The Wisdom of Lichens
Wisdom from the Field #16
In Braiding Sweetgrass, environmental scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer explains that lichens are actually two different organisms. Commonly found living on the side of rocks and trees, lichen consist of a fungus and an alga.
This is a true partnership. As Kimmerer notes:
“The algal partner can make all the sugar it needs for energy, but it’s not very good at finding the minerals it needs. The fungus is brilliant at the art of dissolving things and liberating their minerals for its use, but it can’t make sugar.” (p. 270)
Where there is reciprocity between the two, lichen thrive. Even in a drought, the fungus shields its algal partner from completely drying out.
One more interesting fact: it is very difficult to create this symbiotic relationship in a science lab. The living conditions have to be harsh before the fungus and the alga decide to work together.
Reciprocity, in good times and bad
When I ask teachers what’s been most important to their success these past two years, they often cite their colleagues and time to collaborate with them.
If students are out and the teacher needs to prep for virtual learning, another teacher will step in to take their classroom for a while. Resources are freely shared. During common planning time, teachers will distribute different aspects of planning as they prepare for a unit of study they will all teach.
Any doubt about the importance of professional learning communities (PLCs) should be gone by now. Educators have worked under the harshest of conditions, and they have leveraged the power of teamwork to meet their students’ needs.
When the pandemic is over, will teachers maintain this same level of collaboration? Or will a return to normalcy also reduce the felt need we have for one another as professionals?
Consider these reflective questions as we prepare for today and tomorrow:
Do teachers know what strengths they each bring to their teams?
Do teachers know what weaknesses they currently have that are supported by colleagues?
If not, how might we start the process of self-awareness so we all understand the importance of reciprocity, in good times and in more challenging times?
What can you do today to support and sustain professional collaboration tomorrow?
Wisdom from the Field is also a feature in my upcoming book.
