We started back to school on August 24th after a week of planning that was filled with several meetings. I had most of my planning done so the meetings did not bother me but it did make me remember (as did my second residency last month) that a "sit and get" environment does not work. Not for most of anyways. Even if you are interested in the subject like I was at residency I found myself yawning, thinking about other things, and looking at the clock constantly. The meetings and residency did help me look at it from a students point of view and make the promise to myself that I will not be a "sit and get" teacher because in my opinion there is no room for it in a learning environment.
Changing gears...the first week with students was absolutely amazing. I have such a great group of students who are eager to learn. I truly feel that in just one weeks time WE have started to create a classroom built on mutual respect, common goals, and a personalized learning environment where we do hands on projects that require the students to think for themselves instead of me telling them what they should think. Our first sharing/collaboration session was on Friday and I don't think it could have went any better. I wanted at least half the students to participate in our first week and really get into some good discussions with one another. It ended up being almost all participating and there were some amazing discussions going on, students really opening up, and even some suggestions given to me which I was not sure I would right out the gate.
I really feel like the entire week was a success which means a lot to me. There were assemblies, fire drills, students being added late, and late buses that could have thrown the week off but we all persevered together and made it a success. The students have shown me so much maturity in this first week from getting their assignment done, staying on track (even though they're on computers that have game software and youtube), giving respect to their classmates and myself, and taking care of the room and equipment. Each day there is never trash left even though I provide snacks, all the chairs are pushed in, computers are logged out, and I get several "hope you have a good days". I really think this first week's success is attributed to my new teaching strategies and treating the students with as much respect as I want them to give me but know I must earn in addition to the students being really great learners that just have not been given the opportunity to learn in a way that works for them. Friday's discussion session really energized me for next week and left me with a feeling of respect that I hope my students got out of it as well.
This post is dedicated to my amazing students and our ever evolving classroom. You guys truly are all wonderful and I am excited to go on this journey with you!
