At the end of last year, I was exhausted! My first year of teaching was tough. What else would one expect, teaching at the
3rd ranked school in Florida was going to be hard work, I knew that. So I went into year two with a lot more
experience. I knew what to expect, I
understood the pacing this job requires, and I had a better understanding of
how to manage a classroom!
Year 2, it all happened so fast…again! Here I am with a little over 4 weeks
remaining in the year…exhausted! Where
did the time go?! It seems like only yesterday that we were getting issued our
keys, yet today we received our end-of-the-year checklist. This year conversely, the feeling is not enervation
but rather simply that feeling you get after you just ran a marathon! I end this year with a much better feeling,
one of vitality! I had a great time this
year!
Fast and furious, this year was full of ups and downs. Trying to teach students to think for themselves
was my greatest challenge. For the most
part, students at our school are well above average academically. Their standardize tests scores are well above
the average, they are decent writers, and can work out just about any math
problem. Yet they lack key skills, that
personally, I feel are much more important than knowing how to find the area of
a rectangle. They lack the ability to
think for themselves.
We like to say that to succeed, we (they) must think outside
the box. Often, during restless nights,
I would think about ways to add some color to my students otherwise grey school
days. I have been inspired by so many
success stories, yet trying to implement things always seemed to lead to roadblocks. Whether it was poor school infrastructure or
time limitations, my ideas always seemed to end up in the circular file. Then I had an epiphany, “stop coming up
with excuses!!!!” You see, one of my
classroom mantras has always been “don’t come to me problems, come to me with
solutions.” Do as I say, not as I do was
in full affect in my classroom!
In order to present my students with the best possible
opportunity to learn, I, me, this guy needed to think outside of the box! So I started small. I scrapped an ineffective reading program and
began to offer alternatives to the kids. I allowed students to prepare Glogsters, video
tapped reports, blogs, PowerPoints, or the traditional, pen and paper reports…bottom
line, I gave them choices! The kids
loved it!
Next was the way we took test…err…assessments! First I banned the word “test” from my
classroom. At the end of each chapter,
unit, topic I assessed what they had learned.
If they did not meet the expected level of understanding, they could
readdress their areas of weakness and retake the assessment. As the year progressed the assessments would
become more challenging and include material from earlier in the year. We would build on what we’ve learned…not
memorize!
The third area I changed is I stopped teaching to the
test! I wanted to add color, I wanted to
learn by doing, and I wanted to allow my students to stray from the
obvious. We built rollercoasters, we
created timelines that surrounded the room, we explored the lives of historical
figures, we planted mangroves, we asked questions about authors, we ate what
the confederate soldiers ate (shhh, don’t tell the principle, we aren’t supposed
to eat in the classroom!) and we connected with others outside our walls!
Perhaps the greatest agent of change for me has been the building
of my PLN. While I wish I could take
credit for my amazing ideas”, I owe most of it to my PLN. One of my most successful adaptations was
inspired by a wonderful teacher doing great things in Virginia (@Mr_B_Teacher),
you see, we connected with the world outside our walls. On several occasions we have “connected” with
another 4th grade class in Virginia.
Through the use of Google Hangouts, we’ve “met” on three occasions. The sessions have allowed the students to
grow both academically and socially. The
kids love it! We’ve allowed the students
to slowly take the reins. Now the students have full control. They develop questions, they chose their roles,
and they steer the ship! These sessions
have also been a tremendous boost to my personal psych. It has shown me the power of collaboration
and that learning outside the box is possible.
Simply stated they serve to inspire me!
As we close out the year, I am exhausted. But, I am also invigorated. While some of my methods do not always sit
well with others in my peer group, I hope to win at least some of them over
next year. I do not, and will not for a while, know the results of the
standardized to test. Frankly I don’t care.
In my heart I know I have done a decent job of allowing the students to
grow. Isn’t that our goal? I cannot wait for next year, I have so many
ideas! With the guidance and inspiration
of my PLN, in year 3 I will completely shred the box!
