Goals for 2012 - 2013

As every teacher does, once the school year ends our minds immediately go to the upcoming year.  So, this year I am creating my own goal list (something I teach my students to do on a daily basis).  So here it is.  My 2012 - 2013 Goals:

#1 Start using raffle tickets again:  once a day for a piece of candy, once a week for the "treasure chest."  I have noticed that this year I have moved more toward the negative and strayed from the positive.  I need to go back to the positive.  The kids love the raffle, and they are super motivated by food.  Why not use this to my advantage?

#2 Use music to time things:  Make playlists this summer of music for working, music for chatting, etc.  I think this adds a mood to the classroom that encourages community and positivity.  This is what I need more of. 
#3  Reward academic goals with food!  Enough said. 
#4 Grade at least 1/2 of papers the day they are turned in, this will lower my stress level by about 50%.  I'm going to be able to reuse so many of my lesson plans this year, and grading was where I really fell behind (as always!).  Next year, I need to get them back sooner so that we can discuss them and I can give them feedback.  (PS - I'm using an actual gradebook next year instead of the stupid charts!).
#5 Create a web site for the class (facebook?  Shutterfly? Suggestions?)
#6  Go to more extracurricular activities.
#7  Start Independent Conferencing with kids during silent reading.  I have always done this in the past and this year I have let it fall to the wayside.  Time to get back in the groove of things.
#8  Incorporate more vocabulary into my instruction.  Not quite sure how to do this most effectively, but this was the area that they were lagging the most in their NWEA scores.  Prefixes, suffixes, root words and using context clues . . . not my favorite thing to do in the world, but it must be done.
#9 Start celebrating not just the kids' achievements, but the kids themselves (i.e. birthdays, special occasions, etc).
#10 Incorporate 1 "Habit of Mind" into instruction every two weeks.  This will be a focus of both of our classes and will be involved with everything.  Create a poster to put on the wall each week, and as the kids see us doing these things they will add to the poster.

I think that's enough for now, maybe even too much.  I have big hopes for next year, and hopefully I won't have to work quite as hard as I did this year :-)

Life in a Crowded Place

If I am completely honest with myself, I will admit that this past year was not my most successful year in terms of building a community of learners.  There were many things that I typically include in my classroom that seemed to disappear from my toolbox.  Blame it on switching schools, or switching grades, or moving across the country.  Whatever it was, I was not at my best.  I am determined to change that this year.

About three years ago, one of my mentors in Arizona gave me a book called Life in a Crowded Place by Ralph Peterson.  I read about half-way through, and then the year started and it was left on the book shelf (as so many books are).  I picked this book up again yesterday and began to read.  Many people would consider the ideas that he suggests as "fluff" or that it buys into that touchy-feely type of teaching (which typically caters more to elementary teachers).  My initial reaction was exactly this, and I was hesitant to take it seriously, especially for junior high.  However, my mentor was a junior high teacher and she recommended it, so I had to at least try.  Boy was I wrong.  I am a firm believer that good teaching practices can be applied universally, with a few modifications obviously.  Consequently, I truly believe this book is applicable regardless of the grade level.  The focus is on human survival in a community.  What kinds of things do we as human beings do in order to be successful in a community environment?  What types of things are unique to each culture, and yet strangely similar world-wide?  What makes us successful when trying to survive in a "crowded place?"  These are the things that he studies in depth, and then applies to a classroom environment.

My favorite part so far is his opening paragraph:
Life in classrooms is an intense social experience.  For six hours a day, week after week, month after month, one teacher and anywhere from twenty-two to thirty-four students (sometimes more) live together in a space the size of a large living room.  The older the students, the larger the furniture, the tighter the space. 

Ain't that the truth. 

In the first section of the book he focuses on creating a caring place within the classroom in order to create a successful intense social experience.  Some of the things he discusses are to include, ceremony, ritual, rite, celebrations, conversations, play, routines, jobs and residencies.  I have only made it through this section, but have already been reminded of so many things I did not include in my classroom.  For example, using ceremony in the classroom for small things such as opening the day.  These ceremonies can be anything from a read aloud to a class meeting to a song or dance.  Now, as a junior high teacher, I would find it nearly impossible to open  my day up with a dance if I wanted to be taken seriously at all (a kindergarten teacher on the other hand . . . ).  However, a short read aloud may be just enough to get them focused on the tasks at hand for the day.  I am also contemplating the idea of a 10 minute class meeting that includes some of the following:

• Outline for the day
• School or community announcements
• Acknowledging and appreciating someone at home or in the class
• Goal-setting

My only concern is time (per usual).  With two classes, should I incorporate this into both, along with an end of the day routine?  I feel that it would definitely increase the buy-in from my students, as well as build community.  But I've tried this before and I ALWAYS run out of time.  I am going to continue reading and developing some of these ideas before next week.  I hope the end of the book is as helpful as the beginning!