Reflection: Key to Successful Teaching
There are plenty of times throughout the calendar year where moments of pause and reflection are almost built in. The start of a new year or new month come to mind, perhaps the change of seasons. These little signposts along the road sometimes give us the push we need to take stock of all the goings on in our lives, and can encourage us to think about what's going well, what's not, and how to change or improve for the better.
My view on reflection shifted a bit as a result of my education. Thanks to some good fortune and hard work, I was able to attend the University of Vermont in the Masters of Teaching program. While there, I was a part of the "cohort" model of learning. This embedded fifteen people in a year-long student teaching experience, all while taking full schedule graduate coursework together. We saw a lot of each other; it was like MTV's old "Real World" show...although we were not living together, and were all a little bookish and intensely committed to nailing this whole teaching thing. Anyhow, the key component of this program focused on being reflective in our teaching practice, and not just waiting until the moment was right to do so. Our professors insisted that good teachers reflect all the time. Now, in the midst of a stressful graduate school experience, this often became fodder for jokes: Sam, how is your sandwich? "Let me chew, swallow, reflect, and get back to you... "
But, all joking aside, as I've gone along my way as a teacher, I've certainly come to see reflection as an absolutely essential part of doing my job well. In the classroom if something isn't going smoothly, or the children are losing interest and struggling, reflecting on the fly leads to changing the situation to accommodate their needs. Reflection means effective communication: talking to co-teachers or parents to figure how best to solve a problem, or provide more challenge or enrichment for a child. It means being frank and honest with yourself, sometimes the toughest task of all.
In the past week we have had even more cause for deliberate and thoughtful reflection. On Thursday night, the entire staff met to examine our core safety policies and procedures. This was a time for us to evaluate what we are doing well, and discuss areas for improvement. This is not unlike the reflection we do on a daily basis that ensures the best outcomes for the children, but to be sure, the moment was right for us to do so.
The truth is, in this line of work, you're never "done." "Teaching mastery" is a bit of an oxymoronic term. That is, there is always room to improve, to learn more, to try harder, and to ultimately pass that spirit on to the children. Is that exhausting? Yes. Worth it? Undoubtedly.
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: Over half of our class are now one! We have been catering our schedule and classroom set up to their need for exploration and movement. With two teachers, we are able to split the group up so that the older children can venture into Infant II to check out some of the larger climbing structures. The class also has a few children who are introducing solid foods into their diets. This process has been going very well and the children seemed interested in trying some of these new foods. Outdoors, our recent walkers have encountered challenges on the slippery ice. They are showing clever problem solving as well as determination as they work to stand, walk and generally move about.
Infant II: We had a great week in our classroom! A wonderful soul donated a bag of puzzles to the school and our kiddos loved them to (puzzled) pieces. Our 2 year olds continue to thrive on the back playground...climbing hills, navigating the ice, shoveling and socializing with the older children. Our younger ones have also been enjoying socializing with the Infant I kids in the morning. We continue to work on using manners in the classroom, specifically during mealtimes. We are also talking about self soothing skills and how to handle our feelings when we become frustrated or upset. This takes the shape of conflict resolution skills when negotiating with classmates as well.
Toddler I: This week we have been focused on how to behave in the context of the classroom. We've done this with emphasis on the basic rules: using quiet indoor voices, using walking feet, picking up after ourselves, and keeping our hands to ourselves. These four simple rules help eliminate many challenging behaviors, and this language can also be used by parents at home, or upon arrival or departures at school. On Wednesday morning we had a long stretch of time outdoors, we slid around the ice together and helped coach each other up the slippery and challenging hill. On Friday, the children took an active role in prepping the fruit salad. We talked about washing our hands to keep our germs out of the food, not "sampling" any of the fruit (Chefs don't sample! Okay, maybe they do, but don't tell the kids!) And, how to use our knives safely by curling our fingers and cutting away from ourselves. We had a couple students spend time visiting Toddler II this week, and more children still improving their work on the potty: fewer accidents, peeing on the potty for the first time, or wearing underwear for the first time.
Toddler II: This week the class spent time identifying letters on the light table. The children have been very interested in spelling their names, and there are a few that can do this! Another of the ways the children are practicing this is by taking out the mealtime place mats to spell the names aloud. We are showing tremendous independence in getting dressed. There is very little help from adults in this process, if at all. New words for us this week are "inhale" and "exhale." We know what these mean and continue to practice deep breathing during transition times. The class has been very polite when meeting new people, and introduce themselves and kindly ask the new person their name.
Pre-K: Last week we had a big trip to McCarthy's restaurant for cookies and cocoa. Our trips continue to be the highlight of the day. This week it was another journey to the mountain to ride the Over Easy, along with a library trip. At the library, it was everyone's favorite, "T for trains." We started work on paper trains and then continued assembling them back at school. We are working more as a group on kindness. We've seen a bit of an uptick in competitive behavior such as "I can get dressed faster." "My shirt is more beautiful than yours" and the like. To quell some of this, we are trying to compare instead of compete. We'd appreciate discussions about this at home to reinforce this message.
As Seen at MVS
Thanks for Reading
-Sam
There are plenty of times throughout the calendar year where moments of pause and reflection are almost built in. The start of a new year or new month come to mind, perhaps the change of seasons. These little signposts along the road sometimes give us the push we need to take stock of all the goings on in our lives, and can encourage us to think about what's going well, what's not, and how to change or improve for the better.
My view on reflection shifted a bit as a result of my education. Thanks to some good fortune and hard work, I was able to attend the University of Vermont in the Masters of Teaching program. While there, I was a part of the "cohort" model of learning. This embedded fifteen people in a year-long student teaching experience, all while taking full schedule graduate coursework together. We saw a lot of each other; it was like MTV's old "Real World" show...although we were not living together, and were all a little bookish and intensely committed to nailing this whole teaching thing. Anyhow, the key component of this program focused on being reflective in our teaching practice, and not just waiting until the moment was right to do so. Our professors insisted that good teachers reflect all the time. Now, in the midst of a stressful graduate school experience, this often became fodder for jokes: Sam, how is your sandwich? "Let me chew, swallow, reflect, and get back to you... "
But, all joking aside, as I've gone along my way as a teacher, I've certainly come to see reflection as an absolutely essential part of doing my job well. In the classroom if something isn't going smoothly, or the children are losing interest and struggling, reflecting on the fly leads to changing the situation to accommodate their needs. Reflection means effective communication: talking to co-teachers or parents to figure how best to solve a problem, or provide more challenge or enrichment for a child. It means being frank and honest with yourself, sometimes the toughest task of all.
In the past week we have had even more cause for deliberate and thoughtful reflection. On Thursday night, the entire staff met to examine our core safety policies and procedures. This was a time for us to evaluate what we are doing well, and discuss areas for improvement. This is not unlike the reflection we do on a daily basis that ensures the best outcomes for the children, but to be sure, the moment was right for us to do so.
The truth is, in this line of work, you're never "done." "Teaching mastery" is a bit of an oxymoronic term. That is, there is always room to improve, to learn more, to try harder, and to ultimately pass that spirit on to the children. Is that exhausting? Yes. Worth it? Undoubtedly.
Classroom Happenings
Infant I: Over half of our class are now one! We have been catering our schedule and classroom set up to their need for exploration and movement. With two teachers, we are able to split the group up so that the older children can venture into Infant II to check out some of the larger climbing structures. The class also has a few children who are introducing solid foods into their diets. This process has been going very well and the children seemed interested in trying some of these new foods. Outdoors, our recent walkers have encountered challenges on the slippery ice. They are showing clever problem solving as well as determination as they work to stand, walk and generally move about.
Infant II: We had a great week in our classroom! A wonderful soul donated a bag of puzzles to the school and our kiddos loved them to (puzzled) pieces. Our 2 year olds continue to thrive on the back playground...climbing hills, navigating the ice, shoveling and socializing with the older children. Our younger ones have also been enjoying socializing with the Infant I kids in the morning. We continue to work on using manners in the classroom, specifically during mealtimes. We are also talking about self soothing skills and how to handle our feelings when we become frustrated or upset. This takes the shape of conflict resolution skills when negotiating with classmates as well.
Toddler I: This week we have been focused on how to behave in the context of the classroom. We've done this with emphasis on the basic rules: using quiet indoor voices, using walking feet, picking up after ourselves, and keeping our hands to ourselves. These four simple rules help eliminate many challenging behaviors, and this language can also be used by parents at home, or upon arrival or departures at school. On Wednesday morning we had a long stretch of time outdoors, we slid around the ice together and helped coach each other up the slippery and challenging hill. On Friday, the children took an active role in prepping the fruit salad. We talked about washing our hands to keep our germs out of the food, not "sampling" any of the fruit (Chefs don't sample! Okay, maybe they do, but don't tell the kids!) And, how to use our knives safely by curling our fingers and cutting away from ourselves. We had a couple students spend time visiting Toddler II this week, and more children still improving their work on the potty: fewer accidents, peeing on the potty for the first time, or wearing underwear for the first time.
Toddler II: This week the class spent time identifying letters on the light table. The children have been very interested in spelling their names, and there are a few that can do this! Another of the ways the children are practicing this is by taking out the mealtime place mats to spell the names aloud. We are showing tremendous independence in getting dressed. There is very little help from adults in this process, if at all. New words for us this week are "inhale" and "exhale." We know what these mean and continue to practice deep breathing during transition times. The class has been very polite when meeting new people, and introduce themselves and kindly ask the new person their name.
Pre-K: Last week we had a big trip to McCarthy's restaurant for cookies and cocoa. Our trips continue to be the highlight of the day. This week it was another journey to the mountain to ride the Over Easy, along with a library trip. At the library, it was everyone's favorite, "T for trains." We started work on paper trains and then continued assembling them back at school. We are working more as a group on kindness. We've seen a bit of an uptick in competitive behavior such as "I can get dressed faster." "My shirt is more beautiful than yours" and the like. To quell some of this, we are trying to compare instead of compete. We'd appreciate discussions about this at home to reinforce this message.
As Seen at MVS
-Sam
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