Every day I collaborate with professionals who continue to seek new ways to modify their approaches in order to reach more kids. Teachers on my hall are using my online newspaper as a collaboration tool. Students are learning to write reviews of books, music, food, etc., which they will then submit to our online publication. This activity gives students an authentic purpose and audience for their work. In addition to improving their writing, they have to analyze some aspect of the world around them and be persuasive of others.

These kinds of activities are born out of professional collaboration, where teachers work together to find common solutions to educational problems. It is much like the consultations of doctors, the meetings of the advertising team, the research of the law firm. We are teaching students the life skills they will need to function beyond the confines of the SOL test, the skills that will help them thrive in the workplace. Regardless of their success, my hope is that they will find fulfillment in their ability to solve problems, work together, and exercise their minds.