What's Happening
Week of Sept. 16th
SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK of Sept. 16th
Monday, Sept. 16th
Jean day if you participate in What Our School Means to Me
8:00 Preschool Meeting
9-11 Walk throughs2:50 PLCs and PD
4:45 Clive-vet
Tuesday, Sept. 17th
8:00 CARE team plus Tier 2
9-2 Mentor/Mentee Meeting in West Des Moines (I will be gone to this)
3:30 ALT school meeting (conference call me in)
Wednesday, Sept. 18th
8:00 10 min Stand Up Meeting--BLT
8:30 IEP meeting
10-12 Walk throughs
1:00-3:30 Principals Meeting
3:45 Blood Draw
8:10 Volleyball
8:00 Sped Team meeting--F2/F3
8:00 CADRE B (I will be at this with the BLT)
Friday, Sept. 20th
8:00 Safety Committee Meeting
9:00-11:30 Walk throughs
Be the change, being a teacher, being me
The Teachers Tell Us…
A reflection…
Working through my keynote for this morning and I keep coming back to this moment from my own students – I asked my students who the “bad” kids were and they answered, “The teachers tell us…”
Even though I was there to witness it, it still hits hard every single time I see it. The power we wield, as educators, as adults, in how human beings see each other is astounding. It is something I carry with me every single time I teach, that through my actions, whether conscious or not, I will shape how a child’s humanity is potentially seen by others. While not singlehandedly determining the narrative, my presence, my being will provide others with a road map of how to see themselves and others.
It is something I don’t feel we spend enough time discussing, pondering, and helping us shape our teaching experiences.
And it starts on the very first day where we explain through our rules what “good kids” do and a child looks at that list and doesn’t see themselves.
That quote is 5 years old and yet, I wonder how many kids would still say something like that in schools across the world.
How many kids would consider themselves “bad” kids because that is the legacy we make for them?
Or how we label entire grade levels as “hard” groups or other awful titles and then wonder why they live up to it?
Words matter, actions matter, and the way we help children shape their identities in school to the point of where some are trying to succeed despite us is something to sit with, and then something to do something about.
Because as the mother of a child who felt unsafe at school due to bullying, who felt her teacher hated her in kindergarten, that was exactly the legacy she thought she should live up to. A child who didn’t belong, who was angry, who was broken.
And as a teacher who continues to screw up, despite her best intentions, I have realized that the least I can do is ask the very kids I teach whether they feel safe and respected and if they tell me no, then do something about it.
Because then, perhaps, we can change the narrative.
I came upon this blog post and found it very pertinent so I wanted to share. I think we sometimes forget the power that we hold in our hands. As we continue to build our individual classroom communities and our greater Roadrunner family please think about the ideas Pernille talks about. We won't always get it right, but the idea is that we are aware and that we always work to be better which is exactly what we want our students to do.
Assessing Student's Prior Knowlege
Click the link below for a great, quick article on Assessing Prior Knowledge.
Questions for Math Instruction
Click on the link for a very well laid out 100 questions that you can utilize to promote math discussions in your classroom.
PBIS corner
Reminders:
Remember to hand out tickets, tickets, tickets. We are establishing expected behaviors in all areas. The idea is to saturate the students with lots of tickets in the beginning and slowly begin to fade to what might be a "typical" level.
Lunch Room trophies will be in full effect this week. Classrooms will need to earn at least 3 trophies this week to earn free seating on Friday.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sept. 9-20 District fall FAST window open
Sept. 16--Jeans Day if participate in What School Means to Me
Sept. 23-Oct. 4 District fall FAST Math window open (can start now if you are ready)
Sept. 25 Fall conferences (3:40-6:20)
Sept. 26 Fall conferences (8:00-8:00)
Sept. 27 No school-Exchange Day
Riverside Roadrunners
Email: holcom@live.siouxcityschools.com
Location: 2303 Riverside Boulevard, Sioux City, IA, USA
Phone: 712-279-6811
Facebook: facebook.com/RiversideElementarySchool
Twitter: @riversidek5