Countdown

Tomorrow at 8am I will be welcomed by my new administration and my mentor! That gives me just 15 hours. Then I begin another school year, another year of teaching. I actually was at my school all week this week. I was teaching a writing class to a group of teachers at my new school. I was teaching right across the hall from my new classroom. Yet, I was so focused (distracted) by the class, that I did NOTHING to set up the new room. I only taught from 12-3pm so I could have taken some time and got started. I think part of me feels a little numb by this new move to classroom teacher. Another part of me is probably overconfident in my teaching ability. Lots of teachers have been in to get their room set up. I feel strongly that I am NOT going to decorate without my students helping. It is OUR room and together we need to co-construct the spaces. I guess I do need to plan out the spaces and even plan out the first week of lessons I want to do for reading and writing workshop. And I want to take the idea that I am standing on the shoulders of the greats at TCRWP so I plan to hang up quotes to remind me of why I am teaching the way I am teaching.

• Writing can change the world - Lucy Calkins; I want to share her video during week 1 and do a writing on-demand the first day.
• You need to celebrate writing! - Lea Mercantani (my first small group instructor!); I want to publish I AM poems the first week! Then get busy on writing personal narratives.
• We need to use technology to produce! - Cornelius Miner; I want to send a tweet a day and maybe post the "trending" topics we are covering. This will be a way to connect to our families. I also want the kids to publish on a class blog.
• Talking it out shows you understand. - Ellin Keene; I want to give all a reading partner and a writing partner and time to turn and talk!
• How's it going? - Carl; I'll start all my conferences this way and not leave for the day unless all my conference notes are completed.
• When writing nonfiction/informational writing, it needs to be grounded in what we know. Then we research to fill in the holes - Colleen Cruz; I will follow Colleen's structure for teaching nonfiction writing unit!
• Students need to be taught the complexities of a text level - Jen Serravallo; I will push myself to know the nuances of each level and teach into the skills needed to move them the next level.
• As a reader, you need to build a reading life - Kathleen Tolan; I will ensure that ALL are growing as readers.

I feel better now thinking that I am not teaching 4th grade alone. I have a huge team to rely on for help and this team is SO smart!!