Getting back in the groove!

Post date: Sep 09, 2013 6:16:15 PM

Week one has come and gone and at the end of this week, I am excited to jump into the content of the courses. I am excited to continue to get to know each of my students. I am very pleased at how things went in the classroom last week. There are a lot of things to celebrate from last week, but there were many challenges that came to light from our new schedule. This year marks the move from the block to a hybrid schedule. With this there are more students per teacher, shorter classes, and new expectations for students and staff. Change can be scary, and I will admit that some of the changes have me a little nervous, but others I have created. This year I anticipate great things from my classes and students and if week 1 is any indication of what is to come, there are some amazing things coming.

Students this week started out by playing with Play-doh. Yes I did say Play-doh, and they created some amazing objects to represent what was important in their lives. Students were asked to share something that was important to them using the medium of Play-doh. Below are some examples of their creations. What is more striking is the things they shared. It was a great experience getting to know students as they opened up about what was valuable to them and their lives. It was a very cool experience getting to know the people, events, and inspirational activities students were connected to both in and outside of school.

Days 2 and 3 introduced students to their first critical thinking task. They were provided a scenario where a group of people crash landed on an island. I know it is like the movie Castaway, or the show Lost. The difference with this version is that they must decide who is able to be rescued and who has to remain on the island for the rest of their days. It was an incredible exercise in problem solving and thinking critically. I was amazed at the thinking process students used to explain the rationale for their decisions. They worked very hard to try to create the best possible solutions, many attempting to make it possible to give all people the best opportunity for survival. There were also some controversial figures that the students struggled with and the discussion that accompanied these individuals was filled with personal values, questioning of others, and eventually alternative views to help the group reach consensus.

We ended the week, at least in World History because they met everyday unlike Sociology and US History, with the discussion of how this year will be different for all students, but especially those who had at times struggled in the past. There are different expectations, and resources in place to help each and every student. These are mentioned in the pages of the website, the parent letter and the syllabus.

I am truly excited about this year because I know I have some incredible students and the year has all the potential to be the best in my career. I am hopeful to make it at least the best year it can be for each of my students!