Diverse Learners Cooperative is thrilled to announce that Laura Bantle has moved into a new role as Learning Communities Manager. With years of experience as an educator and administrator in SPED classrooms, Laura is uniquely positioned to strengthen these networks and expand our capacity to equip educators with the tools and support they need.
Learning Communities are opportunities for educators to access professional development opportunities. Currently, DLC provides three Learning Communities: Licensure Pathway, Fellowship, and Coaching Collaborative.
Laura recently shared more about her experience with DLC — and the impact Learning Communities are making.
What excites you most about stepping into the role of Learning Communities Manager?
I am just one member of an entire team of educators who love, respect, and care deeply about teachers. It is an immense privilege to create communities and experiences in which they feel valued, supported, and understood.
Why do you think learning communities are such a powerful way to support educators?
Teachers of diverse learners are often one of one/few in their buildings, and isolation can result in burnout and attrition. Learning communities create energizing and affirming opportunities for connection, collaborative learning, and expanded access to resources. In a profession that demands so much of teachers’ intellectual, social, emotional, and physical capacities, learning communities help refill their cups.
Can you share one story or example where you saw community learning transform a teacher’s practice or confidence?
At the conclusion of the Teacher Leader Fellowship last year, one Fellow was singled out by multiple peers during their gratitude circle for the particular ways she had encouraged or supported them throughout the year.
It was only after hearing from her peers that this Fellow finally revealed she nearly quit Fellowship on the first day because she did not feel qualified to be there. Had she quit, she would have missed out on the opportunity to understand her unique impact on this group of colleagues.
Many of these experiences are internal, and it is always a privilege when we witness firsthand evidence of transformation.
How do the Licensure Pathway, Fellowship, and Coaching Collaborative work together to create impact across schools?
Diverse students – who are often the furthest from opportunity – deserve the strongest teachers. In order to realize that vision, our learning communities are designed to both complement and supplement the development and support many schools offer to their teachers.
Specifically, we:
- Equip new teachers with the knowledge, skills, and supports they need to be as strong as possible in their first two years of teaching
- Connect experienced teachers to a community that will support them as they refine their skills and expand their influence in their schools
- Prepare school, district, and network leaders to utilize transformational coaching practices that honor teachers’ humanity, increase use of evidence-based practices for diverse learners, and – ideally – improve teacher retention.
What do you hope DLC’s Learning Communities will accomplish in the coming school year?
When we open applications for next year’s communities, I hope unfamiliar school and district names outnumber the familiar. Diverse learners everywhere deserve equipped and empowered teachers.
If you could describe DLC’s approach to educator learning in one sentence, what would it be?
We strive for radical practicality, inclusivity, and empowerment.