Collaborating with Community Agencies – Ariel Su

How do I feel about having a new adult in my classroom?

I’m not as bothered by the idea of a new adult in my classroom anymore. When I first started teaching, I
was overly self-conscious about myself and how I’m presented in the classroom. However, as I learn to work
with more adults in the classroom (other classroom teachers, resource teacher and EAs), I have become more
and more comfortable with the idea of another person in the room. They would be there to be an extra pair of
eyes for observation.

What are my thoughts around collaborative practices?

Like I mentioned above, I used to be uncomfortable with the idea of having another pair of eyes in the
room, but I really like the idea of having more adults in the room now. Though I’m not collaborating with
outside agencies often (especially during a COVID year), I collaborate with other teachers, resource team and
EAs throughout the year. I work closely with another grade 6/7 teacher in the school and we coteach many
subjects together. We also platoon Math and Language Arts.

Are there policies in my school that need to be followed when members of the community visit?

I believe that the outside agency needs to get parent permission before they can come into the school to
do an observation. I’m not too sure if there’s a form they have to complete for the school and family before
coming, or if it’s just a verbal consent. When they get to the school, they need to sign-in in the front office and
sign-out when they leave.

Experiences with outside agencies:

I have not had any in-person experience with outside agencies. This year, I had a Behaviour
Interventionist reach out to ask about a student in my class who was recently re-diagnosed with ASD. We talked
over the phone about this student’s habits and goals.