With July in the rear view mirror and a brand new school year just ahead later this month, today I officially began getting my game face on to prepare for the upcoming year. Due to the fact that I have switched schools over the summer, that means I have to move into another new classroom for the third time in two years....oh joy.Above is my new classroom at Woodland Junior High before I moved my stuff in. I have really been looking forward to this day for a couple of weeks now and I'm also looking forward to the challenge of a new year and school. This really got me thinking about the excitement that goes along with returning to school. This is an excitement that is shared with teachers and students alike.
My Twitter page is full of comments from teachers that talk about school supplies, preparing classrooms, attending workshops, and preparing curriculum on a daily basis. Seeing this type of positive reaction to school is really refreshing. To me it is really cool hear from professionals, that have basically had two months vacation, become very excited about returning to work....what other profession can boast such a claim?
As I continue to prepare my classroom, blog, and my NEW social network for the upcoming year I can't help but get excited about the all the possibilities that a new school year brings. There is something revitalizing about starting the year with a clean slate....sure it may be the same curriculum and many of the same lessons, but there is a certain excitement that teaching offers. Every year is a new beginning and that helps provide for an enjoyable working environment....so, what is YOUR favorite part about a new school year?
Mr. McClung
Orginally posted at: mcclungsblog.blogspot.com
4 comments:
Success in school is so much easier for students who are organized. Keeping their schedule up to date and all their work in one place can provide room in their busy brains for critical thinking and studying, instead of wasting time or losing work. Check out Office Live Workspace for a great back to school tool. It offers users the ability to create, save, access, and share documents and files online for free. There is even a plug-in for MS Office that lets users save files to their online Workspace directly from their Office applications. That way, it automatically backs up the file online, and it can be easily accessed from any other computer with internet access. Never worry about students forgetting papers at home or being unaware of due dates. Using Workspace also gives students great experience using the internet as an educational tool!
Cheers,
Kate
MSFT Office Live Outreach Team
http://www.workspace.officelive.com
http://www.facebook.com/officelivestudent
@Kate,
Thanks for the information, but I use Google docs with my class.
wmchamberlain
I have found that starting 'afresh' as it was is both challenging and rewarding... having moved schools I have found a challenge to introduce the students to new material but also to challenge myself to not repeat things that I have done in the past. If anything on reflection I spent too long at my previous schools (six years each at two) and should have shifted more regularly, having just been at a new school for six months I can feel myself wanting to spread my wings....
Well, I like to redo my course and include things I don't know about but can learn along with my students. I think it is critical that I be a learner also. I am always trying to model being a learner, not a teacher. That's why I say so often: "I dont' know, let's find out! (emphasis on the US even though the u is missing).
I have just added grou.ps to my list of "new things to learn." It is now part of a new series of collaborative presentations that my students will have to make this year on new tools (or unfamiliar tools).
Thanks, Mr. McClung (and Mr. Chamberlain)!
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