Teaching with the non-negotiable in mind

Thinking about my non-negotiables (morning meeting, brain breaks, giving something time, teaching with the end in min and collaboration) I have started to think about my plans for the year and how these fit in. 

When thinking about morning meeting I know I will need to be very explicit with this. My students probably did not do a morning meeting last year so I will directly model what it looks like and we will practice many times. Once we have the routine down I know the students will see the benefits of morning meeting. My hope is that morning meeting has a positive impact on my students, myself and the classroom environment. We will spend time getting to know each other and morning meeting will be used to extend our learning at times. 

They say students should be able to focus for as many minutes as they are old (or maybe a few minutes over). Keeping that in mind I know using brain breaks will impact how much time my students are able to stay focus. If I use short brain breaks periodically my students will be able to get back to learning instead of checking out during the middle of a lesson (hopefully). I know I will need to plan these transitions intentionally and make sure I model and make them as smooth as possible for my students so they can continue learning. 

When trying something new I know there will be times when it goes well and times when it doesn't. I need to keep my goal of giving something time in mind and stick to it. Just because something doesn't work once doesn't mean it won't work all the time. Being reflective and thinking about what went well will allow me to make the changes I need after really trying something. This will impact my teaching because I will have a better picture of how something works since I have given it plenty of time. 

When planning my lessons I need to be very intentional about what the goal is and where I want my students to end up. The curriculum we have available is nicely laid out and has multiple ability levels available for small group work. I need to remember that students may take different paths to end up at the same goal. I will keep the standards in mind and use the essential questions so my students have bigger understandings of concepts. 

Collaboration will have a huge impact on my teaching this year. I know I will need help from veteran teachers and I hope I can give them some ideas as well. Being able to talk through ideas on lessons and students will help me meet the needs of my 5th graders. Being able to get ideas from other teachers who have done these lessons before will better prepare me for the best way to teach at this level. 

I know for all of these non-negotiables going slow to go fast will get me far. I need to remember to take baby steps at first and really model, teach and set up expectations so students clearly understand what to do. For my own teaching going slow will help me dive into my new setting without taking on too much too fast. 

Things I Won't Change!

As I start my journey as a 5th grade teacher in a new district I am faced with ALOT of changes. They really do things differently than I'm use to and nothing gets you thinking more than when something in your life changes. I can't help but think about the old ways of doing things but I know I need to be open to change. While I'm thinking about the differences I will be faced with, there are a few things I know I will not change in my classroom even though some may not do them in my new district.
1. Morning Meeting: My new district is not a Responsive Classroom district and most don't do a morning meeting. When I heard this I was shocked because it seems to natural for me. I made the decision to fit it in because I have seen how important it is for kids. Morning meeting is a nice transition into the school day and a great way to build community.
2. Brain Breaks: As I get all my new teacher's manuals for curriculum I feel a little over loaded with how much we have to teach. Especially since the curriculum is intense I know I need to fit in brain breaks for my students (and myself). I know they give the kids a chance to relax and it will help them stay focused when we get back to work.
3. Giving something new time: When I usually implement something newI tend to over think it and am quick to change it if it doesn't work right away. I know giving something time will let me see the big picture and really allow me to reflect on if it is working after giving it multiple tries.
4. Teaching with the end in mind: I know this will be hard to do this year since I am learning a whole new curriculum in about 2 weeks but I need to remember the goal of each lesson and unit. I know taking the time to plan a path and vision for where I want my students to end up will allow me to teach with focus and give the kids more of what they need to get to the goal.
5. Collaboration: I am the kind of person who likes to talk things through with people so teacher collaboration is a must for me. Thankfully I have found someone who has a similar style to mine and we have already been bouncing ideas off of each other. I think we grow more and get more ideas when we talk to teachers who have done similar things.