The week ended with terrific teaching and learning with TeamFive. After an incredibly busy week of conferences, some tough curriculum challenges, the election efforts and results, and lots of teaching, the week ended on a very positive note. The TeamFive students, families, and educators are an incredible team--one I'm happy to work with day in and day out.
The challenging curriculum efforts have not been fully discussed or remedied which is unfortunate. I'm a big fan of tackling issues head-on with a collaborative attitude of how can we make situations better, but I recognize that sometimes time is just what a situation calls for, and with time one can analyze and look deeply at why the issue occurred. Though I planned well for the meeting, I didn't anticipate the pushback and frustration that would occur. In the end, I've found resolve and moved forward, but still worry about the lack of communication, discussion, and conversation related to the event by some. Thankfully the building principal and colleagues have been good listeners and have offered valuable perspective and feedback. I definitely learned a lot during this situation, and hope that we can all move past it with good resolve and better effort. Frustrations and emotions will rise from time to time as we work together to teach all children well as teaching well is not always a simple matter; it's often a matter that tugs at our heart strings and demands our best investment and thought.
Going forward I must say that I'm very happy that we've moved into a very good routine. The start of the year was a bit choppy given the holiday schedule, but now that we have several full weeks of school ahead, we're able to teach a lot and that's good. The students now understand the routines and expectations. Plus we know the students well and are able to help them a lot--that's a good feeling. We also had the chance to meet with almost all families and that's fostered greater team too. As we move into the holiday season, we've truly become a strong team of learners and teachers.
What will the next weeks bring. With regard to my teaching there will be lots of math exploration and teaching. We're deeply focused on the math scope and sequence. My colleagues are similarly focused on the writing, social studies, reading, and science curriculums. it's rich teaching time.
I hope to stay the course until the holiday break when I hope to take some time to really enjoy my family and friends. Onward.
