It has been a while since my last post, and I apologize. Getting ready for the first day of school can seem like a monumental task. It has always been my theory that why should I do things the way I did last year when there are so many new things to try. This doesn't mean I don't repeat lessons or procedures that have worked in the past, I just try to make things better each year. This year I have moved absolutely everything in my classroom. I was able to paint the room this summer, so the room was empty, a clean slate, when I began placing my furniture. There is nothing like that blank canvas to stimulate ones creativity. This year I am over the moon excited about how my classroom came out. A fresh start, endless possibilities.
Today was the first day of class! My students came in with smiling faces and left school that way also; a great start to the new year. I explained to them some of the changes I have made in my classroom as well as the changes in how I plan to teach and the way the class was going to be run. I talked with them a bit about the idea of blogging. Some were familiar with the word, some were not. We talked about what the purpose of a blog was and I explained how I plan on using them, each having his/her own blog. One student I have, I know to be a great writer (This information comes from the previous year's teacher). When I explained that her writing could have a global audience, a smile broadened across her face; part out of nervousness and part out of excitement. That one smile is all I need to keep plugging along.
Before coming to school this morning, I enjoyed my morning cup of tea and a hearty breakfast while catching up on my social media. I came across the article Why Academic Teaching Does Not Help Kids Excel in Life by Shelly Wright. It was exactly what I needed this morning to reaffirm that my idea about how to teach this year is on the right track. There are a few things that I need to keep in focus. I do believe that it is not the academic content that is of foremost importance for my students to learn. Fueling their curiosity and teaching them how to learn are key, but I can't ignore the importance of knowing things. Knowing facts is important. To quote Ken Jennings, of Jeopardy fame: " Everyday, we should be striving to learn something new. We should have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of the world around us." Knowledge is good. What we know, though, is as important as knowing. I want to put as much of that decision in the hands of my students as possible. Having been trained in the tradition of the teacher or school making that decision, finding my way may not be easy. But here is something I have learned. If I am asking my students to take responsibility for deciding what they should know, I too must take responsibility for learning what I feel I need to know. It is time for me to take my learning into my own hands. I have always waited for professional development opportunities to come across my path. Then I would evaluate whether I want to take the time away from my class to participate. This is what we have been doing in classrooms for a very long time know. The teacher would set up the opportunity for the student to learn, and the student would either engage or not. That's it, there was no other choice.
I do have a choice, and I will continue to seek out opportunities to learn what I need in order to do my job better in a way that will stimulate learning in my classroom. I work with amazing teachers who are willing to step out with me and define what kind of teachers we want to be. Together, we have the support and tools we need. All I need to keep going is to remember the face of an 9 year old girl who realized she too has a voice and that someone might actually listen!
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