It has certainly been a long time since I have written thoughts about education into a blog. You may know that last school year I returned back to the classroom after having the opportunity to be a secondary math specialist for four years prior. While I loved my role as a specialist this change back to the classroom and my family and I decided to move to a new state. I learned so much those four years and my six years in the classroom prior that I now apply to my everyday teaching. It was scary to walk back into a classroom that was my own, especially after the covid years, but I was pretty confident in all I had learned and experienced. I knew what I wanted my classroom to look like, sound like and feel like, and I certainly knew what I did not want it to become. Here are a few things that made my first year back to teaching so successful:
Instructional Strategies: I have so many instructional strategies in my toolbox to pull from at any given moment in a lesson. While I may not remember them all the time, it certainly helps in lesson planning or when I am seeking feedback from students in the moment. I have learned these strategies from a variety of sources such as kagan, thinking classroom, openmiddle, lead4ward, and CASEL. If you are a new teacher or one looking for some new ideas those websites as well as social media sites have provided me many learning opportunities.
Supplies: I have always been on the minimalist side in terms of supplies I have used in my classroom and with students. I never used to care about colored paper or frankly what a student uses to write with but I have changed my opinion on some of those. I still do not have a preference whether students use pencil or pen but I have found colored paper to be useful when creating stations, task cards, and other activities as well as for student creation of posters. The astrobrights paper is definitely worth the extra money! I also use mini whiteboards often as well as these dry erase pockets. The pockets allow me to reuse printed papers with all of my classes and save for the future. It also gives a sense of nonpermanency to students and are perfect to use with openmiddle problems or puzzles from mathequalslove.
Classroom Environment: I have always strived to have the classroom that students want to be in and learn in. Traditionally a math classroom does not have that warm and inviting atmosphere you find in an english or elementary classroom. I should clarify by saying I do not want my classroom to be where students want to take a nap but i also do not want it to feel sterile. I had graciously been gifted decorations from the teacher who was in my classroom prior to me as well as I added on with some posters and anchor charts. You do not need to spend a ton of money on decorations for your classroom, but a few pieces help give the space a personality helps. A set of string lights, a few curtains, or even some borders that have a color or theme really helps contribute to the room space.
Find yourself a team: Whether it be a mentor teacher, a grade level team, or some other new teachers to the building, having a team of teachers you can go to is extremely helpful. These people tremendously helped me feel comfortable with the new school and district policy and procedures. Moving to a new school makes you feel like a brand new teacher trying to learn all of the programs and systems the school uses. Be open to teachers offering their help and do not be afraid to ask questions.
I have so many more thoughts on my first year back in the classroom and ideas and strategies I used that made it so successful. Look for future posts on specifics of each and please ask any questions or details of those I referenced here. I am about to head back for my 12th year in education and am excited to take on some new responsibilities and courses!