Parent Letter Welcome Students Classroom Expectations hswalton@wcpss.net
Teachers, who love teaching, teach children to love learning.
Parent Letter Welcome Students Classroom Expectations hswalton@wcpss.net
Teachers, who love teaching, teach children to love learning.
Dear Salem Middle School Social Studies 8-3 Parent: July, 2024
My name is Hannah Walton, your student’s 8-3 teacher for Social Studies.
This will be my 7th year teaching and my 2nd year at Salem. I love being in the classroom and I love the challenge of investing in students and helping them to see that what they are learning IS relevant - both in their lives now as well as their lives in the future. I have a baby boy on the way, coming this fall! I feel like becoming a parent has some similarities to teaching such as instilling the curiosity to learn and to education yourself enough to form your own opinion, whether or not it is different from others. This is the primary thing I hope my students take from my class.
My goal is to provide an environment of safety to grow, make mistakes, and learn from them.
Social Studies this year: Students this year are learning North Carolina history as it fits within the framework of American History. Studying history is exciting and relevant. We can learn from the successes and mistakes of what has passed. We see where we individually and communally "fit" in today's present - which will becomes tomorrow's past. We will do this learning by connecting global, national, and state-wide historical events together to see the story that is written by doing so. It is exciting!
For more on what we are studying this year as well as classroom expectations, please follow this link.
Help - I would like to enlist your support as I help the students prepare for high school. We will be working on organization and preparation in addition to learning the subject area. Notice the "every single day" pattern!
An easily accessible social studies folder and 3-subject notebook that is separate from other subject folders and notebooks. Students need to be able to come into class and immediately pull out a specific piece of paper without having to empty their backpack or search through a large binder.
A pencil every single day; preferably mechanical. A pen every single day.
A fully-charged chromebook every single day.
Colored Pencils (for both map work as well as other creative led assignments)
Personal Headphones - This is very important and the item most students keep forgetting to put in the backpack! Teaching is hindered by students not having a pair of headphones available. While we do not depend on technology to do the teaching, we do utilize what is available to enhance our teaching. NO airpods.
The students’ responses when asked why they do not have one of the above is often “I can’t get that.” If any student does not have access to these supplies, we will supply them. Will you please help us to help your student by having these supplies available -- or email me otherwise so I know how many to supply?
To end -- I want your student’s success. My goal in sharing this information is to include the parent/guardian in the learning process so that the students can continue to mature and be good learners.
I want students to gain knowledge, maturity, self-advocacy, and responsibility on this stepping into high school and the rest of their future!
Sincerely,
Hannah Walton
Social Studies 8-3
Salem Middle School