The first week is now under our belts and having packed away our new materials and established the rights and responsibilities of the classroom we are ready to dive into the new school year. In many ways, the beginning of the school year feels foreign to me - pretty much void of the parts of teaching I love most. Whereas the rest of the year is spent in the midst of rich discussions, exploratory inquiries, collaborative projects, shared jokes, etc., the first days are somewhat awkward because we don't really know each other all that well just yet. Because everything is brand new and needs to be understood we tend to spend more time sitting and listening than actually getting up and doing.
Understanding this, I worked hard this week to provide a balance for the kids so they would be moving about, socializing, and having fun. This included opportunities to sing songs, decorate covers for their cubbies, read books, write stories, and play games. As we began our journey together, much of our focus was on working to listen and follow directions as well as control our bodies and mouths when it comes to respecting the space and happiness of others in the classroom. As one might expect, there were many "teachable moments" from which to address the need for working harder to listen, follow directions, and treat others with respect (Ha, that's probably why I mentioned earlier in the week I was feeling just a little exhausted!)
I'm really excited for next week because it'll find us falling into the typical groove of exploring reading, writing, math, science, and social studies together. We'll be busy, for sure. In the meantime, here are some photos from our work together this past week. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment