Reflections

It has been almost two months since my previous submission.

I'm not sure why. I suppose I had nothing to say.

Busy. Exams. End of the school year.

This is the time when teachers contemplate on their year. What did I do right? What did I do wrong? What will I change and what will I continue next year?

There are four things I have in mind to improve next year.

1. Balance IT. I resolve to temper my usage of the computer with tradition pen and paper activities. My students and parents are not ready for a paperless classroom quite yet. As well, I believe that writing with a pencil develops thinking skills that are different than those that come with keyboarding. It is not difficult to notice that modern students have lower attention spans, more distractions than previous generations. The notion of curling up for a few hours with a good book is almost inconceivable.

2. Cross-curricular literacy. Related to the previous topic, I resolve to have my students engage in more writing activities in other subject-areas. English should be the backbone of History and Geography. I hesitate to say that I will be teaching to the exam; however, I do want to acknowledge that it is my charge to prepare the students for the exam and I do want to take some proactive, pragmatic steps in this direction.

3. Observational measurement. I want to utilize a more structured, scientific approach towards student assessment. I want to find ways to collect student data in formalized manners. There is traditional testing, of course, but there are other ways too. I'm not very knowledgeable in this field. I will be attending a workshop concerning this topic in September. Solid assessment data is useful when interacting with parents and administrators.

4. Organization. Staying organized is the bane of every teacher. My organizational skills are not bad, but there is always room for improvement. Specifically, I intend to keep a binder for each subject that will mirror in content each student's binder.

For now, I resolve to relax, recharge, and enjoy summer.

Photo by James-Hetherington.