Impact on Student Success

Classroom management was my first big success and, as so, it was also my students' first as well. Coming into this unusual school year, there were lot of considerations to be made. These students had never been in a classroom, never had "school rules," nor did they have the social skills necessary to behave academically. Through a structured plan, students began to learn how to manage themselves. They watched the chart, moved their numbers when they made a poor choice, made promises that they would change, and, ultimately, for the most part, kept their promises to do better. Over half of our class received SPARK Awards for their behavior each trimester.

THAT'S SUCCESS!

Our classroom is a safe, happy, and collegiate place to learn and I will continue to use this system next year.

The second and most significant impact on student success was the use of technology in the classroom. I know many teachers shy away from it and especially with students as young as first graders, but my students flourished when given the opportunity to use it. Not only could they navigate and utilize Google Slides, but they used Kami, Seesaw, Pear Deck, and more! They learned to re-size an image, copy, paste, change font colors, and use other tools. They knew their keyboard. These are 21st Century skills that will be useful for the rest of their lives. Professionally, I shared them with my grade level and was fortunate to have presented them in a PD.

THAT'S SUCCESS! X2

Technology has also reduced the impact of making wasteful worksheet copies and afforded me the time to work with small groups in a well-managed, peaceful, academic environment. ahem...most of the time...