Through this program I have gain comradery, new skills and support for trying new things. This year as I thought about how I was teaching I noticed that I had stopped having discussions. Over time I had changed my lessons to be more about finding information in reading and completing activities. This year I worked on intentionally adding classroom discussions again. Part of the challenged was creating management for the discussions. I started with the rules my students used for sharing good news and grew from there. I think the students enjoyed the time they were allowed to talk.
a second way that this program has impacted my teaching is by thinking of new ways to check in with my students. Though a particularly good discussion I realized I could make fast check ins by asking questions and having students hold up finger for A, B, C or D. I noticed these opportunities helped me to see where my next lessons were going.
Through out my 6 years teaching I am suprised to reflect on how many challenges I have faces. Through big ones like packing up and moving our school, not having another science teacher in the building, big behaviors I had never seen before. What I know is inch by inch. Each of the big challenges were solved one day at a time, one oppertunity to connect at a time. Showing up for the students, hold them accountable and trying again the next day. Each challenged showed me that their are always new things to learn and apply to a new situation. It is when we stop trying to learn and stop trying to look for new ideas we stop being able to over come challenges. One of the best ways to get new ideas is through a community of teachers.
As I continued to understand what a high impact teacher was I started to see it in many of my coworkers in the way that they and we as a school show up every day for our students. It is about making sure students are seen, they know they can go out into the world and succeed, and support the other teachers in the building. It is about constantly reflecting and striving to break down barrios and show our students how the world outside of school work. In many ways it showed me the teacher I am working to become.