Finding Everything: Anatomy of an SFS Teaching Team

By Timothy Fuller Bazin High School Economics Teacher

WhenI found out that I’d have the opportunity to write something for The Banner, I took some time to reflect on what I value most from my first year working at Seoul Foreign School (SFS). This was no easy task, but my mind settled on the thankfulness felt for the time spent working, laughing, and learning with colleagues. God blesses me every day with the opportunity and privilege to work at SFS alongside such a friendly and professional learning community. Much of the collaboration between teachers is invisible to the broader community, so I hope to give the dear reader an insight into the anatomy of my Grade 9 MYP Individuals & Societies teaching team.

The names on our roster include Ms. Martin, Ms. Chung, Mr. Kosh, Ms. Plakmeyer, and Mr. Bazin. Everyone has a role to play. And, as with all great teams, our strengths complement each other.

■ Ms. Martin is the team’s learning support specialist. She is patient, kind, and empathetic towards our students who may need a little extra support. She’s the master at making tasks accessible to everyone.

Photo to be taken on Monday May 15

■ Ms. Chung is the mama that maintains balance on our team. She keeps us on mission and ensures that we are making important links between Korea’s history and the MYP’s globallyminded concept-based model. She also makes it her mission to make sure everyone on our team is being heard.

■ Mr. Kosh is our leader. He provides organizational clarity and initiates the thrust that always helps carry us over the finish line.

■ Ms. Plakmeyer is our doer. She is always first to build new material and pacing guides. Ms. Plakmeyer is also in her first year at SFS.

■ Mr. Bazin, your narrator, is a lowly tinkerer. I try out new methods and techniques. Or perhaps it’s a different perspective that I share. At any rate, my team helps keep my feet on the ground.

Learning is always front and center with this group. We consistently share materials, best practices, and reflect on the teaching and learning process in our classrooms. What might most set our team apart from others is that we all enjoy coming to work with each other, and it shows in the way we teach. Our students can feel the positive energy that the team brings to the classroom, and it makes for an exceptional learning experience.

Non-teachers would probably like to know more about our curriculum planning meetings. We meet every Day 5 during Block 1 for about an hour. Our meetings consist of a check-in and then we conduct the business of the day, week, or unit. We also make room for standardization, which is the process by which we share our expectations and understanding of common criteria, and moderation, the process where we review a sample of teacherassessed work in order to establish whether the marking is appropriate. We also set forth our pacing for evidence of learning during this time. We don’t argue. We never finish a meeting early or late, and we always end with a clear plan for the future.

It’s no secret that SFS hires remarkable teachers and spares no expense when it comes to the professional development of those teachers. Less known is probably the extra effort that administrators, like our MYP Coordinator Chris Horan and our HS Principal Nancy LeNezet, make to hire and coach for collaboration. Even lesser known to the greater community are the principles that guide our collaboration. These include:

• Our mission guides our actions at all times.

• Every voice matters and every ear listens.

• We assume best intentions and we respect opinions with kindness.

• We agree to value our time.

• We set clear goals and timelines and we are accountable to each other.

There’s really no magic ingredient to making a great teacher team. The simplest answer is that it takes everything: great vision, qualified personnel, supportive leadership, student-centered focus, and compatible personalities. Take it from someone who's been around, SFS is a special place where the teacher community truly is greater than the sum of its parts. 19 12