Dear Families,
It's always nice to ease into the school year with a two-day week! Our homeroom has gotten off to a great start, however, and I am looking forward to a fun year of learning. Just thought I'd share a few tidbits from our first couple days.
The first few weeks of school focus primarily on building the classroom community, teaching routines, and coming to a consensus as a group on the expectations we hold for each other. We ease into our academic routines gradually, knowing that practicing silent work periods with a more basic assignment, or discussing at length expectations for lunch or hallway behavior (and then practicing and reflecting on how we did and working to improve) will make it possible to focus on rigorous learning later, without as many of the distractions and disruptions that inevitably happen in a room of 21 or 22 students!
On Friday we were reviewing procedures for fire drill. and as we then prepared to practice the procedure, one student raised his hand with a smile and asked, "Do you mean we are going to drill a drill?" The answer was yes, and when the class proceeded to be a rather noisy lining up, we all saw the need for drilling a drill. The second time they were perfectly silent right through the lineup on the front field and then demonstrates some great teamwork during some games.
Recess (which, albeit brief, I am thrilled we still include for all middle schoolers at Chesterfield) gave us fodder for some good discussion. A boys against girls dodgeball game (with nerf balls) bordered on being out of control and we ended up have a very reflective discussion about it afterwards in the classroom. The students, in fact, felt similarly to the teachers. Several solutions were offered, including banning it all together, having co-ed teams and drafting and posting rules for the game. The teachers will take this input to make a final decision about the game before Monday's recess. We ended up postponing one of the activities I had planned for next week in order to fit in this discussion. School schedules can become so tight that it often doesn't feel like there is time for these sorts of discussions. My opinion is that this time is always well spent. Students feel more invested in following rules if they have a voice in the process of creating rules and troubleshooting the problems. Furthermore the skills of arguing one's opinions persuasively and backing up one's ideas with evidence and reasons, are naturally developed when debating issues that directly involve them. Next week the sixth graders will work together to draft a "class contract" that we will work on until there is consensus.
I hope your child came home feeling as positive about the start of the year as I did. Please share what you are hearing and keep in touch. Feedback is always welcome.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to meet with me individually before the school year began. Hopefully those meetings were as helpful to you as they were to me.
Here's to a great year ahead,
Ms. White
It's always nice to ease into the school year with a two-day week! Our homeroom has gotten off to a great start, however, and I am looking forward to a fun year of learning. Just thought I'd share a few tidbits from our first couple days.
The first few weeks of school focus primarily on building the classroom community, teaching routines, and coming to a consensus as a group on the expectations we hold for each other. We ease into our academic routines gradually, knowing that practicing silent work periods with a more basic assignment, or discussing at length expectations for lunch or hallway behavior (and then practicing and reflecting on how we did and working to improve) will make it possible to focus on rigorous learning later, without as many of the distractions and disruptions that inevitably happen in a room of 21 or 22 students!
On Friday we were reviewing procedures for fire drill. and as we then prepared to practice the procedure, one student raised his hand with a smile and asked, "Do you mean we are going to drill a drill?" The answer was yes, and when the class proceeded to be a rather noisy lining up, we all saw the need for drilling a drill. The second time they were perfectly silent right through the lineup on the front field and then demonstrates some great teamwork during some games.
Recess (which, albeit brief, I am thrilled we still include for all middle schoolers at Chesterfield) gave us fodder for some good discussion. A boys against girls dodgeball game (with nerf balls) bordered on being out of control and we ended up have a very reflective discussion about it afterwards in the classroom. The students, in fact, felt similarly to the teachers. Several solutions were offered, including banning it all together, having co-ed teams and drafting and posting rules for the game. The teachers will take this input to make a final decision about the game before Monday's recess. We ended up postponing one of the activities I had planned for next week in order to fit in this discussion. School schedules can become so tight that it often doesn't feel like there is time for these sorts of discussions. My opinion is that this time is always well spent. Students feel more invested in following rules if they have a voice in the process of creating rules and troubleshooting the problems. Furthermore the skills of arguing one's opinions persuasively and backing up one's ideas with evidence and reasons, are naturally developed when debating issues that directly involve them. Next week the sixth graders will work together to draft a "class contract" that we will work on until there is consensus.
I hope your child came home feeling as positive about the start of the year as I did. Please share what you are hearing and keep in touch. Feedback is always welcome.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to meet with me individually before the school year began. Hopefully those meetings were as helpful to you as they were to me.
Here's to a great year ahead,
Ms. White