Hello to all and welcome to my very first blog! Please bear with me as I learn the ropes about blogging. Never tried this before but there's a first time for everything, I hear.
The book I selected (as many of you did also) is Reading Essentials by Regie Routman. At first glance, it resembled many other similar texts that I have read over the years as I tried to implement various strategies into my reading instruction. The first chapter grabbed a hold on me just by the title, "Simplify Your Teaching Life." I really wish I could simplify my entire life I thought, but maybe if I start with just one aspect it will have a carryover effect. So that's my goal for this course- I hope to do more by doing less. Regie states that if we want to get our student's excited about literacy then we have to love coming to work and know how to make the curriculum relevant to their lives. She goes on to say that "none of this is possible if we are exhausted from an overstuffed curriculum with no time to collaborate, reflect, and renew ourselves." Amen, Sister, I say!!
The best advice this book has given me so far is that we must bond with all of our students if any learning is to occur. Our students need to know we care, respect and value them as learners and human beings. They want us to listen to them and have faith in them. They need us to provide optimal learning conditions and keep them safe from harm. Once we connect with each and every student and reach into their hearts then we have the opportunity to enter their minds and work our magic. And last but not least, we must bring joy into our classrooms and enjoy the time we spend with them. So here's to a teaching life that is "saner, smarter and stress-free." I hope you will join me.
Patrice
The book I selected (as many of you did also) is Reading Essentials by Regie Routman. At first glance, it resembled many other similar texts that I have read over the years as I tried to implement various strategies into my reading instruction. The first chapter grabbed a hold on me just by the title, "Simplify Your Teaching Life." I really wish I could simplify my entire life I thought, but maybe if I start with just one aspect it will have a carryover effect. So that's my goal for this course- I hope to do more by doing less. Regie states that if we want to get our student's excited about literacy then we have to love coming to work and know how to make the curriculum relevant to their lives. She goes on to say that "none of this is possible if we are exhausted from an overstuffed curriculum with no time to collaborate, reflect, and renew ourselves." Amen, Sister, I say!!
The best advice this book has given me so far is that we must bond with all of our students if any learning is to occur. Our students need to know we care, respect and value them as learners and human beings. They want us to listen to them and have faith in them. They need us to provide optimal learning conditions and keep them safe from harm. Once we connect with each and every student and reach into their hearts then we have the opportunity to enter their minds and work our magic. And last but not least, we must bring joy into our classrooms and enjoy the time we spend with them. So here's to a teaching life that is "saner, smarter and stress-free." I hope you will join me.
Patrice
Hi Patrice,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post so much! I love the conversational tone you wrote it in and it helped me to get to know you as a person better as well as what you thought about the Routman text. Like you, I'd love to simplify my life in general, not just my teaching life. You shared how Routman's suggestions of really putting first things first and focusing on bonding with our students and getting to know them and working to protect the time we spend with them as readers and writers can help us being the important work of growing readers and creating a community of book lovers! I am with you sister!
Great blog! Not only a good reflection of what you had read, but also a motivation "speech" of sorts! Good job!
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteI would love to simplify my entire life as well. Thanks for this post. It makes me realize that I'm not alone in feeling this way!!! :) I am praying this will carry over with me as well.
One of my favorite things to do is to bond with my students. I learn so much about them and they learn things about me as well.
I have learned the type of books they love, the things they love in their lives, and this has helped me create a better classroom library just for them!! Here's to bonding and making readers for life!!
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteI would love to simplify my entire life as well. Thanks for this post. It makes me realize that I'm not alone in feeling this way!!! :) I am praying this will carry over with me as well.
One of my favorite things to do is to bond with my students. I learn so much about them and they learn things about me as well.
I have learned the type of books they love, the things they love in their lives, and this has helped me create a better classroom library just for them!! Here's to bonding and making readers for life!!
Your post really hit home for me this week about how our students must know we care, respect, and value them as learners for them to care about what we are teaching. I have a student that is a repeater and two years behind her age peers beginning to reach out to me. At first I didn't know if she was hugging me just to try to get to me because she is not the easiest student to teach, but after talking with her about some dress code issues I think she has made a connection with me. All it took was for me to talk to her about how she and I are alike. I hope I can start building more into this relationship.
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ReplyDeleteI am so glad you posted this Patrice. I had never blogged either and still after my 2nd blog am not sure if I am comfortable. I was just afraid to say. We all need to simplify our lives but I guess starting with our teaching lives works for me! So awesome..you are a great communicator!
ReplyDeletePatrice- you did a great job on your blog. Your tone is perfect! Bonding is so important with our students but is often pushed aside because it seems like wasted time to administrators or even to teachers. I have been guilty of that myself. Thanks for reminding me!
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