The Efficacy of Consultation

The consultation process has facilitated conversations that need to happen regardless of legislation. 

Our experience this week and from past consultations has taught us that some teachers didn’t realize that they could talk about class size and composition.  Was this a non-discussable prior to the arrival of the consultation process?  It shouldn’t have been.  A class shouldn’t have to break a threshold to trigger a discussion between a teacher and an administrator. 

Have we evolved from a past practice that lent itself to closing the door, dealing with it on your own and not taking the risk to show a weakness? 

Our consultations have been very productive.  When it’s all said and done, we believe that it has given some teachers the confidence to come in and have a conversation about their classroom environment. 

These educational discussions are always healthy.  The inevitable product of these discussions is a better understanding of how we as educators can support each other.  The goal is and should always be to ensure appropriate and effective learning conditions for our students.