project be stored? No guarantee that the current office will be available next year.

Entry 73: The principal is meeting with team leaders next week to check their initial reaction to the idea of Impact Teams focusing on student learning styles next year. The more I think about the added structure that this will give the teams, the more I like the idea. Structure can combat complacency. I bounced the idea off the system's staff development coordinator. She totally agreed, and suggested that adding more structure would also build in more accountability. Teams would then be more likely to correctly utilize the time allotted for this process. She pointed out that some teachers won't make a real effort until it affects them personally - until they are accountable to their peers and/or the principal.

Okay, okay. Let me think about that accountability idea. How does that "look" merge with treating teachers as professionals - something that ranks high on my scale of What-Should-Be? I never meant this project to develop a teacher accountability direction. I believe that teachers function better with more professional autonomy and freedom. Makes sense to me. Admittedly, though, two teams haven't taken much responsibility with regard to this project. Would something that builds in a bit of accountability be helpful and produce better results? I'm confusing myself.

Entry 74: The principal and I met with the staff development coordinator today to bring her up to date on the project and our plans for continuation next year. She likes the adaptability and flexibility of this Impact Team process. It can be adjusted for different needs in different schools. Yet it provides a process with a backbone, and she thinks the process is strong enough that strong lead teachers could implement it even in the absence of a strong principal. (Hmmm. Another idea I have to think about.) She added these perceptions:

Entry 75: Reflectively speaking, we've established a process for helping teachers grow professionally through team collaboration. The process is not institutionalized yet, and teachers probably haven't reached the point where they couldn't live without it, but things are moving in that direction. This year, teams have scheduled time to meet and talk about instruction. To some degree, teachers are beginning to take collective ownership for their team's instructional program. That's real progress. This project deserves a razzle-dazzle finale! The teams can't just fizzle out for the year. How can I provide a solid conclusion that leaves teachers with a sense of expectation for next year? I need an ending that generates a good beginning.