Hopefully by now you are on winter break or will be in the next few hours. If you are already on winter break, then you should be making sure to get some rest and relaxation.
This time of year is great for fresh starts. If you have already given some thoughts to your New Year's Resolutions then why not start them? If you want to lose weight now is the time to go to the gym when it is not so crowded. You can begin a habit now that will be easier to keep when school starts up again. This could be anything; reading more, sewing, learning a new language. Whatever your goals now is the time to start! By starting now you will be two weeks ahead. The same can be said for teaching. As I've said before, coming off a break is a great time to refresh rules and expectations. This long of a break is also a great time to begin implementing new things into your teaching. Think back to the beginning of the year and all the things you wanted to do until this or that got in the way. Think back to the professional development where you heard something that sparked your interest but have not yet have time to explore. Now is the time to move. If you can think of and plan two new techniques while you have an extra second then you will be ahead. Maybe they are not as difficult to do as you thought once you had time to think them through. Winter break is the time to relax and the time to act. I'm taking this time to work on getting my 10,000 steps per day and trying to incorporate new exercises into my gym routine. I also want to work more using the flash cards I have my students make for each unit. They make them and then we do not really revisit them. I also want to try and learn at least one MobyMax teaching strategy really well and that I can prepare relatively quickly. I would also like to work on a more efficient method of doing self reported grades. Those are my winter break resolutions. What are your's? Sneak out, Kyle
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"It's the most wonderful time of the year." Winter break! Finally about 2 weeks to decompress and reset.
But do you do that? This mid year break is intended to help students and teachers reset, relax, and refresh. Often times though teachers tend to take this time to target tasks that have yet to reach completion. Add in the hectic nature of the holidays and soon you find yourself out of time, exhausted, and hauling it back in to the classroom. Here is a formula to help. This formula does not include weekends and is based off a 10 day break; it goes as follows: 3 days for projects and errands 3 days for the holidays 3 days for doing nothing/doing something relaxing 1 spare day as needed Seems simple enough however you can not break these days down and use bits and pieces. You need to be fully present in each day. If it is a project day then that is all you do that day. If it is a holiday and you are spending time with your family and friends then make sure that you are mentally there and present and not worrying about projects or errands or to-do lists. Being present is the best present you can give. Whenever I have a break the first day is almost always a do nothing day. It is great to give you some space and breathing room to reset. I like to try and string together my project days to keep momentum going thus I am left with my holiday days and do nothing days. You set up your schedule in whatever is best suited to you. This is your homework: Be present in everything you do. Happy holidays! Sneak out, Kyle Recently I was watching a documentary about John Mayer on YouTube that caused me to do some thinking. Now I had this idea before about how a teacher needs to be a rock star/actor as part of his craft but this film made me color in that thesis some more.
There are 10 things that we can learn about teaching from John Mayer and how he shaped his career.
Here is to finding your inner rock star. Sneak out, Kyle Kids forget. Adults forget. A little reminder is always nice. Think about how many emails you receive about the same thing. If you supervisor/boss/assistant principal does it to you why don’t you treat your kids the same?
Odds are your kids where thinking about their Instagram follower number or who sent them a snapchat when you told them about an assignment or gave directions. Attention span definitely sees a decrease the closer breaks loom. Now is the time to remind your kids about everything; rules, procedures, assignments, and even simple directions. Patience is your best friend. The kids come to you to learn and you have to remember that they do not know if you do not teach them. Don’t assume they know anything. Sneak out, Kyle p.s. This is a sort of repeat of Post #8. See! It helps. Content is dead; long live skills. I love history. I am a history nerd. I will watch a documentary on pretty much anything. My love for history is why I became a social studies teacher. But I no longer really think of myself as a social studies teacher; I am just a teacher.
I started this school year at a new school and back in a high school classroom. I began the year by reflecting on what I wanted my kids to learn and be able to do when their time with me was done. None of my goals was social studies based. My goal was to prepare my kids for college by teaching them new and necessary skills to be successful. This goal could be found in any class no matter the content area. I only use social studies as a vehicle to get my students where they need to be. I repeat this goal to myself, I keep this goal in mind as I plan my lessons and assignments and I even remind my kids of my goal for them. I love history and could talk for ever about it but this will not prepare my kids. And if I am more concerned with showing them how smart am I when do they learn? Sneak out, Kyle |
AuthorKyle is a 34 year old teacher that loves James Bond, history, donuts, and sneakers. Archives
February 2021
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