I've always loved a theme to pull all the details together. This year, the theme for my professional and personal life is this quote by Mother Teresa..... I will do small things with great love. The theme of this blog is the idea that I can share small things I know about teaching and learning...or explore the small things that I want to improve.....starting somewhere with one small thing. So, small it is but but all with great love and greater purpose.
This summer, I discovered the Stellar Teacher Podcast: A Podcast for Upper Elementary hosted by Sarah Marye. Episode 154 was about creating a strong classroom community and culture. Sarah suggested coming up with core values for the class instead of rules. This made me think of the book A Mindset for Learning by Kristi Mraz and Chrisine Hertz, which also explored values or mindsets that would help students as learners and people. In thinking about the core values I would want to emphasize in my third grade classroom, I'm considering that we have a new math program this year that really encourages students to productively struggle. Resilience is an important skill, trait and value they will need as they encounter challenging problems they aren't sure how to solve . Flexibility is another value they will need to embrace as one approach might not work or they are asked to find an additional way to solve a problem. Perseverance will also be key for students- can they stay with a task that is challenging? Can they keep going when the road isn't smooth? Students will need to be empathetic with each other and think about how their choices make the other person feel. Kindness connects to empathy but should be extended to themselves too- how can they treat themselves and others with kindness? Students will need to be responsible for themselves, their choices, their belongings, their learning. Students should also be curious- they should want to know what a word means, should wonder what the character will do next, should ask why and how and when and where.....curiosity drives authentic learning and passion . There are so many more important traits, skills and values but I think 7 is a powerful place to start. Remember, small is the theme here! So my core class values for the 2023-2024 school year are: Resilience Flexibility Perseverance Empathy Kindness Responsibility Curiosity What values would you choose to be the core ones for your students or staff?
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Ah....summer! Time for teachers to enjoy alarm clock-less days, beach reads, traveling and using the bathroom whenever you like! While I love the relaxed pace of summer and the chance for more freedom, part of me also enjoys the opportunity to work on summer projectst that will make the next school year run more smoothly.
One such project I am embarking on this summer is creating word cards that go with each word of the day words in my collection from Mrs. Wordsmith. My students have reallyl enjoyed the "word of the day" routine that takes place during our Morning Meeting. I created a word wall for these words and last year we hung them up.....but.....I didn't laminate the words. And sometimes I fell behind on writing them and hanging them. All the words got ripped off the wall and thrown out at the end of last year. Which, in the end, seemed wasteful of time and supplies. I realized that it would be very helpful to have the words laminated so I can use and reuse them each year. One of my summer projects is to type the words, back them on sentence strips, laminate them, and then slide them into the sheet protector holding the Word of the Day. This is surprisingly time consuming, but I can do it while listening to an audio book or a podcast. I know it will make a difference next year to have all the words all ready to go and it will be a time-saver to be able to use them again each year! Are you working on any summer projects? What projects take a lot of time to do but will save you time in the long run? Today, my very good friend Sharyn was telling me about a new notebook that she happeend to buy at Target. She described its color and binding and the illustration on the front. It was the wording though, that really captured my attention. She said underneath the little woodland creatures sitting on a mushroom, the nobeook read "Notice the little things."
And isn't life really all about all the small moments and little things? The softness of my dog, Teddy's fur when I pet him. The first sip of coffee in the morning. The feeling of achievement when I see 30 minutes has gone by on the elliptical and I can press "end workout" on my Apple watch. Singing in the car with my daughter to Taylor Swift's"Anti-Hero". Watching my son run across a field (soccer/football and now lacrosse). A text from my mom. The last page of a beautiful book. All these very small things that add love and joy to my days. It got me thinking about teaching, as most things often do. As a teacher for over 20 years, I know many small things about how to teach and how to help students feel loved while helping them to learn. I yearn to share but also feel very blocked and scared. Do I really know enough? What if I share something that others take issue with? What can I say that is new or different when the field is saturated with teaching influencers, authors, TikTokers, speakers and more? Who am I to share? Who am I NOT to share? I tell my students that they have a unique voice- that no one else can tell their story but them. I tell them that what they have to say matters. I need to take my own advice. I've taught 6th grade, kindergarten and third grade. I've taught a year of self-contained special education. I've worked with teachers in professional workshops. There are many small things I can share from these experiences. Like, a mystery line person really helps a class to walk more quietly in the hall. Like, having your class spontaneously sing a song together is pure joy. Like, read alouds can never be the thing that gets pushed off the schedule.... This blog is a space for me to talk about teaching from what I know and have experienced. It's the small things I will share, like a favorite read aloud or a moment with a student or a project I tried. It might be a tip or a description of how a lesson went terribly wrong. It's also a place where I hope to get my writing groove back. To remember that my ideas are worthy. To write because being a writer is a way to process, reflect and have your ideas live on. And while my blog might not have a huge following, if one or two teachers glean something from anything I share, well then that is worth celebrating. The small things matter- everything we say and do matters. Here's to noticing the little things and being brave enough to share them. |
AuthorHello! I'm Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski, an elementary school teacher with 20+ years of experience! You may have read some of my posts on Two Writing Teachers- I was a co-author there from 2015-2022. I have also blogged on my own site, Courage Doesn't Always Roar. I am trying a new blog that is focused on all the small things I know about how to be a teacher and help children love learning. In addition to teaching, I am a mom to two kids and one furry pup! So glad you are here. ArchivesCategories |