Northeast Elementary teacher Ms. De La Torre (left) meets with instructional coach Beth Dershem (right). An instructional coach meets with teachers every week from every grade level to look at data, set goals and objectives, and work with teachers to support their work and help meet their needs.
When you think about the work of a teacher, what comes to mind?
Someone standing at the front of a classroom full of kids, pointing to a math problem on the board, showing a PowerPoint about the War of 1812, etc? Maybe you see them assigning homework and grading papers at their desk after school.
This view of a teacher’s job is not wrong, but it misses the full picture. There is so much more, behind the scenes, that teachers do every day to ensure they are providing the best education possible to their students.
“I have a fundamental belief that education is the one thing that makes life fair,” said Dershem.
Beth Dershem, a now instructional coach who spent years teaching for 27J Schools, knows the ins and outs of everything related to teaching and a strong education system. Having started her educational career in private schools, Beth intentionally sought out a position in Title I public schools, which is how she ended up at 27J and eventually Northeast Elementary School.
Making this transition eleven years ago was not an easy task, but Dershem knew the outcome of it was worth it. “I have a fundamental belief that education is the one thing that makes life fair,” Bershem said.
“Education levels the playing field when there is so much inequity. You need an education to learn self-esteem and become a whole individual beyond the diploma you receive. My miniscule role in this process matters. I have made a difference by using my gift of teaching.”
Making this difference was not always easy during her eight years of working in 27J’s chronically underfunded schools. 27J is third from last (176 out of 178) in all of Colorado when it comes to funding per student. Voters in 27J have not passed a mill levy override in over two decades. A mill levy override pays for things like robust programming and competitive teacher salaries.
“We have no budget to supply teachers with what they need,” Dershem said. “During my time as a teacher in 27J, I spent thousands of dollars on classroom materials and snacks for my students. If we wanted to do special learning projects, there was no budget for these activities.”
The cost to Dershem and her fellow teachers of 27J’s underfunding extends far past classroom budgets. 27J Schools offers the lowest starting teacher pay among all Denver metro districts.
“It’s heartbreaking year after year to lose high-quality teachers and candidates because we cannot offer them the pay they deserve,” Dershem said.
Beth loves 27J’s values and philosophy, so much so that she makes the commute from Fort Collins to Brighton every day. At one point, she left 27J to work at a different district for a shorter commute, but she came back to 27J, because she missed the work environment and support 27J offers.
“I had the luxury to not have to support myself on my salary alone, otherwise, I could be put in a position where I would have to leave 27J,” Dershem said.
Although Dershem’s favorite job is teaching, this year she decided to put her professional experience to different use as a building instructional coach for Northeast Elementary. An instructional coach meets with teachers every week from every grade level to look at data, set goals and objectives, and work with teachers to support their work and help meet their needs. Like many other professions, teachers need to constantly be learning the newest, most effective techniques to do their best work.
“All of the teachers I work with are so welcoming and willing to collaborate with me to improve their learning outcomes,” Dershem said. “Our teachers need input and support more than ever. If I can help build confidence in new teachers, partner with mid-level teachers to love their job, and learn from and encourage leadership from veteran teachers, then I will gladly do so.”
Teachers at Northeast appreciate the commitment and support from Dershem and other instructional coaches.
“When I first started, I was having a difficult time with math lessons. Beth sat down with me, walked through my process, and gave me feedback on how to improve my lessons by letting me think about changes I could make first,” Ms. De La Torre, a first year teacher, said.
“It’s really helpful to have another person who has more teaching experience serve as a resource. I’ve grown a lot in my strategies and plans for academic and behavioral student support,” Ms. De La Torre said.
Instructional coaches like Beth and teachers like Ms. De La Torre are truly committed and care about our students. Teachers jobs are not easy–they must excel in many, unseen ways like meeting requirements, meeting students’ individual needs, all while providing social and emotional support to students and their different life situations and needs.
As a result of its underfunding, 27J operates with 33-50% less instructional support staff, like coaches than neighboring districts.
“I’m running around left to right all day,” Ms. De La Torre said. “We don’t just teach–we truly care about our students. We want them to be good humans in the world. Beyond teaching them academics, we teach them how to make friends, how to interact with the community outside of school, and how to understand who they are.”
Teachers not only navigate the world of education, but they help students navigate our world. Our teachers and staff continuously work together outside of classroom hours to ensure they are providing the best possible education for students.