I'm back for my last post with " Unshakeable"! I am sad to be ending my portion, because it has been so much fun! Chapter 16 is about connecting with students, and not letting them drain you..how many of us can relate to that?! Whew I know I CAN!
Does anyone else feel like the end of the day is utter chaos? I know I have researched EVERYWHERE how to have a more orderly classroom at the end of the day. To no avail I still felt defeated at the end of the year. I tried the whole classical music, having snack at the end of the day, and having routines that would cause them to be less chaotic. Nope. Not. One. Thing. Worked.
As I was reading this book Angela brought up dismissal...I was glued...and when I thought about what she said it made sense. I spend ALL day making sure my students are on task, and making sure they are understanding their work. Towards the end of the day they are done, and I am done trying to reign them in. Like I said in my last post...I am a crazy control freak. I cringe at giving up control, but I need to let my students become more involved with their learning.At the end of the day they should be AS TIRED AS I AM! They should be the ones doing the work, not just me! I wrote this everywhere as this is something I am really looking forward to implementing this year.
Something else I took away from this chapter is relationships with my students. This is something I take pride in. I really believe each year I connect with my students, and I get to know so many things about each of them. I love just talking to them, and knowing what's going on in their lives. It's so important to create a relationship with your students. I can't stress this enough. It means the world to them, and I know each one of them has forever changed my life. Knowing I have an impact on just one student is the reason why I get up every morning, never feeling that I am actually going to "work". I'll never forget my first year teaching I was just enamored by everything, and was handed the greatest group of kids. They truly became "MY KIDS". We had a unit on occupations, and we were all talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I had students asking me what I wanted to be(in my head i'm laughing) I'm your teacher you crazies!!! THEY WERE SHOCKED! They really thought I came to just hang out with them all day (which I do)! I will never forget those faces, and what I felt at that moment. My kids didn't even realize I was working! That is the goal of teaching for me. They knew I loved them, and just wanted to be with them all day. Looking back I want that response every single year. I want my munchkins to feel that way.
I hang this on my wall every year, and I will leave you with this:
Next up is Sandy from ELA Everyday! Go check out her page! :)
Dismissal is rough! But a routine and letting kids do the work will definitely help!
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