Just back from NMSA's 37th annual conference, held this year in Baltimore. The conference is always a good time to think and reflect and I often come back with several pages of things that must be done. Here are a couple of my 2010 NMSA thoughts...
• We need to figure out a way to use the terrific expertise of retired teachers in our communities. I spoke with a friend at the conference who is two months into her retirement (as an excellent middle school math teacher) and is at loose ends...trying to adjust to retirement. She taught for 39 years for heaven's sake and still has a passion for kids, teaching, and schools. How can we use her to help us in schools. Not teaching kids everyday...she has done this, but perhaps by serving as mentor to younger teachers, maybe as liaison with parents and community, or curriculum writer. Would someone pick up on this idea in your community and try it out. This is urgent! We need these people...and they still want to contribute.
• Is anyone talking about FUN anymore? Certainly not in schools where testing, preparing for tests, test scores, resting up to take another test, test score comparisons, and narrowing the curriculum so more tests can be given are all the rage. Ok, you get the idea. We need to bring back fun to schools—for students, teachers, principals, and parents. In New England where the Puritan Ethic still rules, we often don't talk about schools as fun places, but it has gotten even worse than that. While NCLB and the testing movement are easy targets (and so richly deserved), we have to accept some of the responsibility ourselves for putting fun back into learning. You know how to do it...so try something out and tell me what you did. Please...
• You've heard about slow eating, slow exercising, and even slow driving. I think we need a new initiative in schools and I am calling is "SLOW DAYS". A slow day is a relaxed, but purposeful day at school that does not feel like a sprint. At its basic level, a slow day allows students and teachers to do what they need to do—learn, explore, interact, collaborate, and produce great work—but in a manner that allows thinking, reflection, and calm. I know this is counter-intuitive to the acceleration that we usually call for and perhaps slow has too many negative connotation. But you get the idea. Let's slow things down, perhaps do fewer things, have fewer classes, but meet longer with them, have fewer projects where subjects work together, and time for students and teachers to work together. This can be done in nearly any school. How might you get this started in your school?
Please let me know what you think about these "great" ideas and more importantly, tell me what you have done to try one or more of them out.
3 comments:
I think that we should try to encourage teachers to be on the school board, or the school's leadership team, the mentor idea was also an interesting one too! We do need to use the knowledge these people have as well as the tricks and tools they have acquired over the year.
Having Fun -
I'm in the middle of a Short Story Unit that focuses on literary devices. The students were having a hard time picking out the conflict and resolution to stories, so I brought in picture books and had the students sit on my imaginary magic carpet while I read to them. Getting them out of their seats helped remove some of their inhibitions about sharing and we were able to pick out the conflict, climax, and resolutions in some really entertaining books.
** You do need to have fun in class - that's for sure! **
Bring fun and slow back! Wow, these were two of my hot topics when I was subbing. I always used to joke that my job as a sub, especially in the younger grades, was to keep the class happy and engaged while their regular teacher was away. In the early grades, a new face can bring panic, fear and tears to some youngsters. I tried to bring a calm transition, to assist them with trusting this new face. After the hesitation and fear had begun to subside (in both me and the students), I found it was then crucial to add the fun part. I tried to have fun with them, keep the day light and enjoyable. Not be the sub with a whip and mean face, who kept kids in for recess and sent them to the office for any little infraction. They were going to have many subs in their school career and I tried to make an impression with them that was enjoyable and cheerful. If I was able to sneak in a little learning on the sub day, that was a bonus!
Some of the most discouraging memories of teaching in middle school (especially) was the constant RUSH in the school day. I know the teachers tried to leave me enough material to fill the day, but the stress they dropped on the class that day was horrible. Only until I got some experience and confidence, did I dare deviate from a teachers plans, and allow the class to proceed at what I thought was a reasonable speed. I remember that the students used to love to have the chance to catch up on any work, or have free reading time. Maybe their days were so filled with "stuff" that they never had time to relax and catch up.
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