October 1st
I can’t believe it is October 1st already! Usually October and May are the craziest months of the school year but so far September has been a blur. I hit the ground running this school, was super organized and well rested from the summer, yet still feel like I can not get my barrings yet. Luckily I have a great group of students this school year. Today two of my classes were in the computer library that is adjacent to the downstairs library meeting space that was being used. Both classes worked in basic silence and I can not be more proud of them not only getting their research done for their project but being respectful of not only my request but others working environment.
23 days left of volleyball. I can’t believe it is going by so fast. Next game is Monday away.
It is therapeutic writing my thoughts down and will be interesting to review over christmas break and the end of the school year.
Bed is necessary now.
The perfect teacher
So, the perfect teacher has many qualities and characteristics… Can you see these in yourself?
Day 10 – September 10th, 2014 – Ebb and Flow
It is amazing how things change so quickly, yet stay the same. Time sometimes seem to pick up right were it left off, other times you are pulled in a million directions and you can’t even fathom the seconds, let alone enjoy the minutes as they pass.
Day 10 was an eventful day. The power glitches at school for the first time, that is do to construction. Students created their ideal dream homes, yet do not fully grasp what is needed to obtain those dreams, nor one questions if that is really their dreams or just what they have been feed or scene off the TV. We won our season opener at Volleyball. They girls were nervous but did a wonderful job and enjoyed themselves. The governor came to visit our building to see first hand a lot of the new initiatives our school is taking part in. These included blended learning, common core, building safety, construction, etc.
Over all a productive day. I can’t believe it is already Thursday. I feel like I have known a lot of these students already. It was a long and restful summer yet it seems like we never left. This is not a bad thing it is just strange with how things ebb and flow.
Day 9 – September 9th, 2014
Another productive school year. Students are finding their flow through their busy, hectic schedules. Teachers are learning names and identifying students strengths and weaknesses.
Blended learning is assisting in the education process. Thus far phones and tablets assist with information acquisition, especially to questions that are not easily answered or arise during a lesson. My students are fascinated with the world around them and bring up good topics and points. Arranged marriage, laws, to name a few have peaked their interest. On Friday, we conducted a Team activity and launched bottle rockets and measured the optimal amount of water for the farthest distance. History students had to conduct a survey and talk to others about their opinions and thoughts on space travel.
Sporting events start today for some. By the end of the week all fall team sports will be in season. We open with Plainville tomorrow at their gym. Still working on harnessing certain skills but we are getting the basics down and building a team with our 29 ninth and tenth graders.
Tomorrow the governor is visiting our school to see blending learning in action. Exciting times in the world of education.
“TK Stone Class is on the Ball”
I’ve never understood why people are afraid of change. As an Army Brat, if something wasn’t changing, something was wrong. I thrived on moving and having new experiences with new people each and every year. I think that same desire for change has made an impact on who I am as a public/independent school teacher.
This year, I decided to take out all the desks in my classroom. In their place, my classroom is full of bright red and blue yoga balls. Everyone who hears this story keeps me asking me the same two questions…
“WHY?”
and/or
“Are you crazy?”
No, I am not crazy…at least most days. Why? My real answer? Because change is good. Just as I enjoy a change in scenery every now and then, our kids enjoy a change of pace. I provide my kids with something different. The one period of “different” keeps them on their…
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Four Skills to Teach Students In the First Five Days of School
I read a great article last week from MindShift. It was titled the same as this blog post. I decided to summarize it here, and cover four of the main points. Please feel free to check out the whole article! It’s amazing.
- Power Researching
- “My job used to be to give you the information, now my job is to teach you how to find the information.” –Alan November
- Meaningful Contributions
- “You can make meaningful contributions to the world, no matter how old you are.” –Katrina Schwartz
- “The best teachers were kids who had really struggled with the material and really understand what it’s like to learn…Sometimes teachers suffer from knowing too much. The material they teach is easy to them and it can be hard to empathize with the stumbles of a new learner. Kids who have struggled with the material understand the pitfalls and can often…
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Stand Down or Speak Up?
We all send our kids to school hoping they will be safe, nurtured and integrated into a learning atmosphere where they are not teased, bullied or made uncomfortable. Now let’s examine what actually happens in the real world.
Our kids enter kindergarten. What happens? They learn, yes. Some learn to tease and bully. If it is tolerated, it continues. Others learn to either fight back or withdraw and try to escape notice. These behaviors become habits, and we all know how hard habits are to break. Many times the bullying and/or teasing follows the victims all the way into high school. Is it right? No. Should people speak out instead of silently abetting the bullies? Yes. Does it always work out that way? No.
Talk to your children about bullying and harassment at school. Let them know it’s ok to complain about it. Tell an adult and don’t stop speaking…
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Day Three 8-29-14
The honeymoon period in school is still going strong. The majority of students attending class, students only tardy cause they got lost, students bringing in their homework assignments, students working in groups, students not just interested in their next tweet or instagram. I have been blessed so far.
We have a three-day holiday weekend, no school, no volleyball, and lots of rest for all.
Its amazing how people react to change. With the new building renovation, the new evaluation plan, the 1-to-1 devices students will be getting soon, and just a new schedule in general people are acting very interestingly. Some are nonchalant, authentically, and are going with the follow. The are the people to be envious of and try to mimic. That was my goal but not reached one hundred percent yet. Others are good with 99% of everything and periodically the 1% of uncertainty creeps out, such as sharing classrooms or the bell schedule being not totally on point. I put myself in this grouping. Then you have those who are freaking out visibly and will let everyone know; this doesn’t work, why is this happening?, the sky is falling, etc. People in this category are annoying but at least you know were they stand. Finally, we have the totally scared individuals who are reacting by not talking to many people and hunkering down in their rooms or hideouts. These are the ones to watch out for. They may not even realize their full emotional state on the situation and may lash out at any moment. This year is a perfect sociological study on the many facets of the human condition.
The long weekend is much needed for rest and relaxation and a reprieve from the humidity.
Day Two 8-28-14
Positive news thus far. Two of my repeater freshmen handed in their homework today. “Mrs. Bishop, I cannot do this freshmen thing again.” I had 66 students hand in their homework assignments, completed to some degree. This is a new record.
The weather was better, but still humid. Tomorrow is dress down, this should help with the temperature.
Period 6, is the last period of the day today, and a wasp flew in during the lesson. No one got hurt and it flew out of the window in 5 minutes. It was interesting to see how the kids reacted. Three actually stood outside the door. A couple ducked and some were fine.
Our evaluations are changing. 45% of our evaluation is based on our SLO’s. That is we set goals for our students and help them meet them all year and show their growth. We are focusing on Key Concepts; computerized reading assessments.
Today was the first day of hall monitoring. Nothing to exciting to report luckily. We walk Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The plan is to eat 11:00-11:30 and then walk. Monday and Wednesday we are having team meeting.
Year 8 is going well.
Bishop180 