Archive for
February, 2012
“Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
‘Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain’t been there before.”
― Shel Silverstein
I have officially been observing and teaching in a high school classroom for nearly three weeks now. I have to say, despite the fact that I rise much earlier in the morning, have upped my daily intake of strong black coffee, and find myself struggling to remember what I should do if technology fails me (this happened while conducting a poetry lab and I couldn’t for the life of me get Pandora to operate at the “music station”) or kids become rambunctious; I feel surprisingly upbeat, optimistic and excited to get in front of the classroom and teach.
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Category:
professional development for educators |
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Tags: Jamie Kimmes, Shel Silverstein
Observe other teachers.
Good or bad, in your content area or out, at your grade level or not, observing other teachers is the single best way I invigorate my teaching practice. After a particularly disastrous transition from rural Mississippi to Oakland, California, I dedicated my prep period once a week to observing strong teachers around the city. Someone, somewhere, was teaching my students successfully, and I was determined to find them and learn what worked. These observations helped fine-tune my practice by showing me ways to use time effectively, give regular student feedback, and improve my classroom management. Sometimes my only take-away was “Well, I’m definitely not going to…”
Read a book.
Not an education book, though. A book about leadership or psychology or time management. Teachers are leaders and we should investigate [at least some of the] literature available about motivation. From Carol Dweck’s Mindset and Malcom Gladwell’s Outliers to Stephen R. Covey’s The 8th Habit and Robert K. Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership, we don’t have to re-invent the wheel when trying to motivate ourselves and our students to achieve excellence.
Category:
professional development for educators |
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Tags: Cassie Duprey, observation, teacher prep
Emotional. Inspirational. Exhausting. Invigorating. And most of all, OHHH SO MUCH FUN! These are just a few adjectives that describe my first week as a substitute elementary school teacher.
Emotional: The week started off with heart-breaking news. One of our first grade students had fallen into the Clackamas River over the weekend while playing in the snow with her parents and siblings, and was missing. Search and Rescue teams were scouring the water and surrounding area searching for Vinesa with no avail. Teachers and staff were notified, and the district’s “Flight Team” was already stationed at the school to help students and staff cope with the devastating news. No words can describe the atmosphere at the school that week. Although I never had the opportunity to know Vinesa, I did have the privilege of working with her older brothers and sister, and mourned for the family’s loss. No teaching prep class or book can teach you how to deal with the death of a student and the ways in which it impacts the classroom dynamic. The teachers at Mill Park handled the situation with tremendous sensitivity and professionalism, and demonstrated the great necessity of having close, open and trusting relationships with students. Although the event was horrific and heart-breaking, it was important to maintain a sense of normalcy and security throughout the week for the students in the school. The school will continue to deal with the loss in a myriad of ways, and there will surely be waves of emotions to follow. (Side note: If you’re interested in knowing more about Vinesa and ways you may be able to help her family, please visit http://www.helpfindvinesa.com/)
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Category:
Early Learning, teaching strategies |
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Tags: Aika Krecek
