My family, LSU, purple, Schluter, Northwest, chocolate, reading, Fall, September, college football, Google, pumpkins...I could go on and on; these are some of my favorite things. I sit here and think about what I am most excited about as we return to school this month and honestly, I can’t narrow it down to one thing or even two! I LOVE coming back to school. Yes- it is stressful, Yes- it is a lot of work, Yes- I feel it won’t get done, but once the teachers walk in the door… the magic starts to happen.
This year has been different than any other year in my teaching experience; the teachers at Schluter Elementary have taken a small idea of decorating our halls (doors, bulletin boards, entry way, etc) and have blown it up! The time, effort, and attention to detail that the teachers have taken in decorating the halls has done nothing less than inspires me. They have spent the time to get their rooms ready (nothing new) and taken their own time to make our halls come alive. I cannot wait to see the students eyes when they walk into school on the first day.
The beginning of the school is a special time of year; the possibilities are limitless. Just as every sports team feels that it is there year when they first start the season, every teacher feels they will reach every student and help them make growth, and every student comes back to school with a fresh start. John Hattie says not putting a label on students has a huge effect on how students will perform during the year; he isn’t referring to labels like Special Education, Dyslexia, or GT- he is talking about the label, we as educators, put on the students when we look at our class list. The judgement we might place on names that we have "heard" about. This year let us look at our student list and get excited about the difference we are going to make in these kids lives this year, the difference these kids are going to make in our lives, and the growth the students are going to make because they are in YOUR class. Let’s make sure we allow each student to have a clean slate; it is amazing to see students rise to levels they previously had not been expected of them.
Take a moment to think about how this is going to be your favorite year ever. Enjoy your back to school time!
One of my biggest fears as a parent was to think that a teacher's perception of my child could influence the new year's teacher and the chances my child would have for success and growth. As a teacher, I always remember that fear, believing whole-heartedly that "those" kids are the ones who need a fresh start. And EVERY kid DESERVES one.
ReplyDeleteAnd we know from Hattie, this fear has an effect on student learning! It is important to remember they are kids, they are messy, they are silly, they make mistakes, and they need compassion and patience.
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