As we end 2015 I realize that it's been a fall of new initiatives and change. This novelty has pushed my practice in wonderful directions and created exciting change. This change has pushed up against old practice, efforts, and think creating some disruptions as well. Some of the new initiatives such as teaching at the University will subside during the next semester, and others such as our new shared teaching model, the Teacher Leadership Initiative, a concerted math education focus, and my efforts as a contributor at Teachers.Do will continue.
What does that mean for the 2016 Winter/Spring Teaching Chapter?
Reprieve
First there will be a welcome reprieve in a short time when the holiday break begins. I'm ready to put the school books down for a bit to enjoy family and friends as well as get some needed rest.
Response, RTI, and Report Cards
I'll make some time before returning to school to review student final computation exams and update data sheets in order to make new math RTI groups with the team. I'll also review the report cards and perhaps begin marking the areas I have data for.
Curriculum Plans
I'll review and prep the upcoming measurement, fractions, algebraic thinking, and problem solving units. I'll also review our STEAM initiatives.
Field Trips
I'll call to find out about payment dates and other pertinent information related to a few field studies we have planned for March and June.
Capstone Project
For the capstone project related to shared teaching, I have a number of books and articles to read and analyze as well as more writing to do.
Conference
There's paperwork to fill out for the January conference I'm planning to attend.
It's been a great fall. The students have been happy and the program has been very successful. Now it's clearly a time to clean up, get organized, and reset the path once again for successful second half beginning in January.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Friday, December 11, 2015
Picking Up the Pieces: The Week Ahead
It was a great teaching/learning week, but a not so great paperwork week. It takes time to xerox, print, prep, and process the materials related to learning. I typically try to stay a week ahead, but this week due to numerous issues, that didn't happen. So I was at the xerox machine for an hour this morning and at the school phone for 30 minutes trying to catch up. It wasn't the way I hoped to spend the day.
In school life, there simply isn't much time for phone calls, copying, and room organization. All of that falls on your personal schedule. It's all work I don't mind doing, but once in a while it catches up all at once and that's what happened this week. Ideally as educators we'd have more prep time and/or administrative support to do all the administrative work we have to do, but as of now, almost all work related to our expectations is our work on our time.
That being said, it's time to move on to next week's plans. We'll continue to solidify multiplication skill and concept, and then we'll move forward to division study and a computation assessment prior to the holiday break.
It's also evident that students are a bit more tired than usual due to special family events, holiday celebrations, concerts, and more, so it's more important than ever to relax a bit and spend that extra time attending to students' needs and interests. After all they're still little kids who deserve lots of love and play.
This always happens at the big transitions in the school year. You gear up to teach deep and well, and the students demonstrate greater needs in the area of care and attention. Hence you reroute the path to meet their needs and respond to the special events and spirit of the time whether it's Halloween, the December holidays, test season, or the end of the year. Onward.
In school life, there simply isn't much time for phone calls, copying, and room organization. All of that falls on your personal schedule. It's all work I don't mind doing, but once in a while it catches up all at once and that's what happened this week. Ideally as educators we'd have more prep time and/or administrative support to do all the administrative work we have to do, but as of now, almost all work related to our expectations is our work on our time.
That being said, it's time to move on to next week's plans. We'll continue to solidify multiplication skill and concept, and then we'll move forward to division study and a computation assessment prior to the holiday break.
It's also evident that students are a bit more tired than usual due to special family events, holiday celebrations, concerts, and more, so it's more important than ever to relax a bit and spend that extra time attending to students' needs and interests. After all they're still little kids who deserve lots of love and play.
This always happens at the big transitions in the school year. You gear up to teach deep and well, and the students demonstrate greater needs in the area of care and attention. Hence you reroute the path to meet their needs and respond to the special events and spirit of the time whether it's Halloween, the December holidays, test season, or the end of the year. Onward.
When Little Things Make You Upset
One field trip is not such a big deal, but why was it so upsetting?
I guess it's because as an educator you're always trying to hold it altogether. You're trying to welcome every child every day. You're trying to smooth the rough spots of student conflict, children's troubles, and social/academic challenge. You hope to plan a good lesson for every class and respond to student work in a timely manner. You want an organized classroom, collegial collaboration, and forward movement with regard to new research and effort. You want to do it right.
Then when a challenge presents, like an overdue field trip payment which results in a lost opportunity, you're frustrated--frustrated that the system couldn't help out and cut a check, frustrated that you forgot to collect the money ahead of time when your original plan for collecting funds was not accepted, and frustrated that, for some reason, you never received the reminders from the theater company.
In light of things, this is small potatoes. But in the future, I'll have to rethink where I put the energy and time, and where I don't. None of us are superhuman and we can't do it all. Error happens. Support is not always there. Onward.
I guess it's because as an educator you're always trying to hold it altogether. You're trying to welcome every child every day. You're trying to smooth the rough spots of student conflict, children's troubles, and social/academic challenge. You hope to plan a good lesson for every class and respond to student work in a timely manner. You want an organized classroom, collegial collaboration, and forward movement with regard to new research and effort. You want to do it right.
Then when a challenge presents, like an overdue field trip payment which results in a lost opportunity, you're frustrated--frustrated that the system couldn't help out and cut a check, frustrated that you forgot to collect the money ahead of time when your original plan for collecting funds was not accepted, and frustrated that, for some reason, you never received the reminders from the theater company.
In light of things, this is small potatoes. But in the future, I'll have to rethink where I put the energy and time, and where I don't. None of us are superhuman and we can't do it all. Error happens. Support is not always there. Onward.
Why Do You Do That?
At a meeting recently I lamented the multiple changes that are adding lots of added paperwork to our lives as educators.
The response was, "That's why we don't do those things anymore. We can't keep up with the paperwork; it's not required, so we don't do it." I never thought about that before. Mainly I've been working towards what I think is best for students with regard to learning and their experience of school. Now, however, I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth so much frustration to try to do great things for students when time after time support is lacking.
I love teaching a strong program. I really like going the extra mile to make school wonderful for children. Yet, I don't like hitting one obstacle after another challenging obstacle that continually disregard my time, money, effort, and best intent.
So what's a teacher to do? The happiest teachers keep a balance. They don't too much or too little. They don't stretch too far. They know it's not worth trying too hard or working too much--they keep the balance.
As I look ahead, I'll strive for that balance. I'll steer clear of those areas where support is lacking and obstacles are gigantic. I'll lean towards the areas where support is ready and waiting.
Today was a discouraging day. An effort I invested considerable time and belief in was lost due to a procedural error. There was no one there to help, and the students lost out on a valuable experience.
I'll be more careful in the future about where I invest my extra time and effort when it comes to teaching students well. I'm tired of bumping up against so many closed doors so I'll lean my path towards the supportive people, paths, and projects. That will help me do what I have to do with greater positivity, possibility, and success. Onward.
The response was, "That's why we don't do those things anymore. We can't keep up with the paperwork; it's not required, so we don't do it." I never thought about that before. Mainly I've been working towards what I think is best for students with regard to learning and their experience of school. Now, however, I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth so much frustration to try to do great things for students when time after time support is lacking.
I love teaching a strong program. I really like going the extra mile to make school wonderful for children. Yet, I don't like hitting one obstacle after another challenging obstacle that continually disregard my time, money, effort, and best intent.
So what's a teacher to do? The happiest teachers keep a balance. They don't too much or too little. They don't stretch too far. They know it's not worth trying too hard or working too much--they keep the balance.
As I look ahead, I'll strive for that balance. I'll steer clear of those areas where support is lacking and obstacles are gigantic. I'll lean towards the areas where support is ready and waiting.
Today was a discouraging day. An effort I invested considerable time and belief in was lost due to a procedural error. There was no one there to help, and the students lost out on a valuable experience.
I'll be more careful in the future about where I invest my extra time and effort when it comes to teaching students well. I'm tired of bumping up against so many closed doors so I'll lean my path towards the supportive people, paths, and projects. That will help me do what I have to do with greater positivity, possibility, and success. Onward.
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