My goals for next year: I found some ideas online, heard about in trainings or just plain want to improve on some things for next year.
1) Classroom management-I am reading Conscious Discipline, which I do like certain aspects of. I need to do more classroom community activities. Every year I'm finding more and more kids coming in very mean-spirited for a 5-year old.
2) Planning-I am going to try to implement some :
Our evaluations are much more stringent now and we have to show the backward design process and how that ties into assessment. I think that's difficult in Kinder. Our assessments are supposed to be more one-on-one and you can't do something like that weekly. *sigh*. So I have to figure out a way to get better at that. I do have Understanding by Design and will see what I can implement from that. 50% of our evaluations will be based on test scores-we will probably have to create that test.
3) I need to work on connecting with parents better-and if anyone has any suggestions for that I am totally open! I invite them in for some kind of parent activity every month and buy a big box of blank cards to send thank-you's for everything from attending a meeting to working with their kids at home. However, I still had unhappy parents this year-I know it's hard but I want everyone to be happy!
4) Reading The Book Whisperer right now and need to come up with a system to encourage more independent reading. Also hard when most are emergent readers. But will record a bunch of books this summer that they can take home and read/listen to.
5) I'm going to implement an inquiry/project based-learning curriculum. Don't know what that is going to look like yet-but will find ideas.
Just thinking out loud. When I put it in writing, that's a lot to do while teaching summer school! :)
I love your idea involving Mr./Mrs. Potato Head! Last year, we collected "cupcakes" (cut from a border strip) on a "plate" (round, sprinkle paper from Archivers); I put them on a small bulletin board. This year, I need to get the other teachers on board with giving compliments to the kinders. Not all of the specials teachers would do it.
ReplyDeleteParent involvement... I have a separate blog for my class. The link is on every newsletter and under my signature on every email. Today's parents are tech-savvy and seem to want their info presented in an easy-to-access way. But, at the end of the year, I still had parents who had not seen the website. No wonder their children didn't know our memory verses, lol!
I like that cupcake idea! The other classes collected compliments and knew I would say something if they deserved it :), they'd see me coming and hush each other! I like the idea of a class blog as well. I have a class site, but don't get very many visitors, maybe if the kids were writing the entries...hmmmm. Now you have me thinking! :) Thank you for your ideas!
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