1.)My personal change would be to have a more consistent follow through with what I want people to do and to stop making acceptations for them.
2.)My school change would be to allow special music programs during the day on Fridays. I would like to set up special groups to do advanced choir, hand bells, Drama, musicals or even if a class wanted to do a special project. A lot of these kids can’t stay after school to become a part of these groups so I would love to offer them during school hours. The benefits would be amazing since they would have to keep up grades, be recommended for the special group and then do a performance or a presentation of what they have learned. I would offer different sessions at different lengths.
3.)My other school change would be to have more social teacher time. I think that any good working community needs to understand each other personally. I think knowing more about someone makes communication more free flowing.
1). One school change I would make is to have the EC Dept. do an inservice at the beginning of the year to create a better understanding of our programs among regular education staff. 2.)I would have to agree with Mrs. Clemmer with her idea of more social time among teachers. Although many of the staff came to TES knowing each other, there are a few of us that came here knowing no one. Maybe an every other Friday staff vs. student volleyball game could help or a fun Friday school dance? (during school hours) 3.) My personal change would be to do more inclusion speech services.
School Level: 1) I would like to begin next year with the exterior of our campus being more reflective of the wonderful things happening within our walls. (continued development of the courtyard, shrubs, swings, atlas of the word painted on the concrete, outdoor classrooms,etc.) 2) It would be neat to get a Literary Magazine committee up and going, so that by the end of the year we could publish a book with a writing/art sample from every TES student k-5. Personal: Hmmm..so many opportunities for growth....I'd have to say that a priorities check is in order this summer, so that I can begin the new year with my top 3 projects in mind. That way I'll know when to say 'no thanks' and not get myself overextended....wish me luck with that!
Well my personal change would have to be to not take everything to heart. I have to know that I can not help everyone, and in trying to do so I am not being effective to the ones I am supposed to be with. I spread myself out way too thin and it is very emotionally and even physically overwhelming at times! So I need to worry about me so that I can be helpful to others. As for my school change. I would really like to see more informal meetings by the EC team to just get together and talk about what is or is not working. I would like to see EC team building, because our job is so difficult and we really need each others support. Another change I would like to see and this being most important to me is an ABA school based classroom for moderate to severe au students. If this were in place, I strongly feel that our little ones will benefit from our positive approaches built together. This will also prepare them to be included in regular classroom settings. It is vital that au students recieve proper preparations in order to be successful.
1.) My personal change, which I am working on now, is to be realistic in how many places I can drive to in a day, and how many students I can effectively work with in one day. In the past, I have scheduled myself so thin, there was no time for the “teachable moments,” fun, and extra help a student may need. 2.) I agree with Wendy that the EC Dept. should do an inservice as to how our programs are supposed to work. 3.) I think that more social time with the teachers is important to the sense of community. I would like to have one staff I could call “home,” instead of feeling so “fractured.”
1.) My personal change would be to somehow balance my time spent on my school responsibilities with my home responsibilities...better! Is this impossible? each year I strive to be more organized than the last, so that I can go beyond what needs to be done into more creative teaching AND personal ventures....an ongoing goal.
A personal change would be to better balance my time between home and school. We just have to accept that we can't get everything done that is expected of us in a 24 hour period. At school, the two things I will strive for next year are a better, more productive year with the new math series and a more relaxed year at our new school. We all worked so hard this year and to breathe next year and enjoy a little of our labors will be nice.
I like the statement at the top of page 136, "We can become a contributing force to ensure that more of what's right occurs each day within our schools." It gives me confidence to continue on knowing that my presence makes a positive difference in TES' progress; with the BIG change occuring in the children we serve. I'm sure I'm influency others indirectly...I hope this too is more positive than not. Who's the objective judge that's going to determine this?
My personal change would be to prioritize and then to give 100% to those choices, rather than trying to spread myself to thin. I would love to develop a way to communicate with grade levels in a more effecient way to know which units are being taught when and to be an integral part of developing the students knowledge and growth in conjunction with the classroom teacher.
My personal change would be to focus less on teaching and more on learning. This is so hard for me! Because I am having to spend much of my time reflecting right now, I realize how much time I spend talking instead of listening and learning. It's amazing how much you can learn from 20 first graders! I intend to work on this with my students and adults! A school change I would make would be to flex group children across grade levels. What a wonderful opportunity for children to learn when they are placed in the appropriate place where they can be successful! I think about this now as I see a need for some of my own students to learn in a Kingerdarten class and even second and third grade classes! Another school change I would make would definitely be to have more opportunities for clubs and special programs in our school. It is so neat to watch the older and younger students work together to achieve a common goal. I think that "clubs" would be a great way for our students to come together as a school. The big kids have no idea how much the younger students look up to them and learn from them. I also like what Cindy Clemmer said about more time to socialize with teachers. We really learn so much from each other and we need the outlet!
My personal change would be to work on becoming organized at home and school.
I thought international day was such a great day of fun and leanring as it helps us to better undersand and get along with each other. Thus my first change would be to recommend that we have more activites on half days during the school year. One suggestion would be to have one on famous inventors. These special activities could be decided and posted on the calendar at the beginning of the school year so that we would be aware and better prepared.
My second change would be new tables for the school cafeteria as most of the tables are missing seats.
My applause goes out to those teachers who are trying to do a better job of balancing their school and family time. I learned a long time ago that time spent with one's family is priceless. Time passes quickly and we can't turn back the clock. The teaching profession encourages parents to spend more time with their children, but I have observed it seems teachers have a hard time balancing time with their families.
My personal change is to learn to be more organized. I can be a hoarder and am working on it. I would like to see more after school clubs. A chance for students across grade levels to get together to share likes. (ie game club, pokemon card club, etc). I need to be more organized at school too. I am in so many places during the day, I need to have my own “lesson plans” to make sure I get it all done.
1.) My personal change would be to strive for more organization at school and home. I continue try to find that balance everday. 2.) I also agree with Cindy and Wendy about more social time needed among teachers to get to know each other personally. 3.) Some school changes for enhancement would be to have every class have an outdoor space for a variety of learning opportunities. Children would work collaborating with parents, grandparents, and teachers to care for plants, observe wildlife and gather weather data. Students can learn good stewardship of their natural environment through these outdoor labs.
Also, perhaps one Friday each month, an older class is paired with a buddy younger class for reading, writing and technology activities. It was amazing to see how the older kids nurtured the younger ones on Global Awareness Day! It gives both grades a sense of success!
I have to agree with everyone that stated we need to be able to balance our school responsibilities and our personal lives. With all the changes being made to our education system, there are more demands being put on teachers and it becomes increasingly difficult to do that. I know that being a new teacher and school based chair for the EC dept is difficult and I'm often feeling overwhelmed and not very effective. My goal is to be more organized and to prioritize better in both my professional and personal life.
I agree with Wendy in that we need to let teachers know what we do in our dept. When teachers understand our position and what we need to accomplish, the easier it is to help them to achieve what they need to accomplish.
I also feel that the staff needs to get to know each better. We are a team, we need to support each other in everything we do. Having the secret pal program is just a start and hopefully participation will increase.
My personal change should be that of organization. I have been doing better, but there is always room for growth, for me anyways. I need to stop relying so much on my memory and make a effort to write more things down.
The first school wide change would be more informal gatherings among the teachers. Not faculty meetings but rather some more "getting to know you". I love to share stories and ideas with others in my profession.
The next change would be that of more peer informal observations. I know that sometimes I may take others for granted because it is easy for me to stay in the gym and focus on my goals. I would like to watch others so that I can reinforce their objectives and goals in my class as well.
The one personal thing I would like to change is to improve my time management. I have lists, an organized calendar and a pretty good prioritized list in my head of ‘must do’s”. Just not sure how the day goes by with so few things checked off. It was a rare day in the classroom that I did not get to all I had planned. I will need to adjust!
There are many things that need tweaking, but 2 things at TES I look forward to changing: Class lists will be blocked out by grade levels in June with thought given to heterogeneous grouping while meeting the mandates for AIG/EC clustering and all the other factors that go in to the ‘mix’. I still think we have not thought outside the box to come up with a way to meet all our different levels. And, let’s take another hard look at how we schedule Itinerants, I/E time and our use of TA’s so they can get to all grade levels. I love the idea of ‘clubs’, but how and when?
The personal change I would make is in how I organize and manage the multiple tasks I do in a day. Organizing and learning how to prioritize these tasks would be a great help to me. Sometimes I forget what I am doing or what I needed to do. It is so frustrating for me, but I think it is because I have so much on my mind. Maybe the problem is learning how to manage my time better, I am not sure. I will definitely try to work on being more organized about it all though.
One school change I would like to see is more time to collaborate with everyone. It is exciting to do a project with a class where the project can cross multiple curriculums at once. For example, the weather PowerPoint Ms. Mattocks and I worked on with 5th grade. I love this kind of project because it can focus on computer, research, and science skills all at once. We all would need more time to plan things like this though.
I have enjoyed this past week when we all got together for Global Day and the 100th day celebration. I think it really bring a sense of togetherness to the staff and the children. I would like to see a few more events like this take place and see them evenly spread out through the year.
I agree that is important to get to know what each deptartment does, not just EC, but everyone. I think this goes along with the staff getting to know each other better. We have done a great job this year, but it is always something that needs to be worked on.
Professionally: 1. I agree one thousand times over that flex grouping throughout grade levels should be a goal for our upcoming year. Let's work on this Jess! It is amazing what we can do within our classrooms and having those extra resources of extension or enrichment would truly allow our students to grow like they should. 2. I would also like to see more after school clubs, Sarah. I'm thinking academic clubs as well as non-academic for fun but also for remediation. I've seen success in Math, Reading clubs, etc. Personally (still for school though): I want to focus on a few things to do them great instead of a number of things and just do them.
The one personal change I need to focus on is time management. Even though my children are away, that shouldn't mean that I devote all my time to school.
The changes to TES? Selfishly I think the itinerant schedule needs to be looked at. We pride ourselves on the exposure we can give our students. Let us consider ways in which we can truly be an integral part of grade level planning and create integrated lessons that meet the needs of our diverse learners.
I, like Cindy and others, would like to see Friday as "Club" days. Many students cannot stay after school and could benefit from "organized" socializing and learning something new or nurturing a talent or skill, provide inspiration, etc.
And on WD's, I'd like the opportunity to meet with our own staff rather than attending the "mandated" workshops. Itinerants don't benefit from grade level planning sessions with teachers. As a new school, we have an opportunity to bring two schools of thought together and create a unique learning environment. We need to focus on our students who struggle and create out of the box learning communities within TES.
I have many goals for the beginning of next year but I especially want to become more adept in using technology in my classroom. Although I know that I will need equipment to achieve this goal I know that TES is committed to this goal. School-wide, I completely agree with Michelle Bray with the idea to spruce up our campus. I noticed a huge difference in our campus after the last clean-up day but I think that before the next clean-up day we should make a list of things that we would like to have such as trees, bushes, flowers, bark, soil.....etc. I think that there are parents who can not come out to help but are willing to donate things. I would also like to have time to spend with other staff members to just visit. No agenda, just visit with each other. I am very guilty of feeling too busy to "just visit" but I think that it would definitely help us grow as a family and a team.
The most important personal change for me is to become more organized. I have been working on that goal for 22 years. Teachers come in my room and say WOW!!! I try to remove and clean up but it’s hard. I have gather “stuff” for the last 22 years and it’s hard to be organized. I purged my file cabinets this summer but I still have drawers that are full. One good thing, in all my mess, I can still find things. It might take me awhile but I will eventually find it. School level goal-if we are going to group heterogeneous folks needs training on how to flex group and how to differentiate lessons to meet the needs of all students, regular, EC and AIG students. Another school goal is for as educators to engage all students in instructional activities that will result in superior performance on local, state and national exams.
Is there something about being a teacher and having difficulty balancing that with being a mom, wife, etc.? It seems that we all have a hard time fitting it all in! I guess that's why we do what we do-kids are our first priority, whether they are our own or someone elses! We try to do our best for all of them and we do spread ourselves a little too thin at times. Finding that balance is a tough one and that's what I'm working on too. At school, I agree that finding more time to collaborate and socialize would be nice. Sometimes I feel like I come in practically continuing a discussion from the previous day before I realize that I haven't even said "hello, how are you today?" I am also sure that there are a million neat things going on in our school that I don't even know about because we are so busy in our own rooms. Global Day was a great idea that became an even greater reality because of the amazing creativity of TES staff. We need to find more opportunities to share ideas and allow our students to share and work together-I love the club idea too!
My personal change would be to continue reaching out to other teachers for ideas and to simply borrow materials that I can use in my class, to continue to take one day at a time and do my best.
My school changes would be to feel more of a sense of community within the school. Some of us came here not knowing many people and I would like for other teachers to reach out to me and give me ideas of what is working in their classroom that I could try.
I agree with Wendy with having a fun friday event that the students can look forward to.
I think Global Awareness was so fun! I would like to have more activities like these during half days. My students really enjoyed interacting with other students in the regular education classroom.
1. For myself, I would like to be more organized and have more patience. I would also like to add a few more hours to the day so that I could actually do all my work at school and home and then get some time for myself:) 2. I would like for us as a whole to be able to slow down and be able to get to know each other and the kids. We don't get a chance to get to enjoy each other and as Mrs. Rice said, we don't have a chance to see the wonderful things that are going on in each others classrooms. I personally am bothered that I don't know the other kindergarteners as well as I should. 3. I would like to be able to stay in my class on workdays instead of going to some kind of workshop. I don't have enough time in the day to get everything that I need to have done, so instead of going to a workshop, I could meet with the other TAs to touch base and also meet with the teachers that I work with to see if it is anything that they need so that we all can try to get ahead of the pace. Workshops are great, sometimes, but not all the time.
1. Teacher change- at this point I'd like to do more observations of teachers in action. Global day made me realize how confined my craft is- because all I deal with is third grade reading and writing. 2. School change-I would like to see us come together more often in social situations. I hope this will come with time... In addition, I think the level of excpectations for both students and teachers is gradually being set. When we get more teachers and kids this will become more of a challenge for us, so I feel like we need to have more cross grade level discussions about where our kids are, where they are going, and how we get them there.
My personal change would be to balance my time at school with my time at home. As is the case with most teachers, my work seems to follow me home!
The first school level change I would make is to explore a way to learn from our peers by finding time to visit classrooms and observe other teachers. We have some very talented staff here with many years of experience to offer and I feel like I could learn a lot from them, especially being a 4th year teacher.
My second change would be to find more time for socialization with other teachers. I feel like I still don't really know some of the people I work with because our days are so full. I want to extend the "family" atmosphere we make for the students to the staff. We are on the right track but I think we need to make time together to share what's happening in our lives personally more of a priority.
1. I love H. Ginott and take to heart his words of wisdome on p. 74 - to not falter even if stressed or frustrated. Now that's a challenge. Also to take time for personal discourse with students to learn their interests or dreams. 2. I would like to see students and teachers get instruction for the safe use of playground equipment to better insure proper use and safety. 3. I respect the research that has shown us that beginning readers learn in small measurable increments from Level 1-30 and one size or 3 sizes do not fit all first graders. Therefore, I would like to see adequate materials -meaning leveled texts- from a variety of companies in the rooms of each primary teacher. I as passionate about beginning reading and wish for each child to become a good solid reader. That means being able to pick the right thing at the right time in his/her learning.
1. I would like to see more inclusion at our school. It think it would be productive to have two teachers working together toward the common goal of helping our EC students learn. 2. I think that for next year, it should be priority to allow peer observations to happen within our school, for those that are interested. I have seen it work, and subs can cover or teachers cover classes to make it happen. The payoff is worth it! It's amazing what you can learn from other teachers just by sitting in their room for a little while, looking around, listening, absorbing...and we get to know our peers a little better in the process... 3. As a new school, I believe we should be careful and thoughtful of new inititatives that we sink our time into. There are so many opportunites out there for a new school like ours to embrace, and we could choose to engage in all of them, but would the quality be there? Do we want quality or quantity?
1) My personal goal is to devote as much time to my family as I devote to my profession. This is, and has always been the hardest balance for me. 2) One school goal I think would be very beneficial for TES is for grade level teams to gather during the summer to plan for the upcoming school year. During the summer staff has more time to reflect on successful practices during the previous year, and to set goals for the year to come. 3) I would also like to see TES begin a mentor/buddy program between our school and both TMS and THS. This could possibly be set up similar to a big brother/sister program where students who were in need of positive role models could be served by having older student peers to share time with.
1 Personal Change Do I have to choose just one? I need to be more organized. I need better time management. I need to be completely home when I am home. I need to continue to learn all of the programs of TES and learn to use them well. I need to collaborate with other grades. I need to make more community partners. I am not ashamed to say that there are many areas that I can improve upon. Fortunately, I do not need to improve upon my passion for teaching and students.
2 School Level Changes I would like to see a program set up to involve community members and teachers checking in with children who could use a talk with an additional adult once a week. Maybe to include eating lunch together and talking about whatever is on their minds. I would like to see more clubs and after school activities to turn our school into place that develops more and more interests in our students. More days like the Global Day during school hours.
1) What I want to change personally is to have more me time. I often feel as though I never finish school work and I take too much home as most of us great teachers do. Where do I find the balance. 2) One change at school I would like to have more time to plan with music and art for themes so I and they would know what we are both teaching at points in the year. Another change I would like to have more students here to mentor students from the high school or middle school if at all possible. I don't know how this works with these schools. I currently have a part time EC student from the high school but she just does clerical work whenever she does show up. I remember the past when I was at this school before as an assistant in 2nd, we worked on projects with the high school carpentry class. The students loved it!
My personal change would be to learn to accept that it is impossible to complete all the tasks we are given as teachers. I need to prioritize and concentrate on the things that will create the largest impact on student learning. My family misses me.
One thing I would like to see change at our school is the interaction between students at different grade levels. Watching our older students assisting the younger ones during Global Day was very inspiring.
And speaking of Global Day... Wouldn't it be nice to plan this as a once a month event? Our students can't compete in a global economy if they don't know who they are competing with. Students are taught very little geography and even less cultural awareness in elementary school. It's my opinion that we should embrace their innocence and expose them to other cultures BEFORE they form their opinions based on American media. Teaching students about other cultures would help them be more tolerant adults.
The personal change that I would most like to make is a vast improvement in time-management, especially as it relates to my work. As the school counselor, I have a multitude of responsibilities and tasks I need to complete each day/week, concerning the entire school population. I want to get better at making sure I give enough time to each task, so that all that I do is considered well-done.
The two school-level changes I want to make are: 1) Establishing a true Guidance Committee to help me develop/plan the program at TES; and 2) I want to get to know the students on a more personal level than I have been able to do this year! With seeing each class only once a month (with the current Itinerants schedule - I am plugged in on Fridays, and it hasn't followed a consistent pattern this year!), I find that I'm doing well to remember what grade a student is in when I run into him/her in the halls. I am responsible for working with ALL students at TES, and I want to know them ALL. I realize this takes time, and remind myself to be patient!
1.)My personal change would be to have a more consistent follow through with what I want people to do and to stop making acceptations for them.
ReplyDelete2.)My school change would be to allow special music programs during the day on Fridays. I would like to set up special groups to do advanced choir, hand bells, Drama, musicals or even if a class wanted to do a special project. A lot of these kids can’t stay after school to become a part of these groups so I would love to offer them during school hours. The benefits would be amazing since they would have to keep up grades, be recommended for the special group and then do a performance or a presentation of what they have learned. I would offer different sessions at different lengths.
3.)My other school change would be to have more social teacher time. I think that any good working community needs to understand each other personally. I think knowing more about someone makes communication more free flowing.
1). One school change I would make is to have the EC Dept. do an inservice at the beginning of the year to create a better understanding of our programs among regular education staff.
ReplyDelete2.)I would have to agree with Mrs. Clemmer with her idea of more social time among teachers. Although many of the staff came to TES knowing each other, there are a few of us that came here knowing no one. Maybe an every other Friday staff vs. student volleyball game could help or a fun Friday school dance? (during school hours)
3.) My personal change would be to do more inclusion speech services.
School Level:
ReplyDelete1) I would like to begin next year with the exterior of our campus being more reflective of the wonderful things happening within our walls. (continued development of the courtyard, shrubs, swings, atlas of the word painted on the concrete, outdoor classrooms,etc.)
2) It would be neat to get a Literary Magazine committee up and going, so that by the end of the year we could publish a book with a writing/art sample from every TES student k-5.
Personal:
Hmmm..so many opportunities for growth....I'd have to say that a priorities check is in order this summer, so that I can begin the new year with my top 3 projects in mind. That way I'll know when to say 'no thanks' and not get myself overextended....wish me luck with that!
Well my personal change would have to be to not take everything to heart. I have to know that I can not help everyone, and in trying to do so I am not being effective to the ones I am supposed to be with. I spread myself out way too thin and it is very emotionally and even physically overwhelming at times! So I need to worry about me so that I can be helpful to others.
ReplyDeleteAs for my school change. I would really like to see more informal meetings by the EC team to just get together and talk about what is or is not working. I would like to see EC team building, because our job is so difficult and we really need each others support.
Another change I would like to see and this being most important to me is an ABA school based classroom for moderate to severe au students. If this were in place, I strongly feel that our little ones will benefit from our positive approaches built together. This will also prepare them to be included in regular classroom settings. It is vital that au students recieve proper preparations in order to be successful.
1.) My personal change, which I am working on now, is to be realistic in how many places I can drive to in a day, and how many students I can effectively work with in one day. In the past, I have scheduled myself so thin, there was no time for the “teachable moments,” fun, and extra help a student may need.
ReplyDelete2.) I agree with Wendy that the EC Dept. should do an inservice as to how our programs are supposed to work.
3.) I think that more social time with the teachers is important to the sense of community. I would like to have one staff I could call “home,” instead of feeling so “fractured.”
1.) My personal change would be to somehow balance my time spent on my school responsibilities with my home responsibilities...better! Is this impossible? each year I strive to be more organized than the last, so that I can go beyond what needs to be done into more creative teaching AND personal ventures....an ongoing goal.
ReplyDeleteA personal change would be to better balance my time between home and school. We just have to accept that we can't get everything done that is expected of us in a 24 hour period. At school, the two things I will strive for next year are a better, more productive year with the new math series and a more relaxed year at our new school. We all worked so hard this year and to breathe next year and enjoy a little of our labors will be nice.
ReplyDeleteI like the statement at the top of page 136, "We can become a contributing force to ensure that more of what's right occurs each day within our schools." It gives me confidence to continue on knowing that my presence makes a positive difference in TES' progress; with the BIG change occuring in the children we serve. I'm sure I'm influency others indirectly...I hope this too is more positive than not. Who's the objective judge that's going to determine this?
ReplyDeleteMy personal change would be to prioritize and then to give 100% to those choices, rather than trying to spread myself to thin.
ReplyDeleteI would love to develop a way to communicate with grade levels in a more effecient way to know which units are being taught when and to be an integral part of developing the students knowledge and growth in conjunction with the classroom teacher.
My personal change would be to focus less on teaching and more on learning. This is so hard for me! Because I am having to spend much of my time reflecting right now, I realize how much time I spend talking instead of listening and learning. It's amazing how much you can learn from 20 first graders! I intend to work on this with my students and adults!
ReplyDeleteA school change I would make would be to flex group children across grade levels. What a wonderful opportunity for children to learn when they are placed in the appropriate place where they can be successful! I think about this now as I see a need for some of my own students to learn in a Kingerdarten class and even second and third grade classes!
Another school change I would make would definitely be to have more opportunities for clubs and special programs in our school. It is so neat to watch the older and younger students work together to achieve a common goal. I think that "clubs" would be a great way for our students to come together as a school. The big kids have no idea how much the younger students look up to them and learn from them.
I also like what Cindy Clemmer said about more time to socialize with teachers. We really learn so much from each other and we need the outlet!
My personal change would be to work on becoming organized at home and school.
ReplyDeleteI thought international day was such a great day of fun and leanring as it helps us to better undersand and get along with each other. Thus my first change would be to recommend that we have more activites on half days during the school year. One suggestion would be to have one on famous inventors. These special activities could be decided and posted on the calendar at the beginning of the school year so that we would be aware and better prepared.
My second change would be new tables for the school cafeteria as most of the tables are missing seats.
My applause goes out to those teachers who are trying to do a better job of balancing their school and family time. I learned a long time ago that time spent with one's family is priceless. Time passes quickly and we can't turn back the clock. The teaching profession encourages parents to spend more time with their children, but I have observed it seems teachers have a hard time balancing time with their families.
ReplyDeleteMy personal change is to learn to be more organized. I can be a hoarder and am working on it.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see more after school clubs. A chance for students across grade levels to get together to share likes. (ie game club, pokemon card club, etc).
I need to be more organized at school too. I am in so many places during the day, I need to have my own “lesson plans” to make sure I get it all done.
1.) My personal change would be to strive for more organization at school and home. I continue try to find that balance everday.
ReplyDelete2.) I also agree with Cindy and Wendy about more social time needed among teachers to get to know each other personally.
3.) Some school changes for enhancement would be to have every class have an outdoor space for a variety of learning opportunities. Children would work collaborating with parents, grandparents, and teachers to care for plants, observe wildlife and gather weather data. Students can learn good stewardship of their natural environment through these outdoor labs.
Also, perhaps one Friday each month, an older class is paired with a buddy younger class for reading, writing and technology activities. It was amazing to see how the older kids nurtured the younger ones on Global Awareness Day! It gives both grades a sense of success!
I have to agree with everyone that stated we need to be able to balance our school responsibilities and our personal lives. With all the changes being made to our education system, there are more demands being put on teachers and it becomes increasingly difficult to do that. I know that being a new teacher and school based chair for the EC dept is difficult and I'm often feeling overwhelmed and not very effective. My goal is to be more organized and to prioritize better in both my professional and personal life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wendy in that we need to let teachers know what we do in our dept. When teachers understand our position and what we need to accomplish, the easier it is to help them to achieve what they need to accomplish.
I also feel that the staff needs to get to know each better. We are a team, we need to support each other in everything we do. Having the secret pal program is just a start and hopefully participation will increase.
My personal change should be that of organization. I have been doing better, but there is always room for growth, for me anyways. I need to stop relying so much on my memory and make a effort to write more things down.
ReplyDeleteThe first school wide change would be more informal gatherings among the teachers. Not faculty meetings but rather some more "getting to know you". I love to share stories and ideas with others in my profession.
The next change would be that of more peer informal observations. I know that sometimes I may take others for granted because it is easy for me to stay in the gym and focus on my goals. I would like to watch others so that I can reinforce their objectives and goals in my class as well.
The one personal thing I would like to change is to improve my time management. I have lists, an organized calendar and a pretty good prioritized list in my head of ‘must do’s”. Just not sure how the day goes by with so few things checked off. It was a rare day in the classroom that I did not get to all I had planned. I will need to adjust!
ReplyDeleteThere are many things that need tweaking, but 2 things at TES I look forward to changing:
Class lists will be blocked out by grade levels in June with thought given to heterogeneous grouping while meeting the mandates for AIG/EC clustering and all the other factors that go in to the ‘mix’. I still think we have not thought outside the box to come up with a way to meet all our different levels.
And, let’s take another hard look at how we schedule Itinerants, I/E time and our use of TA’s so they can get to all grade levels. I love the idea of ‘clubs’, but how and when?
The personal change I would make is in how I organize and manage the multiple tasks I do in a day. Organizing and learning how to prioritize these tasks would be a great help to me. Sometimes I forget what I am doing or what I needed to do. It is so frustrating for me, but I think it is because I have so much on my mind. Maybe the problem is learning how to manage my time better, I am not sure. I will definitely try to work on being more organized about it all though.
ReplyDeleteOne school change I would like to see is more time to collaborate with everyone. It is exciting to do a project with a class where the project can cross multiple curriculums at once. For example, the weather PowerPoint Ms. Mattocks and I worked on with 5th grade. I love this kind of project because it can focus on computer, research, and science skills all at once. We all would need more time to plan things like this though.
I have enjoyed this past week when we all got together for Global Day and the 100th day celebration. I think it really bring a sense of togetherness to the staff and the children. I would like to see a few more events like this take place and see them evenly spread out through the year.
Deb,
ReplyDeleteI agree that is important to get to know what each deptartment does, not just EC, but everyone. I think this goes along with the staff getting to know each other better. We have done a great job this year, but it is always something that needs to be worked on.
Professionally:
ReplyDelete1. I agree one thousand times over that flex grouping throughout grade levels should be a goal for our upcoming year. Let's work on this Jess! It is amazing what we can do within our classrooms and having those extra resources of extension or enrichment would truly allow our students to grow like they should.
2. I would also like to see more after school clubs, Sarah. I'm thinking academic clubs as well as non-academic for fun but also for remediation. I've seen success in Math, Reading clubs, etc.
Personally (still for school though):
I want to focus on a few things to do them great instead of a number of things and just do them.
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ReplyDeleteThe one personal change I need to focus on is time management. Even though my children are away, that shouldn't mean that I devote all my time to school.
ReplyDeleteThe changes to TES? Selfishly I think the itinerant schedule needs to be looked at. We pride ourselves on the exposure we can give our students. Let us consider ways in which we can truly be an integral part of grade level planning and create integrated lessons that meet the needs of our diverse learners.
I, like Cindy and others, would like to see Friday as "Club" days. Many students cannot stay after school and could benefit from "organized" socializing and learning something new or nurturing a talent or skill, provide inspiration, etc.
And on WD's, I'd like the opportunity to meet with our own staff rather than attending the "mandated" workshops. Itinerants don't benefit from grade level planning sessions with teachers. As a new school, we have an opportunity to bring two schools of thought together and create a unique learning environment. We need to focus on our students who struggle and create out of the box learning communities within TES.
I have many goals for the beginning of next year but I especially want to become more adept in using technology in my classroom. Although I know that I will need equipment to achieve this goal I know that TES is committed to this goal. School-wide, I completely agree with Michelle Bray with the idea to spruce up our campus. I noticed a huge difference in our campus after the last clean-up day but I think that before the next clean-up day we should make a list of things that we would like to have such as trees, bushes, flowers, bark, soil.....etc. I think that there are parents who can not come out to help but are willing to donate things. I would also like to have time to spend with other staff members to just visit. No agenda, just visit with each other. I am very guilty of feeling too busy to "just visit" but I think that it would definitely help us grow as a family and a team.
ReplyDeleteThe most important personal change for me is to become more organized. I have been working on that goal for 22 years. Teachers come in my room and say WOW!!! I try to remove and clean up but it’s hard. I have gather “stuff” for the last 22 years and it’s hard to be organized. I purged my file cabinets this summer but I still have drawers that are full. One good thing, in all my mess, I can still find things. It might take me awhile but I will eventually find it.
ReplyDeleteSchool level goal-if we are going to group heterogeneous folks needs training on how to flex group and how to differentiate lessons to meet the needs of all students, regular, EC and AIG students.
Another school goal is for as educators to engage all students in instructional activities that will result in superior performance on local, state and national exams.
Is there something about being a teacher and having difficulty balancing that with being a mom, wife, etc.? It seems that we all have a hard time fitting it all in! I guess that's why we do what we do-kids are our first priority, whether they are our own or someone elses! We try to do our best for all of them and we do spread ourselves a little too thin at times. Finding that balance is a tough one and that's what I'm working on too. At school, I agree that finding more time to collaborate and socialize would be nice. Sometimes I feel like I come in practically continuing a discussion from the previous day before I realize that I haven't even said "hello, how are you today?" I am also sure that there are a million neat things going on in our school that I don't even know about because we are so busy in our own rooms. Global Day was a great idea that became an even greater reality because of the amazing creativity of TES staff. We need to find more opportunities to share ideas and allow our students to share and work together-I love the club idea too!
ReplyDeleteMy personal change would be to continue reaching out to other teachers for ideas and to simply borrow materials that I can use in my class, to continue to take one day at a time and do my best.
ReplyDeleteMy school changes would be to feel more of a sense of community within the school. Some of us came here not knowing many people and I would like for other teachers to reach out to me and give me ideas of what is working in their classroom that I could try.
I agree with Wendy with having a fun friday event that the students can look forward to.
I think Global Awareness was so fun! I would like to have more activities like these during half days. My students really enjoyed interacting with other students in the regular education classroom.
1. For myself, I would like to be more organized and have more patience. I would also like to add a few more hours to the day so that I could actually do all my work at school and home and then get some time for myself:)
ReplyDelete2. I would like for us as a whole to be able to slow down and be able to get to know each other and the kids. We don't get a chance to get to enjoy each other and as Mrs. Rice said, we don't have a chance to see the wonderful things that are going on in each others classrooms. I personally am bothered that I don't know the other kindergarteners as well as I should.
3. I would like to be able to stay in my class on workdays instead of going to some kind of workshop. I don't have enough time in the day to get everything that I need to have done, so instead of going to a workshop, I could meet with the other TAs to touch base and also meet with the teachers that I work with to see if it is anything that they need so that we all can try to get ahead of the pace. Workshops are great, sometimes, but not all the time.
1. Teacher change- at this point I'd like to do more observations of teachers in action. Global day made me realize how confined my craft is- because all I deal with is third grade reading and writing.
ReplyDelete2. School change-I would like to see us come together more often in social situations. I hope this will come with time...
In addition, I think the level of excpectations for both students and teachers is gradually being set. When we get more teachers and kids this will become more of a challenge for us, so I feel like we need to have more cross grade level discussions about where our kids are, where they are going, and how we get them there.
My personal change would be to balance my time at school with my time at home. As is the case with most teachers, my work seems to follow me home!
ReplyDeleteThe first school level change I would make is to explore a way to learn from our peers by finding time to visit classrooms and observe other teachers. We have some very talented staff here with many years of experience to offer and I feel like I could learn a lot from them, especially being a 4th year teacher.
My second change would be to find more time for socialization with other teachers. I feel like I still don't really know some of the people I work with because our days are so full. I want to extend the "family" atmosphere we make for the students to the staff. We are on the right track but I think we need to make time together to share what's happening in our lives personally more of a priority.
1. I love H. Ginott and take to heart his words of wisdome on p. 74 - to not falter even if stressed or frustrated. Now that's a challenge. Also to take time for personal discourse with students to learn their interests or dreams. 2. I would like to see students and teachers get instruction for the safe use of playground equipment to better insure proper use and safety.
ReplyDelete3. I respect the research that has shown us that beginning readers learn in small measurable increments from Level 1-30 and one size or 3 sizes do not fit all first graders. Therefore, I would like to see adequate materials -meaning leveled texts- from a variety of companies in the rooms of each primary teacher. I as passionate about beginning reading and wish for each child to become a good solid reader. That means being able to pick the right thing at the right time in his/her learning.
1. I would like to see more inclusion at our school. It think it would be productive to have two teachers working together toward the common goal of helping our EC students learn.
ReplyDelete2. I think that for next year, it should be priority to allow peer observations to happen within our school, for those that are interested. I have seen it work, and subs can cover or teachers cover classes to make it happen. The payoff is worth it! It's amazing what you can learn from other teachers just by sitting in their room for a little while, looking around, listening, absorbing...and we get to know our peers a little better in the process...
3. As a new school, I believe we should be careful and thoughtful of new inititatives that we sink our time into. There are so many opportunites out there for a new school like ours to embrace, and we could choose to engage in all of them, but would the quality be there? Do we want quality or quantity?
1) My personal goal is to devote as much time to my family as I devote to my profession. This is, and has always been the hardest balance for me.
ReplyDelete2) One school goal I think would be very beneficial for TES is for grade level teams to gather during the summer to plan for the upcoming school year. During the summer staff has more time to reflect on successful practices during the previous year, and to set goals for the year to come.
3) I would also like to see TES begin a mentor/buddy program between our school and both TMS and THS. This could possibly be set up similar to a big brother/sister program where students who were in need of positive role models could be served by having older student peers to share time with.
1 Personal Change
ReplyDeleteDo I have to choose just one? I need to be more organized. I need better time management. I need to be completely home when I am home. I need to continue to learn all of the programs of TES and learn to use them well. I need to collaborate with other grades. I need to make more community partners. I am not ashamed to say that there are many areas that I can improve upon. Fortunately, I do not need to improve upon my passion for teaching and students.
2 School Level Changes
I would like to see a program set up to involve community members and teachers checking in with children who could use a talk with an additional adult once a week. Maybe to include eating lunch together and talking about whatever is on their minds.
I would like to see more clubs and after school activities to turn our school into place that develops more and more interests in our students. More days like the Global Day during school hours.
1) What I want to change personally is to have more me time. I often feel as though I never finish school work and I take too much home as most of us great teachers do. Where do I find the balance.
ReplyDelete2) One change at school
I would like to have more time to plan with music and art for themes so I and they would know what we are both teaching at points in the year.
Another change
I would like to have more students here to mentor students from the high school or middle school if at all possible. I don't know how this works with these schools. I currently have a part time EC student from the high school but she just does clerical work whenever she does show up. I remember the past when I was at this school before as an assistant in 2nd, we worked on projects with the high school carpentry class. The students loved it!
My personal change would be to learn to accept that it is impossible to complete all the tasks we are given as teachers. I need to prioritize and concentrate on the things that will create the largest impact on student learning. My family misses me.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would like to see change at our school is the interaction between students at different grade levels. Watching our older students assisting the younger ones during Global Day was very inspiring.
And speaking of Global Day... Wouldn't it be nice to plan this as a once a month event? Our students can't compete in a global economy if they don't know who they are competing with. Students are taught very little geography and even less cultural awareness in elementary school. It's my opinion that we should embrace their innocence and expose them to other cultures BEFORE they form their opinions based on American media. Teaching students about other cultures would help them be more tolerant adults.
The personal change that I would most like to make is a vast improvement in time-management, especially as it relates to my work. As the school counselor, I have a multitude of responsibilities and tasks I need to complete each day/week, concerning the entire school population. I want to get better at making sure I give enough time to each task, so that all that I do is considered well-done.
ReplyDeleteThe two school-level changes I want to make are: 1) Establishing a true Guidance Committee to help me develop/plan the program at TES; and 2) I want to get to know the students on a more personal level than I have been able to do this year! With seeing each class only once a month (with the current Itinerants schedule - I am plugged in on Fridays, and it hasn't followed a consistent pattern this year!), I find that I'm doing well to remember what grade a student is in when I run into him/her in the halls. I am responsible for working with ALL students at TES, and I want to know them ALL. I realize this takes time, and remind myself to be patient!