Progress

I love how it took me only six years to change up the way I am beginning a new school year. I am starting my seventh year of teaching on Monday. I am thrilled to be starting my second year at the same (fabulous) school and in the same grade level. I feel powerful this year!

I decided that instead of beginning my preparation the week before school in ten-twelve hour overwhelming days, I started a bit earlier and have been working in smaller, more manageable chunks. In doing this, I feel healthier, both physically and mentally. I have spent a few hours at school over the past two weeks, but I have also maintained a balance of work and play. My goal is to avoid the pressures that stem from an overloaded and unhealthy back to school schedule. For now, I think it's working. I am really trying not to get sick as I normally do in the beginning of the year. I even scheduled a trip with some friends for this weekend to get away to Breckenridge before we get back to it on Monday! I think it will be the perfect way to come back...refreshed!

I know it's hard to believe that I could get more organized than I already am, but I have! Being that my classroom is in a mobile, I decided to maximize every square inch of space in the room. Everything that is in my room has a purpose. If it didn't serve a purpose last year, then I pitched it. Everything is placed for a specific reason. I hope that by arranging things in such a way, I will create a more purposeful and authentic space in which to honor the learning that will happen there.

I am VERY excited because I had the fortunate opportunity to attend a workshop at the beginning of the summer that focused on 21st Century Learning. It's focus, in short, was on preparing our students for careers of the 21st century...some of which haven't even been discovered yet! Right now, our education system is geared to prepare our children for only TEN career paths. I'm serious. TEN. Our curriculums and state testing obsessed ways are not cutting it for the kind of work that is coming. Through this workshop, which was funded by a grant, every participant who attended received a multimedia learning smart cart, with which to incorporate technology into the classroom. I am thrilled to get back to the use of a document camera (versus an overhead projector...LAME!), a new laptop, a new projector (which I did not have access to last year), and a new sound system. I feel like this is going to completely change the way I can teach this year. Although I had all of this equipment at my fingertips when I was teaching in Texas, the authentic and purposeful learning was missing. I am excited that the two pieces are coming together this year.

I will take some pictures of my new learning space tomorrow and post. I think it feels inviting, calm, open, and ready to be occupied by new little minds.

Here's to another year!