Teachers Learn Team-Building Skills

Published November 11, 2010

Trust, teamwork and cooperation. Those were just a few of the skills teachers from Heritage Middle School focused on during a recent visit to Deer Run Retreat in Thompson's Station. The trip was held November 2 and was part of the school district's site-based professional development day for educators.

For the teachers at Heritage Middle, the day began with a series of meetings in which they discussed things like rigor and relevance and how they relate to the classroom. The real fun began after lunch when they were divided into groups and taken to the ropes course.

Some of the teachers chose to participate in the "low challenge" ropes course which required them to focus on accomplishing specific tasks through cooperation, teamwork and communication. The others were escorted to the "high challenge" course which is suspended from trees.

After learning how to use the safety equipment, each teacher worked with a partner to navigate the narrow ropes which were as high as 40 feet off the ground. When they reached the top, the teachers jumped off a high platform and slid down a long wire to the ground.

Administrators say the experience is designed to increase effective communication skills, accountability and working together as a team. "Many of the teachers here at Heritage Middle School are new to the school," said HMS Principal Dr. Mary Gist. "We felt like this would be a good way for them to bond and to really get to know one another."