Woodland Middle School teachers team up to improve learning

WOODLAND — This fall, Tara Campbell and Kelly Hathaway, two sixth-grade English Language Arts teachers at Woodland Middle School, rediscovered their passions for classroom teaching and working together as a team thanks to Woodland Public Schools’ emphasis on collaboration and teamwork across grades and schools throughout the district. After spending several years working together as a team as developmental coaches for Vancouver Public Schools, helping other teachers hone their craft, Hathaway and Campbell both discovered they had the desire to return to the classroom. Campbell and Hathaway returned to working together as a team once again when Campbell started at Woodland Middle School this school year. By working as teaching teams across grade levels, Woodland Middle School’s teachers coordinate their lessons, so skills that students learn in one grade are developed and enhanced in the next. Both Campbell and Hathaway see Woodland’s smaller size as a boon to student learning. “Being a small community, the kids have been together for some time, and have developed relationships over the years. As a smaller district, the district team is more accessible and provides us with an incredible amount of support, so we get to build relationships with both the kids and the community — it’s been awesome.”