The Calls

Several of the teachers struggled at first with the idea of these weekly calls. Jami was able to help them find the time – always a challenge for teachers – but that wasn’t the problem. They struggled to understand what the reason was for the weekly call.

There was no pre-defined purpose, no agenda. The teachers were concerned that they would get on the call and have nothing to say. Perhaps, for some, there was a little bit of guilt - taking the time of someone they respected but not being able to give anything in return. But Jami kept encouraging them. And slowly, their walls of resistance began to fall.

The managers would ask them about their week, their successes and their failures, what was working and what wasn’t. And they would listen.

When they found dynamics that they recognized from their work, they would help the teachers put names to those patterns. And then they would share some practices that they might try that could change the dynamics.

Soon all of the partners were having their weekly calls, the highlight of their week. The teachers would ambush Jami in hallways wanting to share new ideas that they were trying. Their excitement was infectious.

The pilot was then over and it was time for the retro. It was time now for Dayton to experience the world of their New Relic partners. So they piled into cars and drove up to Portland.

Next: The Retro