Teaching: A New Year Every Year

I'm looking forward to starting the year
with this award winning book. 

One great aspect of teaching is that every year is a new year.

Today students will bring great promise to class, promise of friends new and old, promise of learning new skill, concept, and knowledge, and the promise of a a unique classroom synergy that will create opportunity and new ways to see the world.

When children arrive, I'll take the time to say good morning to each student. I'll also look into each child's eyes and notice their affect to understand how they are feeling on this first day, a day that meets every child in a different way. Some will still long for summer and others will be eager to get started.

As the day starts, students will organize desks, make name tags, and chat with one another. I'll answer questions. Then it will be time for attendance, lunch count, review of the day's agenda, more questions, and a review of classroom routines.

We'll play a get-to-know-each-other-game, have recess, and then start the year's first lesson which includes an introduction to our online "classroom" and our first math lesson: number cards.

After lunch, I'll share that lesson with the other half of our team, Team 12, while Team 14 (my homeroom) has their first ELA lesson. The day will end with some time for quiet reading, writing, and drawing or recess and then the start of our read aloud book, Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.

Since teaching is a new year every year, we have the chance to visibly improve our craft, boost positivity, and learn something new. Today's start will be similar to past years in structure, but different with respect to slower and steadier pace--a good pace for my fifth grade students.