I am at a new school this year and so I am once again learning new routines of the collective culture of the school community as well as the various cultures of the individual students. We have a big crop of Junior Kindergarten students and a handful of Seniors. So far, it is rolling merrily […]
First Week Reflections
The First 20 Days of School – Connecting with Students is a Great Place to Start
Teaching is always new! With a new group of students, fresh reflections on practice and the opportunity to start from scratch, as it were, the start of the school year provides teachers and students alike the opportunity to create new beginnings every year. Knowing this, what might some important considerations be to make it a great […]
This is not a drill. We are live.
It’s the first day. I’m alone in my classroom. Wow! It’s so calm in here. And why not? It is nearly 2 hours before the first bell of the new year. Why do I feel so excited? Yet, at the same time like butterflies are barfing in my stomach? We’ve all thought about it, dreamt about it, and for many, […]
Adjustments in September
With all the plans we make for those first days and weeks in September, it is worth being open to making adjustments, for your benefit and the benefit of the students. Here are some examples of how I have adjusted the environment and the program in the first few weeks: I have changed the […]
What a Difference A Year Makes
This time last year I had just returned from a seven-year absence from the classroom. During the seven years I was working in various centrally assigned positions, I had many opportunities to visit K-12 classrooms across the Greater Toronto Area. You could imagine my excitement! I observed many effective lessons and teaching strategies, classroom set-ups […]