Throughout my learning this summer,
I have come up with some “non-negotiables” that I will not sacrifice in my
classroom this year. One of these is
community building. I have always held
relationships and connections as extremely important, but have let them go due
to time restraints. This year, I am
going to put them first. I feel that
once trust and connections are established, instruction will come easier.
Another concept that is important
is whole brain teaching. This is
something I have learned about in my ROL research. It is something I plan to implement this year
to improve classroom management and reduce behaviors. I will continue to research and learn more
about this concept as I begin to put it into practice.
A third idea I have found to be
important is leadership. I have always
thought the leader to be the most influential part of a movement. This summer I have learned that there are
others who are also valuable. We learned
about the idea of a “1st and 2nd dancer”. These are the people who are the 1st
and 2nd followers. They are
even more important than the leader as a leader with no followers is really not
a leader. This is important to remember in
the classroom environment. There are
always going to be some of each and we need to remember all those roles are
important.
Finally, I believe that play is an
invaluable practice for any classroom. All
kids, regardless of their grade level, need to opportunity to play. This is a great time for them to build
relationships, practice social skills and use their imagination. I plan to make time each day for the kids to
just play and for me to hopefully play with them. This practice will increase trust, form
connections and help the kids to feel valued.
