Where Do We Go From Here?

Summer is almost over and soon we will all head back to a new school year. What can we expect to see on that first day? We are hoping for a return to in-person learning. But with late summer Covid surges in nearly every state, we may be faced with a temporary round of online or hybrid schooling.

No matter what happens, we will be ready! But before we can move forward and start writing lesson plans, let’s take a quick look back.

A Challenging Year

The 2020-21 school year was stressful for sure, because of its many twists and turns. First, a return to the classroom…then back online…then the hybrid. Teachers had to adjust to each of these scenarios without any lead time.

Add to that the pressure of making sure the students were social distancing and wearing their masks. There was the very real possibility of catching the virus, and then the scary decision regarding vaccination.

Take Time to Reflect

As teachers, we want our students to reflect on what they have learned. So let’s make some reflection time for ourselves. Think about your own experiences teaching online and in a hybrid classroom. What worked? What didn’t go so well? What are the take-aways from last year and how can we build on them this fall?

In my next post, I will share some lessons I learned from my incredible experience of the last school year. I plan to incorporate these ideas into my teaching this fall, and I’ll explain how!

July 23, 2019July 26, 2019

Surprise your students every school day!

You know that feeling you get when you are about to open a gift? First, you examine the wrapping. Then you try to guess what’s in the box. You might even shake it. Finally, your excitement gets the best of you and you tear it open!

Wouldn’t it be great if our students could approach each new unit of learning with that much curiosity and excitement? While the teacher may enjoy teaching the unit, and muster some enthusiasm, that’s not enough. Students can be a tough crowd. But it is possible to capture their minds and hearts.

When the going gets tough…

The tough go online shopping! No, not that kind of online shopping. Not a new workbook, or another teacher’s power point. I’m talking about selecting online resources I can use in teaching skills and content. With just a little time and effort, any teacher can create an exciting unit tailored to his/her own students. There are soooooo many online resources at our fingertips and much of it is FREE.

When I am putting together a unit, I love searching for websites, videos, games, music, art/crafts, etc. which will bring the topic to life for the children. The challenge of having access to all of these resources is in putting it all together. Think of the unit like a “package” for them to open and explore.

Go with the flow

In designing the unit, choices have to be made. There has to be a “flow” to the unit, a progression of activities. My students will work their way through a variety of “looks” and experiences with the same content and then move on to the next thing. Each layer of learning contains a surprise nugget or two for the students to discover. It’s all about the joy of discovery. That’s what attracts them and keeps them engaged.

I know what you are thinking. Who has the time to do this? I have too much to do already. Isn’t that what the TE is for anyway? True. But if you have some teaching experience under your belt, you are probably ready to crank things up a notch.

It is still summer. Why not try to do something special with just one of your units before school starts? One unit. That’s how I got started. When you have the time, you can create another one and then another. Before you know it, you’ll have a laptop full of fun and creative learning units you can use and build on each year.

In a future post I will share some of the resources I have used to design my own teaching units, (tied to the established curriculum and CCSS, of course.) Feel free to share any thoughts, ideas, or experiences you may have. I’m always in the market for something new to try!

June 24, 2019July 26, 2019

We teach them…They teach us more!

What is the most important thing I can say about teaching? Why do I like doing it so much? Teachers rarely receive any recognition, and we surely don’t make much money. If you go into administration, you are no longer doing the job you love.

So, why teach?

I can’t speak for everyone. I can only speak for myself. I teach because I am called to do it. Author Max Lucado once quoted a pastor who told him, “I only preach because I have to. “ Maybe that’s true for teachers too. We teach because we just have to. It is not a job, but a calling.

A calling demands everything you have within you. My best days as a teacher have one thing in common. As I am leaving school and driving home, I feel exhausted. But it is a “good exhausted” because I know I have given everything within me that day. What an exhilarating feeling! On a “bad” day, I feel let down… because I wasn’t able to give everything I had to share.

Never Boring

As a teacher, I am not just teaching. I am also learning. Although bound by schedules and routines, each day in the classroom is unique in its own way. Each morning when the children come into our classrooms, we are greeted with a promise that something special will occur, and it pretty much always does.

Consider this: teaching is an exchange of thoughts, feelings, and ideas. It involves expressing yourself through talking and doing. But it also involves listening and watching. That’s actually the fun part.

Yes, we are teachers. But the children teach us so much more… if we are open to what they bring to us.