Dos Rios Elementary
Weekly Rocket * November 13, 2017
Principal's PLC-Connection
11 Habits of an Effective Teacher - Edutopia
I really appreciate teachers who are truly passionate about teaching. The teacher who wants to be an inspiration to others. The teacher who is happy with his/her job at all times. The teacher who every child in the school would love to have. The teacher kids remember for the rest of their lives. Are you that teacher? Read on and learn 11 effective habits of an effective teacher.
1. ENJOYS TEACHING
Teaching is meant to be a very enjoyable and rewarding career field (although demanding and exhausting at times!). You should only become a teacher if you love children and intend on caring for them with your heart. You cannot expect the kids to have fun if you are not having fun with them! If you only read the instructions out of a textbook, it's ineffective. Instead, make your lessons come alive by making it as interactive and engaging as possible. Let your passion for teaching shine through each and everyday. Enjoy every teaching moment to the fullest.
2. MAKES A DIFFERENCE
There is a saying, "With great power, comes great responsibility". As a teacher, you need to be aware and remember the great responsibility that comes with your profession. One of your goals ought to be: Make a difference in their lives. How? Make them feel special, safe and secure when they are in your classroom. Be the positive influence in their lives. Why? You never know what your students went through before entering your classroom on a particular day or what conditions they are going home to after your class. So, just in case they are not getting enough support from home, at least you will make a difference and provide that to them.
3. SPREADS POSITIVITY
Bring positive energy into the classroom every single day. You have a beautiful smile so don't forget to flash it as much as possible throughout the day. I know that you face battles of your own in your personal life but once you enter that classroom, you should leave all of it behind before you step foot in the door. Your students deserve more than for you to take your frustration out on them. No matter how you are feeling, how much sleep you've gotten or how frustrated you are, never let that show. Even if you are having a bad day, learn to put on a mask in front of the students and let them think of you as a superhero (it will make your day too)! Be someone who is always positive, happy and smiling. Always remember that positive energy is contagious and it is up to you to spread it. Don't let other people's negativity bring you down with them.
4. GETS PERSONAL
This is the fun part and absolutely important for being an effective teacher! Get to know your students and their interests so that you can find ways to connect with them. Don't forget to also tell them about yours! Also, it is important to get to know their learning styles so that you can cater to each of them as an individual. In addition, make an effort to get to know their parents as well. Speaking to the parents should not be looked at as an obligation but rather, an honour. In the beginning of the school year, make it known that they can come to you about anything at anytime of the year. In addition, try to get to know your colleagues on a personal level as well. You will be much happier if you can find a strong support network in and outside of school.
5. GIVES 100%
Whether you are delivering a lesson, writing report cards or offering support to a colleague - give 100%. Do your job for the love of teaching and not because you feel obligated to do it. Do it for self-growth. Do it to inspire others. Do it so that your students will get the most out of what you are teaching them. Give 100% for yourself, students, parents, school and everyone who believes in you. Never give up and try your best - that's all that you can do. (That's what I tell the kids anyway!)
6. STAYS ORGANIZED
Never fall behind on the marking or filing of students' work. Try your best to be on top of it and not let the pile grow past your head! It will save you a lot of time in the long run. It is also important to keep an organized planner and plan ahead! The likelihood of last minute lesson plans being effective are slim. Lastly, keep a journal handy and jot down your ideas as soon as an inspired idea forms in your mind. Then, make a plan to put those ideas in action.
7. IS OPEN-MINDED
As a teacher, there are going to be times where you will be observed formally or informally (that's also why you should give 100% at all times). You are constantly being evaluated and criticized by your boss, teachers, parents and even children. Instead of feeling bitter when somebody has something to say about your teaching, be open-minded when receiving constructive criticism and form a plan of action. Prove that you are the effective teacher that you want to be. Nobody is perfect and there is always room for improvement. Sometimes, others see what you fail to see.
8. HAS STANDARDS
Create standards for your students and for yourself. From the beginning, make sure that they know what is acceptable versus what isn't. For example, remind the students how you would like work to be completed. Are you the teacher who wants your students to try their best and hand in their best and neatest work? Or are you the teacher who couldn't care less? Now remember, you can only expect a lot if you give a lot. As the saying goes, "Practice what you preach".
9. FINDS INSPIRATION
An effective teacher is one who is creative but that doesn't mean that you have to create everything from scratch! Find inspiration from as many sources as you can. Whether it comes from books, education, Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, blogs, TpT or what have you, keep finding it!
10. EMBRACES CHANGE
In life, things don't always go according to plan. This is particularly true when it comes to teaching. Be flexible and go with the flow when change occurs. An effective teacher does not complain about changes when a new principal arrives. They do not feel the need to mention how good they had it at their last school or with their last group of students compared to their current circumstances. Instead of stressing about change, embrace it with both hands and show that you are capable of hitting every curve ball that comes your way!
11. CREATES REFLECTIONS
An effective teacher reflects on their teaching to evolve as a teacher. Think about what went well and what you would do differently next time. You need to remember that we all have "failed" lessons from time to time. Instead of looking at it as a failure, think about it as a lesson and learn from it. As teachers, your education and learning is ongoing. There is always more to learn and know about in order to strengthen your teaching skills. Keep reflecting on your work and educating yourself on what you find are your "weaknesses" as we all have them! The most important part is recognizing them and being able to work on them to improve your teaching skills.
There are, indeed, several other habits that make an effective teacher but these are the ones that I find most important. Many other character traits can be tied into these ones as well.
LAST WORD: There is always something positive to be found in every situation but it is up to you to find it. Keep your head up and teach happily for the love of education!
This post was created by a member of Edutopia's community. If you have your own #eduawesome tips, strategies, and ideas for improving education, share them with us.
Mrs. Annamarie Dowling-Garrott
Please be encouraged... "It works if you work it."
Weekly Launch Codes
Week-at-a-Glance
Top Pilots
- Crystal Atkins
- Kelly DeRosier
- Becca Garvey
- Patrick Meyers
- Kathleen Simmons
Thank you to Grace Campbell for taking on our after school SEaL Sessions and to Kathy Simmons for facilitating our Saturday Session.
Sickness cannot keep them down. We want to acknowledge the incredible dedication of:
- Anahi Ganzalez
- Shannon Haley
- Wendy Hoskins
... who was caught planning Wednesday night in spite of fevers and coughs at the local Starbucks.
Castro's Corner
Weekly Discipline Data (Week of 10/30)
- Out of School Suspensions (OSS): 3 (1 LTS)
- In School Suspensions (ISS): 3
Take a moment to stop by the bulletin board on the wall on you wall in to the mailbox room and look at our student discipline and attendance data. We saw an improvement in student attendance. Thank you for continuing to encourage our students to come to school. Student attendance is counted towards our school label. Congratulations Mrs. Kharbanda’s class for having the highest number students with perfect attendance.
PBIS STRATEGIES
Teachers favor strategies that work for other teachers. Therefore, the following list is a description of six teacher-recommended, proactive, proven PBS strategies.
Strategy 1: Alter the Classroom Environment
Teachers can remove or modify environmental conditions within their classrooms that trigger challenging behaviors in a number of ways.
ACCOMMODATE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS. Information gathering may indicate that individual students' behavior is linked to environmental triggers. Students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for example, should be seated away from noisy, high-traffic areas. For students who are easily distracted, consider the use of a study carrel or a quiet learning center(s), clearly defined work areas that students can "cycle through" in a predictable sequence. Clearly defined work spaces (e.g., learning centers, study carrels, or carpet squares when children sit on the floor) help define each student's space. Deaf students or those who are hard of hearing should be placed near the front of the class. Consider also having light on your face for students who lip read and providing students with swivel chairs so they can more easily follow conversation. Portable bulletin boards and other devices may absorb distracting sounds. Some students--for example, students with autism--may be highly sensitive to bells, other loud noises, or other sensory stimuli such as particular perfumes, body odors, or particular colors. Providing a noise-sensitive student, for example, with earphones to wear during periods when the noise level is high will neutralize the effects of noise and thus minimize the likelihood of the behavior.
CONSIDER ROOM ARRANGEMENT. Learning centers need to have adequate space and be placed far enough apart so that activity and noise levels in one center are not disruptive to students in a neighboring center.
CONSIDER TRAFFIC PATTERNS. Too much or too little space may be problematic. Too much space may encourage young students to run, whereas too little space can lead to disruptive bumpings and knockings. (The checklist in Figure 3 includes some classroom environmental variables that may affect challenging behavior.)
http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=gse_fac
Tier I Interventions for Defiant
Before you start, a few important points:
- Try multiple interventions
- Each intervention should be tried for a minimum of 4 weeks, & more than 1 intervention may be implemented at the same time
- Collect and track specific data on each intervention tried & its effect
- If your data indicates no progress after a minimum of 6 months, you may consider moving to tier 2 interventions
Interventions:
- Acknowledging positive behavior
- Avoid power struggles
- Clear and concise directions
- Clear, consistent, and predictable consequences
- Give choices
- More structured routine
- Praise when cooperative and well behaved
- Praise when good attitude and involvement occur
- Rewards, Simple Reward Systems, & Incentives
- Teach conflict resolution skills
- Teach coping skills
- Teach relationship skills
- Teach relaxation techniques
- Teach social skills
- Use calm neutral tone