Okay. It's been a while.
We have been writing memoirs with our students and it has been inspiring to watch our sixth graders realize they have a story to tell and to watch their eyes light up as they watch their stories be put into print. Some teachers have their students do a "rambling autobiography" to brainstorm some ideas for their memoirs; I have been out of the blogging world for a few months, so I thought I would get back in the swing of things with a "reflective rambling autobiography"...
I have been developing professionally by working on my final capstone project on co-teaching for my Master's degree. The literature review was one of the most difficult projects I have come across to date (and the reason I have been out of blogging world...), but I was fascinated to learn how my EL students acquire language and how to collaborate with another teacher to help facilitate this process. During second quarter, we added many sections of co-teaching and I found myself with a new co-teaching partner, so we have been working to blend our teaching styles into one classroom. I am learning a lot about leading a PLC and facilitating discussions so they are productive and meaningful for everyone in the department. We have completed many data protocol discussions this year, which have been eye-opening as we continue to struggle toward common assessments and grading practices. Along with my Master's, leading a PLC and co-teaching, or perhaps because of all this, I am learning a lot about myself as a teacher and have been forced to learn the importance of balance and of building good relationships with my colleagues. Side note: my colleagues are truly a blessing. This quarter, I am looking forward to a professional book club, new read alouds with my students, and heading to Seattle and Vancouver over spring break where I am excited to explore Pike's Place Market and do a zipline tour of the mountains of Canada.
Phew.
Now, you ramble...
*What are your thoughts on productive PLCs? What do they look like? What do they accomplish? What is awesome or difficult about them?
*How do you implement balance in your life as an educator?
*What do you appreciate most about your colleagues?
1. Balance? I've always struggled with this because I love what I do so much so it doesn't seem that unbalanced. Then again, if you asked my friends or family - they probably would see it differently and say that the balance is definitely tipped in one direction (towards school). Derby helps to balance things out, at least if I'm stressed ;) Since I'm not in the classroom this year, I'm not cooking with kids every week. And I really miss that chaos even though things are more calm/balanced this year. So, I read more cooking books and bake almost everyday. It has been a very educational year for me. I've even read several books on differentiation, grading, homework...I feel like I've grown the most this year professionally, than I have any other year of my career. And I have my colleagues (see part two) for that!
ReplyDelete2. I love working with so many different people every day! There are so many different stories, backgrounds, values, philosophies - I learn something new everyday. I have appreciated the opportunity to be out of the classroom full-time because I have many more opportunities to observe other people do great things in their classrooms! I appreciate their willingness to allow me that opportunity to learn from them because I certainly don't have everything figured out! I appreciate people's willingess to open up and to try to find solutions to problems we face as we grow into a larger district.
I just read something that reminded me of your post..."The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but the schedule your priorities" (stephen covey, 2004).
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