Before me stands the task to develop a program.
I'm moving to fifth grade, and while a program exists on paper, the reality is that to teach well, I need to build that program.
I need to synthesize the paper program, available supplies, students' needs and interests, collegial consult, family information, my skills and knowledge, and daily schedule to best meet the standards, program, and expectations that exist.
I could wait until September as some colleagues suggest, but I know that once September comes I'll be in the thick of it responding daily to 20+ learners. With that in mind, there's no doubt that some of the planning has to start now during the summer days when I can afford a lengthy wait to schedule a field trip, search online for the best tools and information, and study new standards and programs.
Thus, the 2014-2015 Charting the Course list.
Taking advantage of rainy days, quiet mornings, and available resources will help me to ready for the eager students who will fill my classroom beginning in September.
There needs to be time to set up the classroom too--to ready the learning environment, but first the program framework needs to be in place.
How do you use the summer days to plan for and develop the teaching/learning program ahead? Also, how do you balance the need for rest and play with the advantage of getting a lot of the leg work done ahead of time?
Taking the time to do some work up front will serve you well, but also making time for vacation is important too. This is part of the balancing act that all educators engage in during the summer and throughout the year as well.
