CREEKVIEW CPFAMILY NEWSLETTER
The OCTOBER EDITION....EXCELLENCE in ACTION!!!!
Creekview LOUD....Creekview PROUD
GE Instructional Coach, but one of your BIGGEST ADVOCATES & FAN! I am INSPIRED by your level of implementation and the GE KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING each of you've already acquired! Yes, we have much to conquer, but so much has already been mastered. One area over which I'm ecstatic is the most important of all the practices....#1. You are doing such a masterful job of MODELING what and how RESPECT LOOKS & SOUNDS like! THANK YOU & KUDOS!!! Your learners are lucky and blessed to have such caring and nurturing educators to lead them on their educational paths. A BIG THANK YOU to Mr. Aston, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Robinett, Mrs. Hill, Mrs. Oliver, Mrs. Sims, Mrs. Friedrichs and Mrs. Benoit for being such a devoted and attentive instructional leadership team. It is so refreshing to know they are listening to you and striving to make this year, not only great, but the best in your educational career.
YOU are VALUED & APPRECIATED!!!
OFFER YOUR GUEST a CHAIR!!!
EXAMPLE of an interactive ACADEMIC WORD WALL
Reviewed Content #4
Enriched Vocabulary #8
Student Work Displayed #10
Word Identification Skills #11
HAVE A "DOGGONE" AWESOME AUTUMN OCTOBER
POINTS to PONDER
WHERE in the WORLD is COACH 'P' GOING?!?
Music, you say, you don't know how to use it in your class? You have a GREAT RESOURCE in Mr. Horn. Probably one of the absolute best critical listening lessons I've ever observed in my 28 years as an educator. His directions were simple, "Think of words that describe what this music makes you feel?"...followed by, a girl and Mr. Horn "teeter-tottering" back and forth as the music went from a high pitch to a low one. The best thing...20 something kids, TOTALLY ENGAGED! Oh yes, he GREETED them AT THE DOOR with a smile and a question. ENGAGEMENT 101....GREAT JOB!
Now lets move from music to ART. Mrs. Nguyen both inspired me and saddened me. She inspired me for the way she teaches and facilitates excitement and knowledge in her learners, she saddened me, because, I wish I could have had her for MY TEACHER! Not only is she teaching art, but she is teaching RESPECT in such a manner that her students quickly and verbally recognize one another's successes. The Esprit de Corps which "flies" around the room, is both heartening and heartfelt. I TRULY loved her CALLBACK, too! MONA......LISA
Finally, Mrs. Apfel, WOWED ME! Her dialogue was woven seamlessly with GE Dialogue and educational, and her transitions were exemplary. Here is an example. "Her students were addressing her by name and speaking in complete sentences, which is amazing for this early in the process of initiating GE in a classroom. However, she didn't stop there. When it was time for her to have feedback from her students as to how they were progressing, she simply stated, "let's popcorn it out". With those four words, her students moved away from a formal delivery and immediately gave short one word or phrase answers. During this time, while one of her students was speaking, several other began to talk. Mrs. Apfel, very quickly said, "this is Spenser's turn, let's be respectful." and seconds later added, "thumbs up if you're ready, eyes on me so I'll know you're listening." That 5 seconds of proactive redirecting, derailed any discipline issues which may have taken 5 minutes or longer to address and rectify!
TWO OTHER EXCELLENT RESOURCES---GREAT EXPECTATIONS INSTRUCTORS, AMY ELKINS AND TIFFANY MAJOR....Take a few minutes from your planning period and go visit their classrooms. Both are stellar when it comes to GE Implementation, and both are ready & willing to assist you! With this in mind, pop in and out of each others classrooms and learn from one another. My principal called this, "each one, teach one", and we HAD A BLAST observing and validating one another. TRY IT...I GUARANTEE YOU & YOUR STUDENTS, will LIKE & APPRECIATE THIS! :) ALSO, if you have something that is working well in your classroom, share it with Mr. Aston and Mrs. Lee and ask them to give you 5 minutes to share it during your weekly TEACHERS' MEETING.
THOUGHT for the MONTH....VIDEO yourself teaching...you'll be amazed at what you'll learn!
Here's a few things that succinctly impacted my Great Expectations Journey to Model Implementation. I trust they will help you to GROW in the DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE of GE as they did me.
I challenged myself to embrace 3 new vocabulary words & 3 quotes each month.
TEACHER CHALLENGE WORDS for OCTOBER are...
amicable, plethora, & resonate. (use them in your dialogue and your students will too)
TEACHER CHALLENGE QUOTES for OCTOBER are...
"An education, in and of itself, is its own reward." - Marva Collins
"If we were born to talk more than listen, we would have been born with two mouths and one ear."
"100 mistakes is an education, if, you learn from every one of them."
CURT G PARKER COACH 'P'
ALSO, be sure to check out my new BOARD on PINTEREST....
GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOUNDATION APPROVED PINS....nowhere else on Pinterest will you find these...don't be CONFUSED by the rest...only go with THE BEST! :) If you have some good ideas...and I know you do...email or text me the picture or video so I can "SHARE THEM" with others!
DO YOU KNOW FRIENDS IN SOUTH TEXAS, or ANYWHERE, who you think would like to get GE started in THEIR SCHOOL? If so, please send me their information and them mine, so we can make that happen for the Summer of 2016!
YOU ARE APPRECIATED! Great Job....I look forward to seeing you again on October 26 & 27
Changing Texas One Student at a Time,
Curt... Coach 'P'
Email: curtis@geok.org
Website: www.greatexpectations.org
Location: 8114 Glenloch Drive, Houston, TX, United States
Phone: (918) 931-8909
Twitter: @Gr8