Preparing at the Homefront too!
It is Sunday, August 10th and it seems the upcoming school year has me in my "prepare the homefront" mood. It is that time in the year, which I have done for over 20 years now throughout my career in education, of insuring there is enough toilet paper, noodles, toothpaste, frozen meals, etc in the house so that I don't have to sweat over the small stuff when the hussle and bussle of the new year begins. How are you preparing for the new year? Any great ideas to share!
Then when the first day comes, I rest assured that pictures will be taken on the front porch and the evenings meal will be in a diner so the focus can be on how Kyle, my son's, first day of the new year went and I can share some stories about the adventures of my first day. I have a picture of Kyle in a lounge chair on our back porch from Kindergarten, Lineville, Bay View and Bay Port on the first day of each new beginning. He thinks it is silly but it is close to my heart. A child moves so quickly through those years. They are traditions that I savor.
What yearly traditions have been a part of your career if you have been teaching or if you are new to the field, what traditions will you establish with your first year or if you have a child starting school or transitioning to a new school (college perhaps) what will your new traditions be? Traditions help create memories and provide security to a family. Let's share our ideas.
Here are some interesting reads that I found as I was reading some other blogs to gather some ideas. Check out "Organize Yourself for the New School Year" on the DisneyFamily.com site.
Kath
PS Feel free to ask how to post your own items on this blog or ask for assistance in how to comment or get on the blog. It is new for all of us.
2 comments:
This is an exciting time of year where teachers can help shape the tone of their classroom by the first few days of school. Here is a blog post by an elementary teacher explaining how she uses Community Circles and Class Meetings to build community in her classroom. There are also some great links at the bottom with more resources. http://k6educators.about.com/od/classroommanagement/a/communitycircs.htm
I loved the "simple rewards" suggestions on the site Sharon suggested (http://k6educators.about.com/od/classroommanagement/a/simplerewards.htm). My fav's were:
1- hand stamp
2- thumbs up
3- Good phone call home
Secondly, I added a "Non-verbal way(s) to quiet my students" to my repertoire after reading the suggestions:
1- Music box- wind it in a.m.- when off task let it play briefly.
Thanks! -Julia
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