Dear Families,
Thank you for being so diligent about getting all the forms in. Once our media permissions are finalized, I look forward to sharing a photo or two each week on my posts, so you can get a glimpse inside our classroom. Please get in the habit of checking Homework Assignment Books (HABs). A few students are late on turning in their parent signatures on their student goal sheets. Our first full week of school has come and gone. I am feeling positive about the growth of our classroom community. Routines are becoming smoother. (The class got ready for Homework Assignment time in 1 minute 6 seconds on Friday!) We are well on our way to finalizing a 6th grade contract. My homeroom narrowed down their ideas to 3 overarching rules, and then we met with the other sixth grade homeroom to combine ours with theirs and narrow it down to 3 again that we all agree on. We still need to finish this process. Although deciding on rules takes time, there are some big lessons in it. When do you choose to compromise? Is pressuring others to agree okay? (because this is taking a long time and we just want to get to lunch!) When is digging your heels in and refusing to compromise worth stalling the whole process? (Think congressional gridlock) Tina and I were pleased with the way the disagreements forced students to articulate reasons behind their opinions and examine the nuances of wording. In the journey to our final contract, these discussions allow students to voice and explore what their expectations are. Here are some paraphrased quotes from that process this week: "'Be Respectful' is better than 'Respect everyone' because it includes other things besides just people, like class supplies or animals and plants." "'Listen to the Speaker' is really just part of 'Stay on Task' because when someone is talking you should be listening to them. It's part of your job. It's also part of 'Be Respectful'." "We need to keep 'Listen to the Speaker' as a separate rule because that is something that's really challenging for our class and we need that extra reminder of it being a rule." Next week we look forward to a visit from Gold Medalist and Chesterfield alum Tessa Gobo, as well as launching into our regular academic schedule. Enjoy the Labor Day Weekend, Laura White |
AuthorLaura White is a sixth grade teacher at Chesterfield School in Chesterfield, NH. Archives
April 2018
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