End. Year One

There was so many things I wanted to post about this year and so many things I wanted to do in my classroom. However, I think that I was just too busy living my dream that time got away from me.

I learned so much this year. SO much. It's true that your students are your greatest teachers. Here's a small reflection on the knowledge I've acquired over the past 9 months...

-There will NEVER be enough time for everything...but try to get the important things in.
-Fractions are hard.
-I need to emphasize the importance of memorizing times tables.
-Breathe.
-Sometimes decor becomes irrelevant due to learning.
-Getting out of the classroom is imperative.
-Lesson plans, classroom layout, policies, relationships, and students themselves evolve. So deal.
-Take pictures.
-Ask the students what is working...and what's not. They're pretty smart.
-Be prepared for anything.
-Breathe.
-Have fun on field trips.
-Read aloud. A lot.
-They will always fight. Teach them to fight fair.
-Nurture their interpersonal relationships.
-Sometimes that really cool lesson doesn't really help.
-There is nothing a reading anthology can do that a novel can't do better.
-Plan ahead.
-The end of the year is much harder than the beginning.
-Parents can be a true blessing or a heavy burden.
-Most parents are neither.
-The end of the year will come too fast.

These are things that no university could ever teach you. Class of 2011-12.... you will always have a special place in my heart. I love you all!!

xx00xx

Observations & Reflections

As you know, I am currently doing the BTSA program through Burbank USD. I have a lovely coordinator who had arranged for us to visit some different classrooms today.
I love having the opportunity to visit other classrooms to scavenge new ideas and trash others that don't seem to work so well. The first classroom had a lot of trashing...
Wait! First, you should know that lately I have been questioning my teaching method. When you come into my room there are always students talking and we have a repertoire that I have come to enjoy. We talk to teach other all day. This is how I pictured my class running, but the doubt comes in when I look around the catholic school I am in and see more "traditional" (translation: students should be seen and not heard) teaching method in almost every class. My class is not crazy or disrespectful by any means, they are just not quiet.
Back to the observation... I was seated in the back of another 4th grade room as the students came in. Completely silently. It was wonderful. There was no chatter or horseplay. The class knew what was expected and complied with the teacher's every demand. I felt very uncomfortable. It was a cold environment with no smiles or traceable relationship between student and teacher. I'll remind you that I was in the room for all of an hour, but there was almost no student work on the boards and even the positive reinforcement seemed forced. I quickly realized that if I was uncomfortable, then the students were as well. It was not my type of learning environment.
The second room was much more comfortable. The students were encouraged to collaborate and help each other. There was a lot of interaction between the teacher and her students and there were many smiles. I'd like to think this feeling is what I portray in my own room.

xxOOxx

Worksheets are the devil

So, I went teacher shopping today because I realized that I needed some posters and other cool stuff. I am realizing that I really like teacher stores and that there are NONE left (except Lakeshore) but that's another post altogether... Anyway, I was looking for a book I had seen online about active learning strategies and/or how to teach History in a not-so-boring way. Out of about ten rows of books, I saw nothing but reproducibles and worksheets. No books explaining how to teach an interesting lesson... just worksheets. I bet there are students somewhere drowning in worksheets. I could plan my whole yearly cirriculum on worksheets alone. But worksheets don't grow dendrites (that's a book btw). I just couldn't believe how many books there were to photocopy for your class. Don't get me wrong, worksheets are good in moderation and for reviewing concepts, but NOT for teaching concepts. What do you think? Do you use a lot of worksheets? Did you actually like doing worksheets as a kid? I didn't. xxOOxx