Daily Assignment

Well, it's that time of year.  Where to begin?  What do I need to begin?  How do I setup my classroom?  Where should I put the teacher's/students' desk? How do I create a learning environment?  How do I greet the students/parents on the first day?  How should I handle a child crying on the first day?  How do I get the parents out of the classroom on the first day so I can begin?  What do I say at a parent conference?  So many questions.  HELP!!!

I would like to help you.  I would like to share, with you, my 34 years of teaching experience.  I have taught grades 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6.  I have also been an educational consultant for 18 years.  I taught a graduate course on effective teaching to K-12 teachers.  I retired in June 2010 and would now like to share my knowledge and skills with you.

If you have a question or a concern about teaching, I can help.  So, I hope you will take advantage of my knowledge and experience.

On Sundays I will post a new strategy, structure, routine or problem/solution that you can experiment with throughout the week.  
For example: What is the first thing I should do before the first day of school?

Get a class list with the students' addresses, parent contact information and birthdates (to be used later).  Write a welcome letter to your students.  Let the students know how excited you are about the school year and being their teacher.  Include something that they should look for on the first day when they come in, e.g. something special/new in the classroom.  Also, include a letter to the parents describing a typical school day(schedule), supplies their child will need for the first day, your contact info, a routine, e.g. snacks, birthday celebrations, dropoff and pickup procedures and how much you are looking forward to working with them to support their child's learning.

I hope you will let me know how the strategies you experiment with from this blog are going.  I want to help you build your repertoire for teaching.

Best Effort,
Linda103