Together Friends,
The Together Team is busy around here with a full docket of both online and in-person classes as we head into the winter months. And it’s not too early to book us for 2025. . . our calendar is open and ready! In the meantime, I am here to present this month’s Together Tour! Our goal is to highlight unique or helpful Togetherness practices and shine a light on great work people are doing in the world. Side note: Does The Together Group need a tag line? I’m thinking Get Organized for the Greater Good. . . Or Get Organized for Results and Rest? Both have a nice ring, right? Okay, let’s get to it.
Together Tour: Jeff Vásquez
Jeff and I met many, many years ago when we both worked for the same organization in Brooklyn, and the minute I saw one of his middle school math classes, I knew I had entered the presence of a Together Teacher! (And yes, Jeff is featured in my first book!). Jeff’s Together Teacher cart was famous at his school back in 2012, and now it has returned! I have followed his career as he has moved across the country, grown his amazing family to almost six children – #6 is on the way! – and stepped into school leadership roles, such as his current position as a middle school Assistant Principal of Instruction at Lighthouse Community Public Schools. Interested in more unique approaches to Togetherness in schools? Check out AJ and Thomas.
Why do you use a cart as your office?
I see my cart as an extension of my office, not a replacement. There are so many benefits…
The first is simply visibility. A football player is hungry and needs a granola bar? I can help! It really is beyond a cart; it’s an office on wheels and I’m not relegated to my desk to get work done. I can write observation notes and shoot the Slack, all in the same space.
The second way the cart helps is with preparedness. I have things on my cart that will shorten the loss of instructional time, like a Band-Aid or a snack or a pencil, or even extra Chromebook loaners, so kids don’t have to take the long walk to the office – with the temptation to take two laps!
And the final way my cart helps me is to build relationships. I can add photos of my family, a college pennant, or even my sneaker plant! It makes me approachable to others and adds a human connection point.
Caption: Jeff’s cart has everything he needs—including a sneaker plant!
Inquiring minds want to know. . . what do you keep in that cart? It looks full!
I keep the cart stocked with things I know my middle schoolers love – mints, granola bars, tissue, and hall passes. I have a few decorations that double as aesthetic pieces but also a reminder to humanize the work and remember my why. So I’ve got a picture of my wife and some post cards that I plan to swap out every now and then. On the instructional side, I have a couple of cameras that I use throughout the week to document 10-minute clips of teachers doing their thing. I’ll also use photos of kids I take during recess or non-core instructional blocks as posters that I post in the halls. Some of these photos make their way onto slide decks for professional development or advisory.
The speaker is used to play fun or lo-fi instrumental music in the halls during the start of the day as well to play white noise when kids or adults are having meetings or taking a test in my office.
One last thing I’ll note about the cart is that I realized I needed more surface space to hold my laptop along with my clipboard and notebook so I used a couple extra screws I found in the trunk of my car [Editor’s note: WHOA!] to hold up a small organizer that holds post-its, gratitude notes for teachers, an electronic whistle, and extra pens/pencils.
How else do you stay organized?
It all started in August with me making a calendar of my week on a Google Doc or spreadsheet that took a few iterations to get aligned with the school calendar and my teachers’ prep periods. Once the start of the school year got underway, I transferred my Google Doc into my Google Calendar that I check every afternoon or early morning and turn into a list of priorities that live in my notebook.
How do you use your calendar as a communication tool?
If I don’t prioritize my personal meeting time, I can guarantee someone will grab that time from me. I put a block of time on my calendar, and I’m diligent to communicate what I’m doing with that time – let’s say I’m recording lesson observations to Teach Boost – my team will know I’m deep in my instructional duties.
Jeff, thanks for giving us a peek into your life as a school leader! By the way, Jeff has also written a cool poetry instructional book. Readers, any other Together Tips out there to share with us?
Together Treasure Box 
- A full calendar can feel exhausting. With days (weeks?) filled with back-to-back meetings and check ins, try to find ways to loosen your calendar and give time back to yourself and your team.
- “Let’s circle back in the new year.” Now is the time to flip the calendar and prep for next year. Planning your year allows you to look for possible pinch points, but also lets you to plan for fun and free time!
- A spoonful of sugar…We have all kinds of arduous tasks that we need to get done. Sometimes we procrastinate and avoid them outright. But segmenting can help make big tasks feel digestible. Now maybe I should apply that to taking down my Halloween décor!
