TIP 13 - February 20, 2024
Dates of Interest
Friday, March 1, 2024 - No School for Students - Professional Day - Staff Development - Professional Responsibilities
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 - Monthly Induction Seminar at 5:00 PM at the Forrest Center
A Message from Heather: Kindness
Last week was not only Valentine's Day, but it was also a week dedicated to kindness. Kindness Week is not just a superficial attempt to say something nice to a person, but to consider the role that kindness can play in your everyday interactions.
At the heart of classroom management are not rules and consequences, but the strength of relationships that a teacher fosters in their classroom which allow students to learn in a safe space. There is even kindness in discipline when the results are not focused on punishment but on providing the opportunity to learn from mistakes and return to the classroom the next day with a fresh start.
Organizing your planning time is a kindness to yourself. Getting grading and planning accomplished during the duty day can free up your time after school and on weekends to find a balance between your personal and professional life. There never seems to be enough time in the day to complete everything that we feel like we need to accomplish but letting that list overwhelm you will further delay your progress. Each day, determine what you NEED to accomplish from your list and do not carry the rest of the list in your mind. It takes up space and you are not being kind to yourself.
Ultimately, I would recommend that you keep the idea of KINDNESS in your mind throughout your day. Consider your actions, thoughts, and words through the lens of kindness. It is not rose-colored glasses but it will certainly improve your outlook.
Remember . . . You've Got This!
Heather
I will visit schools throughout the school year and I enjoy joining classes, being a guest reader, working with small groups, or providing feedback with a brief walkthrough. Email me if you wish to invite me to your class.
All Non-Tenured Teachers
Praxis Tutoring Available
The Education Association of St. Mary's County (EASMC) is offering members the opportunity to access tutoring resources for Praxis exams.
Support is being offered in the form of one-on-one support by completing this Praxis Support FORM to provide details of your needs and be matched with a tutor from the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA). MSEA processes individuals daily and finds tutors to work directly with members. Once the form is completed, an email is sent to the member to collect more information that aids in pairing individuals with the right tutor. For questions, contact Danielle Jones at djones@mseanea.org.
Articles of Interest
Classroom Management: Using Class Goals to Support Classroom Management by Victoriana Savas, Edutopia
Highlights:
Establishing Class Goals
Synthesizing Students' Reflections
Tracking Progress of Shared Goals
Consistency
Note from Heather: This article focuses on an elementary classroom. However, there are elements that can be adapted in a secondary classroom.
Teaching Strategies: How to Get the Most Out of a Focus Wall in Your Classroom by Thomas Courtney, Edutopia
Highlights:
Post Scaffolds, Final Products, Student Examples and Rubrics
Bring Support Staff Together
Challenge Advanced Learners
Note from Heather: This article is focused on a middle school classroom and using the wall space to add to the instructional resources accessible to students.
Articles for Specialists: In my review of current articles, I came across articles that may be meaningful for specific groups of teachers.
ELL - How to Make Your Class Less Stressful for English Language Learners by Sarah said, Edutopia
World Language - A Collaborative Strategy to Increase Reading Comprehension in World Language Classes by Shengnan Ma, Edutopia
Early Childhood - How to Build Autonomy in Early Childhood Classrooms [Video], Edutopia
Mentoring Topics in February
Elementary
Professional Responsibilities
How have assignments changed with the start of the second half of the year?
How are you collecting data for SBRC?
Lesson Planning
How are your long-range plans coming together?
How are you adjusting your plans to accommodate frequent absences?
What is the latest hands-on lesson that you have taught that you feel like your students were able to collaborate with each other?
What are the skills/content priorities by the end of the school year?
What is an instructional strategy that you would like to explore or a topic that you want to find a new way for students to interact with the content?
Evaluation
When is the date of your second observation? What content will be used in the observation?
How can a mentor walkthrough assist you with your planned observation?
When is your Mid-Year SLO meeting?
Personal Self-Care
How are you managing the balance between work and home?
What is one goal that you can set for yourself between now and spring break?
Secondary
Professional Responsibilities
How have your grading and assignments changed with the start of the second semester?
Lesson Planning
How are your long-range plans coming together?
How are you adjusting your plans to accommodate frequent absences?
What is the latest hands-on lesson that you have taught that you feel like your students were able to collaborate with each other?
What are the skills/content priorities by the end of the school year?
What is an instructional strategy that you would like to explore or a topic that you want to find a new way for students to interact with the content?
Evaluation
When is the date of your second observation? What content will be used in the observation?
How can a mentor walkthrough assist you with your planned observation?
When is your Mid-Year SLO meeting?
Personal Self-Care
How are you managing the balance between work and home?
What is one goal that you can set for yourself between now and spring break?
First-Year with SMCPS Non-Tenured Teachers
Monthly Induction Seminars
As shared at Orientation, those of you in your first year with SMCPS will participate in monthly seminars on the first Wednesday of each month. The seminars begin with dinner at 4:30 PM followed by professional development sessions from 5:00-7:00 PM. All monthly seminars are held at the Dr. James A. Forrest Center.
There are no virtual options for monthly seminars.
The next monthly Induction Seminar is on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
Please confirm your attendance by clicking "Yes" on the invitation in your Google Calendar.
Recurring Items of Significance
TPAS Domain Rubrics
Each seminar will focus on various components within the Teacher Performance Assessment System (TPAS) rubrics. Classroom observations will generally focus on Domains 1-3 and your SLO will focus on Domain 5. Domain 4 is an evaluation of your all-around professional responsibilities. Links to each of the rubrics for each domain are located below.