One of those days

I must share about "one of those days". I was beginning to wonder if we would get anything accomplished related to learning. I knew the students were excited with the new scenery, therefore, I decided to go with the "force."

While students worked in small groups to investigate concepts about fractions, I pulled the blinds completely up so they could soak in the white blanket falling outside. It actually proved to be productive. The students were engaged with their activity and they actually learned something today. Needless to say, I am exhausted tonight after dealing with all of that energy displayed in my room today. I guess it would be accurate to say, it was "one of those days!"

Thank you

I want to share a few moments about teachers. I attended a math conference yesterday and it can be amusing to stop and notice how teachers are so similar to one another. With any profession, you have a lot of differences within the profession, however, it was quite obvious yesterday how similar teachers can be.

While sitting in a workshop, I noticed how teachers all had the same reaction when the presenter revealed some resources for math. There was a reaction around the room of excitement about something simple yet so important for teachers. If you are a teacher who has "heart" in what you do everyday, you will understand what I am talking about. I was privileged to have the company of fellow colleagues and there was so much energy between all of us while we discussed our issues with our students' learning and possible activities and strategies for learning.

It was a gentle reminder that we, as teachers, need one another to be the most effective leader in the classroom. I am so glad I am a small part of the big picture in this profession and I am even more appreciative that I have great colleagues to work with. I know they are helping me to grow and improve each day in the classroom.

I am sure you know some colleagues who have had a positive influence in your career. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Evaluations

Have you ever thought about how we evaluate ourselves? We hear that word a lot in the world of education. It becomes a part of our every day language when we are dealing with students and when we reflect upon our own practices.

I believe I evaluate my effectiveness as a teacher upon the successes and failures of my students. We are gearing up for assessments next week and I am anxious for the results. One of the focuses for next week will not only be "how well " the students perform, but the "effort" they exhibit when they take the assessments.

I couldn't help but notice one of my student's reaction to my approval when he showed me his math homework this week. We have been stressing the importance of "showing" your work and "thinking" when solving problems. Our students do not always want to slow down to show all of these things. I knew this student was proud when he was practically putting his work in my face. Of course, I made sure I praised his "effort". I didn't really look to see if the work was correct because I wanted my students to know the importance of "effort". It felt so good inside to see that big smile across his face when I recognized his deliberate efforts. I believe those are the small moments in which we gain momentum with our students.

Does anyone have a moment to share when they made the connection with their students over the past few weeks. I would love to hear about it. How do you evaluate yourself?

Measuring growth

As an educator in the school system, sometimes we are driven by test scores and requirements already set before us. Looking at the big picture can be overwhelming and can seem like such an impossible task. I decided to take a look at my class and the "little" things that exhibit growth that might not be measured on tests at the end of the year.

When my day starts with my students, they follow the routines that every class follows with unpacking their things and starting with their day. I have noticed that most of my students are anxious to show me their homework and they want me to know they completed their assignments. This tells me they are proud of what they did and they want my approval. Sometimes they stand there holding the assignment in such a way that they are literally "in my face"!

When I give back tests, they are quick to question why they got something wrong and they have actually learned how to look at their mistakes and discuss them with me and other students. They have become more excited about reading books and we have informal discussions about them during transitions. They are actually talking about these things outside of class!

Overall, I can see that they are taking more ownership of their learning and more pride in their accomplishments. . . .that is a long-term goal for me to impart to my students. These are goals that are not written in a standard course of study, but I believe extremely important to the whole child!

Happy New Year

The first week back to school and everything is falling into place just as it was before we left. I have noticed a few changes among my students and I am excited with the small changes that are unfolding before my eyes. You always have a few students who struggle with making good decisions each day and one of my "busy" students has actually started taking more ownership of his actions! It may sound trivial, but it is a HUGE accomplishment for him and it helps our classroom run so much smoother.

Everyday this week he would ask, "Am I having a good day?", "I'm doing better, right?" He is actually wanting to "do the right thing!" So I have tried to analyze this new reform. I believe some of it might be that he is maturing since the beginning of the year and he has bought into the idea that making good choices will bring good things for his life. The other idea is that our school is a part of "Right Moves for Youth." He is a part of this program and he has started to believe in himself. He is a member of our basketball team and has become highly motivated with the opportunity to play and he wants to succeed.

I am sure there are many reasons why there is a reform, but I am just so happy to see the changes because I know ultimately they will benefit him and help him to succeed! That is true job satisfaction!

Small steps towards success

We just sent home Mid-Quarter Reports and we still had one conference we had not been able to make happen. Since we utilize the family model at our school, me and the other fourth grade teacher have been able to conduct all 41 conferences together. Today marked number 41! We reached 100% by conducting a home visit in which the parent was positive and supportive!

I guess you could say I am excited because we reached every parent in our fourth grade family. It may not seem like a big deal to others, but for me, it feels monumental. I choose to believe that the investment we are making now will benefit the students for the remainder of this school year and subsequent years in their lives.

I must celebrate these small steps because I know these are building blocks towards success with our students!

Mid-Quarter Reports

As I have been working on mid-quarter reports for my students this weekend, I found myself smiling as I added comments to their reports. I became excited inside because I realized so many of my comments were about improvements the student had made since mid-quarter reports from the first quarter. A lot of the comments were about my students taking more ownership of their learning and about them applying themselves more. Wow. . .it feels good to say that!

Sometimes we become distracted with the every day disrupions from learning and teaching because the little things can seem so big, however, stopping to review each child's progress helps me put things into perspective. As I digest the progress of each of my students, I have to ask myself, "How am I progressing?" I would say I am improving just as my students are. . .we are taking learning step by step.