Collaborating outside of the silo: an action research study of interdisciplinary collaboration of teachers at a small suburban middle school in the Northeast

Abstract

As this chapter ends, I am reminded of the words of the late Kobe Bryant, who once said, "The most important thing is to try and inspire people so they can be great at whatever they want to do."With these words resonating, many have inspired me to accomplish my goals. This would not have been possible without the support and advice of my advisor, Dr. Andrew Anderson. You provided the push I needed to start this journey, and your patience, availability, and guidance throughout this process were key to the success of this study. You have been instrumental in my growth as a teacher, a leader, and a person. For that, I cannot thank you enough.To all the collaborators, participants, and stakeholders of my research study, thank you for taking the time out of your schedule and trusting me to share your stories. I hope this work has brought about positive change within the learning community.Thanks to my colleagues, especially Stephanie, Matt, Meg, and Jenn, for the encouragement and support whenever I needed it.To Jay, the most influential and inspirational friend and mentor in my life. You took me under your wing as a young man and brought me along with you every step of the way. Thank you for instilling the confidence in me to be successful, for always taking care of me, providing me with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and showing me how to reach levels of success that I could not achieve on my own. Without you, coach, this would not have been possible.To Brett, thank you for teaching me the true meaning of hard work and commitment. Thank you for always being on my team through the wins and the losses. You always look out for me and are unafraid to challenge me to improve. I know I can always look to you for support. Without you, I would not be the teacher, coach, or person I am today. Thank you for the inspiration. I could not have done this without you. To my family, especially my parents, Kim and Mike, my brother Mike and his family, Ryan, and Payton. Thank you for the past two years of support, dinners, and trips. Spending time with you all provided the energy I needed to keep moving. I love you all.To my wife, Elizabeth. Thank you for always supporting me and caring for everything over these past two years. You have sacrificed so much for me to achieve my goals, and words cannot express my gratitude. Thank you for holding me accountable and patient while I worked through this process. I could not have done this without you. I love you very much.And to Caroline, even though you are not here yet, thank you for the last push of motivation that I needed to get this done. I love you. 4 DedicationThis dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Kim, who brought about my love for teaching, and my father, Mike, who showed me the work ethic required to achieve anything I set my mind to.