Many times, I like reflecting on the culture we have created in the IA, because it's a completely different world inside our classroom, than it is outside. And even when we are outside, our culture of the IA remains. But, somehow, every time I see our class be autonomous and independent--and consequently living the culture that we've created--it's still something that stands out to me, simply because I don't see that every day in other classes.
Once you step in IA territory, the dynamic might seem deceiving in the sense that everyone is IN THEIR OWN ZONE; one may be lying on the floor or the couch, another listening to music while working on their computers, and even though it might seem like we might be done something else apart from our job, we actually aren't. Especially this week. We had many things going on since we only have a few months left to work on BlendZ, plus Habla Roosevelt coming up, that there was NO TIME to lose.
After a couple of years of learning to work for a purpose, you truly learn and realize that you're ultimately working for yourself. The reason why we work the same way when a teacher is around or when there's no one there, is because we are working for a purpose. We have defined roles and tasks to complete and we are working for the success of BlendZ, and for our own learning after all. It was a long week, with many tasks to complete, but we managed to use our time wisely to work work work!
Creating a culture in the workplace is one of the most essential aspects of a company or an environment as simple as a school classroom. You need to create a culture of trust and independence in order to assign important jobs between each other. We have--little by little--created and strengthen this culture in the IA in a two-year period; every day, every week, every month, it becomes nothing but stronger. Whether there are slips in the culture or not, it's a learning experience that just tightens it up every time.