In this, my first post, I will attempt to provide the learners in my class, and their caregivers, a picture of who I am and what my class will look, feel, sound, and act like.
Even though I haven't met any of you at the time I am writing this, I have seen the class lists, and I remember a few of your older brothers and sisters from the time I spent at CPS from 2005 to 2009. I will do my best not to call you by your sibling's name! I am so excited to meet you for the first time and I can hardly wait for school to begin!
I love math and science. Now. When I was in school as a student, math was very very hard for me. It took me forever to learn the multiplication tables with fluency and automaticity. Some things in math, like learning addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts, are like jumping jacks - the more you practice, the better you'll get, and soon you will have it memorized. Some things in math require deeper thinking (like story problems!) and you will have to explain your answers. We will do some writing about our math thinking in math class, too! Click here to go to a sample of some math journal questions.
To get the most out of your learning, it is so important to eat right, get enough sleep, and to remain focused on the learning target tasks. When a learner is trying their hardest, showing persistence, and attempting the work with attention to quality, that means more to me than getting the "right" answer. If a learner is serious about learning and thinking, I can help with "wrong" answers. If a learner isn't serious about learning and thinking, I cannot. Here is a link to the way I manage behaviors in my classroom.
Even though I haven't met any of you at the time I am writing this, I have seen the class lists, and I remember a few of your older brothers and sisters from the time I spent at CPS from 2005 to 2009. I will do my best not to call you by your sibling's name! I am so excited to meet you for the first time and I can hardly wait for school to begin!
I love math and science. Now. When I was in school as a student, math was very very hard for me. It took me forever to learn the multiplication tables with fluency and automaticity. Some things in math, like learning addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts, are like jumping jacks - the more you practice, the better you'll get, and soon you will have it memorized. Some things in math require deeper thinking (like story problems!) and you will have to explain your answers. We will do some writing about our math thinking in math class, too! Click here to go to a sample of some math journal questions.
To get the most out of your learning, it is so important to eat right, get enough sleep, and to remain focused on the learning target tasks. When a learner is trying their hardest, showing persistence, and attempting the work with attention to quality, that means more to me than getting the "right" answer. If a learner is serious about learning and thinking, I can help with "wrong" answers. If a learner isn't serious about learning and thinking, I cannot. Here is a link to the way I manage behaviors in my classroom.