What Will I Do Differently?

Well, this is the 4th post of the week, and the 2nd of the day.  And I blame it all on Kim @ Finding JOY in 6th Grade.
 
She is hosting her FIRST LINKY PARTY, and because she has been so encouraging to me, I am going to try to make it my first LINKY party.   Oy, I hope this works:)

1.  For some insane reason, for the last two years, I have had to go to week-long trainings the week of BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT!  This next school year, they have promised me that it will not happen again.  It seems like ages since I was able to WOW the parents at the start of the year.  It sets the tone for the year, and I wasn't even there for the last one.  Instead of being that fantastically organized teacher who knows her stuff, I was the chick that wasn't even there for it.  Not a great first impression:(  I have some tricks and ideas up my sleeve that I will share when we get closer to it!
2.  This one goes with the first, but beyond Back-To-School Night. 
    • Goal-setting conferences with parents and students in the first month.
    • One late afternoon every 2 weeks will be designated as "office hours" for drop in chats.
    • Use Edmodo or a blog to communicate with parents regarding lessons/units and classroom management on a regular basis.
    • At least 3 positive notes and phone calls a week - sometimes, I get tunnel vision about the ones that misbehave.
    • Call parents about behavior BEFORE it becomes a real problem.
 Some of these seem like no-brainers, but the majority of our parents are Spanish speakers and our translators are scarce.  I have to make more of an effort this year...
3.  One of the problems with Read 180 is that it is not big on writing anything beyond paragraphs.  Not to mention that writing with my kids is painful and slow.  I have some great frames for Perfect Paragraphs (which I will share in a later post:), but we seldom get to a multi-paragraph essay.  I want them to write daily in a journal, and do WEEKLY WRITING ASSIGNMENTS, even if it means deviating from "the program."  Hopefully, there aren't any Read 180 spies out there....shhhhhh!

And my last one seems more like a personal goal...
4.  This last year was tough, and I baked more than I worked out.  Consequently, I didn't feel strong and fit.  When I work out in the morning before work, the morning goes so much better.  The normal stresses of the day roll right off me after a morning workout, and that means that I am a better balanced teacher.  It is a win-win situation if teacher takes care of herself!

Okay blogland peoples, you need to help me stay focused on my goals!  And remind me of them if I post anymore pictures of baked goodies (not that I might go underground with my baking:)!  What are your goals?  Go on over to Kim's blog and link up to share your goals!

joyin6th Homepage
Oh my gosh!  I think I did it!


17 comments

  1. I found your blog through the linky party and I'm your newest follower! Welcome to blogland!

    Melissa
    Wild About Fifth Grade

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    1. Thank you! I was just about to go over and leave you a little thank you for linking up with me:) I am having so much fun trying to figure everything out, just need to remind myself that it is a work in progress.

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  2. I need to work out more too! :) And I think I'm totally stealing your book organizer idea.


    Lauren
    Life In Middle School

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    1. I promise no more baking (well NO is pretty harsh, maybe I will just cut back:). Let me know when you want to go to Ikea. And I expect lavish praise to be heaped upon me tomorrow for my blogging cleverness:)

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  3. I like your goal of having your students write more. The middle school that I teach at uses Literacy Collaborative for our main language arts teaching framework, but we also have Read 180 for about 15 students in 7th-8th grade, so I am familiar with it and agree with you about the writing aspect. Students need time to write about what they want to write about and become writers of all different genres! I'm glad I found your blog through the linky party! :)

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    1. I am glad you found my blog too! There is not enough space for me to tell you everything I love about Read 180, it is really just the writing portion that is lacking. Admin is really trying to help me out next year by giving me an extra period with them. So, there should be time for more writing next year:)

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  4. Love all your ideas. I completely agree with your idea on communicating with parents. It's hard to stay in contact with parents unless there's a problem. I love that you set a goal of three communications a week. Good luck with all your goals.


    Becky
    Musings from the Foreign Teacher

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    1. Thanks! I love being able put them out there where lots of people see them. A whole level of accountability.

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  5. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier. I'm excited to have found your blog! I'm a new follower. I love your goals, getting kids to write is such a great thing (even if your program doesn't allow for it.)

    Hunter's Tales from Teaching

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    1. Well thank you! While we were cleaning out our classrooms today, my follower Read 180 teacher and I were talking back and forth today about parent communication ideas. The linky was such a good idea:)

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  6. Love using Edmodo! You should stop by my blog to see how I use it with parents and my students. I am your newest follower.

    ericashep.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you so much! Your end of the year projects look great!

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  7. These are all great goals for next year! I love that you want your kiddos to write more....that topic is near and dear to my heart! Have a great summer!

    Jennifer
    Mrs. Laffin's Laughings

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    1. Write, write, write is my motto for next year! Thank you, loved your blog!

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  8. Thanks for leaving me a comment -- I'm excited to have connected with you through the linky! Your goals for next year sound great, and from the looks of your other posts, it seems that you're doing some great organizing (and baking!). I'm happy to be your newest follower!

    Alison
    Eberopolis: Teaching Reading & Writing with Technology

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    1. No thank you! You are number 10 - I am in the double digits (picture me doing my happy dance:)! Your paperless posts kept my mind churning today! And in tomorrow's post, I am going to credit you with sparking my genius idea! This blogging thing rocks:)

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  9. I just found your blog through the linky party and I am your newest follower, lucky #13!!! So glad I found your blog. I think we could be twins as far as the OCD goes ;)! You have lots of great goals for next year :)! Looking forward to following your blog and hearing more from a middle school teacher :)!
    Sent From My iPad

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