Week 1 of School AND Packer Football
Can it get more exciting?!? I'm multitasking right now, reflecting on the first week of the school year and sitting down for a division-rivalry Packers/Bears game. The Pack recently took the lead, so I'm feeling pretty good, which matches how I'm feeling about the first week.
To start out, I have to say that what has really helped this week go well is the fantastic team that I am working with. They welcomed me in right away and have been showing me the 5th-grade ropes. I have had the opportunity to observe my 5th-grade colleagues quite a bit this first week as we have been launching the 5th-grade and school-wide expectations with the students. I can tell that I am going to learn a lot from this team.
The main goals at the beginning of school are to launch expectations with the students, as previously mentioned, and to build a sense of community amongst the students. The repeated practice and reminders of expectations have been key to the beginning of the school year. This is especially important for the 5th graders as they transition to middle school. The more they can grasp and internalize the expectations, the more successful their middle school careers as a whole will be. Just as important is to make connections with the students and to try to foster the connections between the students. Fostering those connections between the students can sometimes be one of the trickiest aspects when launching because students sometimes have a history with each other that isn't positive. This is why a positive start to the school year is so important.
As the week comes to a close and it is time to start planning for next week, I will begin to incorporate academics into the launch, helping the students learn some of the routines surrounding our curriculum. One component will be the use of Canvas. At the middle school level, the online environment begins to change for the students and helping them to understand how Canvas works will be very valuable.
And with that, I'm going to retire for the evening as the Packer game winds down, hopefully with a win for the Pack!
Mindfulness thought for the week: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.
To start out, I have to say that what has really helped this week go well is the fantastic team that I am working with. They welcomed me in right away and have been showing me the 5th-grade ropes. I have had the opportunity to observe my 5th-grade colleagues quite a bit this first week as we have been launching the 5th-grade and school-wide expectations with the students. I can tell that I am going to learn a lot from this team.
The main goals at the beginning of school are to launch expectations with the students, as previously mentioned, and to build a sense of community amongst the students. The repeated practice and reminders of expectations have been key to the beginning of the school year. This is especially important for the 5th graders as they transition to middle school. The more they can grasp and internalize the expectations, the more successful their middle school careers as a whole will be. Just as important is to make connections with the students and to try to foster the connections between the students. Fostering those connections between the students can sometimes be one of the trickiest aspects when launching because students sometimes have a history with each other that isn't positive. This is why a positive start to the school year is so important.
As the week comes to a close and it is time to start planning for next week, I will begin to incorporate academics into the launch, helping the students learn some of the routines surrounding our curriculum. One component will be the use of Canvas. At the middle school level, the online environment begins to change for the students and helping them to understand how Canvas works will be very valuable.
And with that, I'm going to retire for the evening as the Packer game winds down, hopefully with a win for the Pack!
Mindfulness thought for the week: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.
Comments
Post a Comment