This year has found me focused on what it takes to reach classroom excellence--a goal never fully met as we're always reaching for better. Yet, a goal that we can near with the following efforts:
Goals
The primary goals should be set and shared prior to the start of the students' year. Any revisions should be well communicated.
Planning
Plan with lead time including scope and sequence outlines, standards, and students' assessments, interests, and needs. It is advantageous to share those plans with all learning community members: family members, students, collaborating educators, and leaders.
Scheduling
As much as possible the schedule should be a pattern that matches the best learning times with the most challenging and important learning, while times of less energy and strength are matched with lighter fare (times including more passive listening).
Support
At the start of the year, preferably before the students' school year begins, all support schedules should be set. Support personnel and efforts, as much as possible, should follow a consistent, regular schedule of response as we all know time on task makes a positive difference.
Communication
Communication should follow a regular pattern (weekly?) and should be inclusive rather than exclusive making sure that the learning community knows the goals, plans, results, and upcoming decisions. Communication should welcome the voices of all learning community members as we all work together for optimal student success.
Environment
The learning environment should reflect the goals, needs, and interests of, and for, the students. "Everything in its place, and a place for everything" is a great goal of the classroom environment, and there should be places for vocabulary, books, technology, creative supplies, and hands-on learning materials.
Professional Learning
Professional learning time should be met with care and deliberate activity including weekly patterns of reading, research, and share, and monthly attendance at professional learning conferences, meet-ups, and conversations. Targeting important yearly conferences and project efforts is advantageous too in order to secure funds, time, and presentations.
Professional Evaluation
Ideally, standards reflection and goal setting should happen over the summer months to prepare for leadership review and collaborative selection early in the school year. Then a goal path with evidence collection should be created and adhered to throughout the year with regular revision as needed and required. This teaching evaluation website and the learning design website provide educators with a guide for this process.
Change is imminent in the system I work in since a reconfiguration of our elementary schools is about to occur, and notice of our grade levels and schools is about to be announced. For many this will mean change.
One positive way to meet change is to focus on the aspects of teaching and learning that lead to excellence, a list that includes the measures noted above. Change will happen throughout a teacher's career--change in leadership, grade-level, subject area, structure, schedules, and support.
Embracing change with a positive attitude, and the notion that this is one step more in the direction of teaching children well, is advantageous and will serve one's long term career goals and efforts well.
