Welcome to the 2014/15 school year. I want to start off by telling you what I envision for this school year, what it means to me, and what it will mean to you and especially your child.
Throughout this school year we will have experiences that will bring us a sense of joy and accomplishment, and we will want to share these positive experiences with others. That’s how I feel about this upcoming school year, and the information I am about to communicate with you. Everything I am about to briefly explain to you is information I used to guide my planning for this school year, plans that make me enthusiastic and delighted to experience this year with all of you.
The most important thing we will do this year is reflect. My goal as a teacher and leader is to have all students become self-aware and begin to find and navigate their inner consciousness. Learning how to reflect will become the tool we use to achieve this goal and encourage ourselves to be more confident, and true to ourselves. Each student will discover they are REMARKABLE and their actions make a difference. This will be the most important lesson they learn this year.
I will guide students as they realize that the choices they make has an effect on the environment around them, and how to appreciate/use their skills to maximize the success in our classroom. Students need to be shown how to do this so that they focus on their strengths, and capabilities. That’s how I envision this school year: together learning how to reflect, and accept feedback in an encouraging learning environment.
Although I am not an expert in this field, I have spent the summer reflecting on my practices and how to make our learning environment safe and successful for ALL students. I will use my strengths to help all students grow and accept constructive feedback to help improve our classroom. Spending time reflecting allowed me to become a more confident, and capable leader, and I want the same thing for the students- to know themselves and their power. Therefore we will focus on what they can be with what they have.
Because this is our goal, I have spent time planning lessons and daily routines that will model these behaviors. For example, every morning will begin with a simple yoga/meditation routine, which will allow us to start the day on a calm and positive note while focusing on our bodies and mental state. We will study musicians, scientists, etc. who dedicate their lives and careers to understanding and helping humans be the best they can be. We will have a monthly fitness and health goal, to be aware of how our mind and body work together. These lessons are designed so reflecting is integrated into students’ behaviors and becomes a habit. I believe this will allow our classroom energy to be motivating and allow students to creatively accomplish their goals.
This transformation will not happen over night and will be an ongoing effort. With our positive experiences we will also have tough days, where learning how to change our outlook/attitude will be challenging, but having the knowledge of reflecting will help us apply this tool. I encourage you to have your child share all the experiences they have in the classroom and make this apart of their daily routine, giving them multiple opportunities and places to reflect.
I look forward to growing and reflecting with students and families this year.
Throughout this school year we will have experiences that will bring us a sense of joy and accomplishment, and we will want to share these positive experiences with others. That’s how I feel about this upcoming school year, and the information I am about to communicate with you. Everything I am about to briefly explain to you is information I used to guide my planning for this school year, plans that make me enthusiastic and delighted to experience this year with all of you.
The most important thing we will do this year is reflect. My goal as a teacher and leader is to have all students become self-aware and begin to find and navigate their inner consciousness. Learning how to reflect will become the tool we use to achieve this goal and encourage ourselves to be more confident, and true to ourselves. Each student will discover they are REMARKABLE and their actions make a difference. This will be the most important lesson they learn this year.
I will guide students as they realize that the choices they make has an effect on the environment around them, and how to appreciate/use their skills to maximize the success in our classroom. Students need to be shown how to do this so that they focus on their strengths, and capabilities. That’s how I envision this school year: together learning how to reflect, and accept feedback in an encouraging learning environment.
Although I am not an expert in this field, I have spent the summer reflecting on my practices and how to make our learning environment safe and successful for ALL students. I will use my strengths to help all students grow and accept constructive feedback to help improve our classroom. Spending time reflecting allowed me to become a more confident, and capable leader, and I want the same thing for the students- to know themselves and their power. Therefore we will focus on what they can be with what they have.
Because this is our goal, I have spent time planning lessons and daily routines that will model these behaviors. For example, every morning will begin with a simple yoga/meditation routine, which will allow us to start the day on a calm and positive note while focusing on our bodies and mental state. We will study musicians, scientists, etc. who dedicate their lives and careers to understanding and helping humans be the best they can be. We will have a monthly fitness and health goal, to be aware of how our mind and body work together. These lessons are designed so reflecting is integrated into students’ behaviors and becomes a habit. I believe this will allow our classroom energy to be motivating and allow students to creatively accomplish their goals.
This transformation will not happen over night and will be an ongoing effort. With our positive experiences we will also have tough days, where learning how to change our outlook/attitude will be challenging, but having the knowledge of reflecting will help us apply this tool. I encourage you to have your child share all the experiences they have in the classroom and make this apart of their daily routine, giving them multiple opportunities and places to reflect.
I look forward to growing and reflecting with students and families this year.