colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger
community to support students’ learning and
well-being.”
Josh Davis, who had just returned from serving in Iraq for a year, came to speak to our class. This was part of a service/writing project we were beginning with our students. He spoke about what his job was in Iraq, he explained why our country is over there, and the progess they have made and how they are helping the Iraqi people. He also showed pictures and shared stories about the Iraqi schools and children he had met. The children were captivated and loved asking questions.
We used the learned and practiced the writing process as we wrote letters to the service men and women in Iraq. LTC Sam Davis of Brigham City is serving in Iraq and eagerly agreed to recieve the letters and pass them out to others. It was amazing!!! 2 months later (the day before Christmas break) our class recieved 28 letters, one to each student, from Iraq. We spent a good part of the day sharing our letters as a class. Some of the letters included pictures and personal stories; some were so touching there were no dry eyes in the classroom. Our class made great friends throughout this experience and we became more aware of what is going on outside of our small community. The entire class shared how appreciative we were for the service and time away from their families each of these servicemen and women were giving, to not only our country but to others.
It is now tradition in our class that we invite parents to come in and share with us their family holiday traditions, tell us about the holiday in another place, or read a favorite holiday story with our class. The studetns absolutely love to share and invite parents into our class.
Utah Water Works visited our classroom and shared valuable information about the water cycle, and taking better care of our water. They particularly paid attention to the 4th grade science core. They brought a visual that really showed our class how the water cycle works and we were challenged with some follow-up activites. We also were able to see examples of the water cycle and do some hands-on actvities when the Utah Aquarium came to visit our 4th grade classes this fall.
I have 4 mothers who have commited to come in a certain day and time every week. One mother works with the students who are struggling with certain math concepts. She used to be a teacher and is excellent with her organization and teaching skills. A mother comes in to read with students one day, another mother comes in to do multiplication facts and pass them off with the students, and the other takes out the students who need to work on their sight words and phrases. They each know where their supplies are and they keep track of who the need to work with and their pass of charts. They do not need to stop me and ask me questions; they run their own systems. I am so lucky to have them to help with those things that usually "get set on the backburner" and never get taken care of.
While being at Discovery our school has become an active participant in the Gold Metal Schools program. Last year, when the studetns were introduced to the program I noticed a huge difference in their excitement to get outside and be active rather than sit inside and "be bored". Because of the very wet winter this year we haven't ran the mile quite as often but, as we are warming up we are getting outside and being more active!!! The students are thrilled about the little keychains they earn besides being healthier and more active.
reflection
I believe it is very important to build a strong relationship with each child and their parents. It was my goal 2 years ago to ask for and utilize parent volunteers. My first 2 years of teaching I asked for volunteers and was grateful to have them come in but I scrambled to find things for them to do when they arrived. It ended up being harder for me when they came in. I have set things up differently now and I am so happy with how it has been working. I feel like all my students benefit from the one-on-one they recieve and from the time in school they are able to pass off sight words and times tables.
Creating partnerships with the community is also very important. There are so many organizations and individuals who know much more about certain specialty areas than I do. My students have bennefited tremendously from the community members and their excitement and expertise.
I have seen teachers at our school who use a weekly newsletter to perfection . My goal is to have more communication with EVERY PARENT. I want to let them know what we are covering in every subject throughout the week and what specific homework their student will have...etc. I also would like to better and more frequently communicate what specific area their student is doing well and where they need to improve.
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