I've been working on a professional development project with third grade teachers at a local elementary school. I've learned a lot about the support they need.

Support began in our planning meeting. The teachers were wary of "the flavor of the month". That's the term we used to refer to a great idea they're required to implement until the next great idea comes along. I showed them how I'd considered their needs and told them we'd develop ideas together. They were intrigued enough to commit time and energy for four months.

The school hired half-day substitutes so teachers could observe and participate in a series of in-class workshops. Once a month, I modeled collaborative writing with the children and coached from the sidelines as teachers practiced what I'd introduced. Then we went out to lunch to talk. For a month following our session, the teachers tried out the ideas in their own classes. Then I returned to a different classroom to build on our previous work.

Usually teachers dread professional development. It's often a lengthy session tacked onto the end of an already exhausting eight-hour day. These teachers savored learning "on-the-job", enthusiastically welcomed these sessions, and applied the ideas in their classrooms. The lunch out with colleagues felt luxurious, especially compared to dining with 200 children in a loud cafeteria. They savored time to reflect with relaxed minds, share thoughts, ideas, questions and concerns, and work together to solve problems.

I learned most about support from the last component of the project. At the end of four sessions we had a writing event. Parents were trained as writing coaches and then went intoclassrooms to help each student plan and write an individual story. Like most of the coaches, I had amazing experiences. I worked with a child, pulling and prodding details and events until we had written a meaningful story. When he read his story aloud, he received well-deserved laughter and applause. And we both beamed with pleasure.

One little girl had amazing writing voice, but couldn't get her story down on paper. I scribed and it freed up her thinking.

The funniest part of the story was when the bus backfired, or "farted". "That's a little rude," I commented. "Can you get the idea across without using that word?"

Her response was thoughtful and creative. She told me, "Write: 'The bus made an inappropriate sound like the ones that come out of peoples' behinds!' " We giggled.

One parent told me that she ran into one of her writing athletes after the event and the little girl fell all over her with excitement. Writing together had forged a special bond between adult and child.

I wrote a wonderfully goofy story with a child who had her school principal appear in a Barbie costume. She took such pleasure in the description and creation, but on the read-aloud morning, she'd lost her story. I hurt for her and for teachers who face these frustrations all the time. It just wasn't possible to give her all the support she needed to succeed.

I discovered I wasn't the only coach whose perspective shifted because of the event. In an impromptu discussion session with a dozen parents, I was moved by my own experiences to ask a series of questions.

"How many of you thought that teaching writing was hard?" All hands went up.

"How many had fun?" Again, they raised their hands.

"How many of you saw the learning disparity within classrooms?" Every hand, went up.

"How many of you saw a child blossom with the individual attention you gave?" All hands were in the air.

"And how many of you would be willing to come in on a steady basis and help the children who need this support?" For a final time, all hands were raised.

Most of these parents had never been in a role where they had to do so much teaching. Even though they were only responsible for two or three students, they saw the the difficulties teachers face every day. There's frustration in teaching a subject that's not linear, or clear cut. There's heartbreak in wanting to respond individually to each child and not having enough hours in the day. There's stress in having so many children who need more than one person can possibly give.

Many parents who want the best learning environment for their children become thorns in the sides of our already overwhelmed teachers. If parents became part of the solution they would improve their children's learning environment; make positive changes in the lives of children who need one-to-one help; and earn the undying thanks of teachers who want to support their less successful students, but can't do it alone! As I discovered during this project, understanding is an important key in supporting teachers.