Well, well, well.....here we are again. New year. New students. New goals.
Probably one of my favorite parts about being a teacher is that each year, we get a chance to regroup, reflect, and refocus on our goals as an educator. The beginning of the school year brings so many emotions - excitement, anxiety, hope, fear...and many many more - and as teachers, we have to find balance and focus as we decide how we will create a memorable experience for our students. When the students arrive on Day 1, we slip right back into the role we left a few months back and already start thinking about the potential and future growth of our students.
There is a new energy among our teachers this year, and this new energy is exciting and contagious. Last year, with the adoption of 1:1 in all of our classrooms, many teachers were curious but nervous to try new things in their classrooms. Taking risks in the classroom can always be nervewracking as we have 30 students staring at us, and if something goes wrong, we have to come up with a new plan quickly and not let a setback affect our lesson and focus. If you've been there, I'm sure you agree with me when I say this is not easy. If you follow my blog, you know that our teachers are rock stars in the classroom, and as a school, we provide so many wonderful learning opportunities for our students. Last year, we focused on advocacy, access, and academics. In addition, we asked our teachers to consider student choice and voice - to consider how we can encourage our students to take ownership of their learning. By the end of the year, more and more teachers were asking questions and experimenting with new instructional resources in the classroom. The fear and nervousness of trying something new were starting to dissipate, and it was obvious that as educators, we were also growing and developing our skills - just like we ask our students to do in our classrooms.
Back to this new energy.....
Well, talk about picking up where we left off....this new energy around the building is a result of this growth I just mentioned. Right off the bat, teachers are already giving students choice and voice in the classroom. In addition, they are experimenting and utilizing new resources to effectively and efficiently make choice and voice a fixture in their classrooms.
Instead of questions and comments like...
What if something bad happens? What if this doesn't work? I had a bad experience with ____.
We are getting questions like...
How do I use this? How do I make this work? Did this resource change? Can you show me how to use it? What should I use for _______? My students need ______. How can I do this?
And comments like....
Let me show you what I did with my students today. I was playing around with _____ last night and here is what I learned. This problem happened in my class, and ______ is what I did to fix it. I did _________. It was awesome!
YES! I'm sure, like me, you're thinking.....this is AWESOME!!!!
Teachers are lifelong learners. And this energy is the best evidence to prove that our teachers at Neuqua Valley High School are always learning, always growing, and always putting our students first. Our teachers' grit is a force to be reckoned with, and our students better be ready for the awesome stuff we have in store for them. Watch out, Wildcats, our teachers are full of energy and ready to dominate this school year! #whatsup
Probably one of my favorite parts about being a teacher is that each year, we get a chance to regroup, reflect, and refocus on our goals as an educator. The beginning of the school year brings so many emotions - excitement, anxiety, hope, fear...and many many more - and as teachers, we have to find balance and focus as we decide how we will create a memorable experience for our students. When the students arrive on Day 1, we slip right back into the role we left a few months back and already start thinking about the potential and future growth of our students.
There is a new energy among our teachers this year, and this new energy is exciting and contagious. Last year, with the adoption of 1:1 in all of our classrooms, many teachers were curious but nervous to try new things in their classrooms. Taking risks in the classroom can always be nervewracking as we have 30 students staring at us, and if something goes wrong, we have to come up with a new plan quickly and not let a setback affect our lesson and focus. If you've been there, I'm sure you agree with me when I say this is not easy. If you follow my blog, you know that our teachers are rock stars in the classroom, and as a school, we provide so many wonderful learning opportunities for our students. Last year, we focused on advocacy, access, and academics. In addition, we asked our teachers to consider student choice and voice - to consider how we can encourage our students to take ownership of their learning. By the end of the year, more and more teachers were asking questions and experimenting with new instructional resources in the classroom. The fear and nervousness of trying something new were starting to dissipate, and it was obvious that as educators, we were also growing and developing our skills - just like we ask our students to do in our classrooms.
Back to this new energy.....
Well, talk about picking up where we left off....this new energy around the building is a result of this growth I just mentioned. Right off the bat, teachers are already giving students choice and voice in the classroom. In addition, they are experimenting and utilizing new resources to effectively and efficiently make choice and voice a fixture in their classrooms.
Instead of questions and comments like...
What if something bad happens? What if this doesn't work? I had a bad experience with ____.
We are getting questions like...
How do I use this? How do I make this work? Did this resource change? Can you show me how to use it? What should I use for _______? My students need ______. How can I do this?
And comments like....
Let me show you what I did with my students today. I was playing around with _____ last night and here is what I learned. This problem happened in my class, and ______ is what I did to fix it. I did _________. It was awesome!
YES! I'm sure, like me, you're thinking.....this is AWESOME!!!!
Teachers are lifelong learners. And this energy is the best evidence to prove that our teachers at Neuqua Valley High School are always learning, always growing, and always putting our students first. Our teachers' grit is a force to be reckoned with, and our students better be ready for the awesome stuff we have in store for them. Watch out, Wildcats, our teachers are full of energy and ready to dominate this school year! #whatsup
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