When we hit the one-month mark, last week, I began to see the spark that makes a cohesive Hoggatteer classroom. It took a little longer, this year, but we are starting to develop the classroom personality that I am accustomed to having.
I really saw it for the first time on Thursday, September 16. This was the day that we started with writing to go along with the mood of the room - the day that students entered to a smoking and flickering campfire and "cold" lighting. Later that same day, they got to dissect owl pellets, and in this, they worked as effective cooperative groups for the first time. Miss Horn, a teacher from across the hall, came to observe our class during this time and gave students the opportunity to practice skills that we had only discussed until then.
Those skills involve greeting visitors to our classroom with a handshake and introductions. LOGAN rocked the greeting right away! When Miss Horn approached his table, LOGAN stood and greeted her, offering his chair for her to sit in and inviting her to see what the group was actively working on. Other students and other groups followed suit, and Miss Horn was taken aback by the kindness. In addition to seeing an engaged group of students, she saw students practicing the discipline and good citizenship that I have spent so much time stressing.
Then, on Tuesday, September 22, our junior intern from Missouri Southern State University visited for the first time. Miss Cornforth is a young lady who is studying to become an elementary school teacher. Admittedly, she was a little nervous, coming into a fourth grade classroom for the first time since she herself was in the fourth grade, but after EMILY greeted and invited to see her group's activities, she felt comfortable and welcomed. I wish some others could see through my eyes when these things happen. They, too, would be impressed and heartened to see a generation of kids stepping up to exhibit such maturity and good manners.
Once again, there is so many other things that students must have to get them ready for learning curriculum and establishing data points. This is something that some administrators and legislators in our country refuse to understand. I know and continue to daily advocate this to educators whenever they are listening. I do not follow Bored Teachers on Facebook, but a meme reposted from them by some of my peers strikes a nerve along these lines: it said, "All the data in the world cannot accurately measure the love and heartbreak that goes into a single day of teaching children whose needs go far beyond the curriculum." I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. It is well-worded, but it does not go far enough. I would stress that their statement should encompass the entirety of our student population: yes, every student requires more from us than just common assessments, achievement testing, and pacing guides!
I really saw it for the first time on Thursday, September 16. This was the day that we started with writing to go along with the mood of the room - the day that students entered to a smoking and flickering campfire and "cold" lighting. Later that same day, they got to dissect owl pellets, and in this, they worked as effective cooperative groups for the first time. Miss Horn, a teacher from across the hall, came to observe our class during this time and gave students the opportunity to practice skills that we had only discussed until then.
Those skills involve greeting visitors to our classroom with a handshake and introductions. LOGAN rocked the greeting right away! When Miss Horn approached his table, LOGAN stood and greeted her, offering his chair for her to sit in and inviting her to see what the group was actively working on. Other students and other groups followed suit, and Miss Horn was taken aback by the kindness. In addition to seeing an engaged group of students, she saw students practicing the discipline and good citizenship that I have spent so much time stressing.
Then, on Tuesday, September 22, our junior intern from Missouri Southern State University visited for the first time. Miss Cornforth is a young lady who is studying to become an elementary school teacher. Admittedly, she was a little nervous, coming into a fourth grade classroom for the first time since she herself was in the fourth grade, but after EMILY greeted and invited to see her group's activities, she felt comfortable and welcomed. I wish some others could see through my eyes when these things happen. They, too, would be impressed and heartened to see a generation of kids stepping up to exhibit such maturity and good manners.
Once again, there is so many other things that students must have to get them ready for learning curriculum and establishing data points. This is something that some administrators and legislators in our country refuse to understand. I know and continue to daily advocate this to educators whenever they are listening. I do not follow Bored Teachers on Facebook, but a meme reposted from them by some of my peers strikes a nerve along these lines: it said, "All the data in the world cannot accurately measure the love and heartbreak that goes into a single day of teaching children whose needs go far beyond the curriculum." I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. It is well-worded, but it does not go far enough. I would stress that their statement should encompass the entirety of our student population: yes, every student requires more from us than just common assessments, achievement testing, and pacing guides!
