I Teach Students

A long time ago a wise person said, "When someone asks me what I teach I tell them students." Sure I am responsible for courses of study and content area, but I use those things to teach the children with which I work. Sure I use technology, but how does it help and affect the children in my classroom?

Sometimes when I get overwhelmed with planning, grading, reflecting, assessing, monitoring, preparing, analyzing...(and the list goes on...) I have to take a deep breath and remind myself why I put great effort into each of these tasks.

The children that were entrusted to me need me to

• plan effective and engaging lessons for them
• grade their work and plan for activities based on their strengths and weaknesses
• reflect on lessons taught to refine practices to aid them in their learning
• assess them on what they know, and then do something with that data
• monitor their progress, for they are more than a number
• prepare for activities so we don't waste precious time
• analyze their work, assessments, behavior, and my teaching so we can ALL grow as learners

but most importantly, they need me to spend time with them as learners, listen to them, work with them, and understand them so that I can facilitate their learning, and help them to grow into
successful third graders.

One of the best professional books I ever read was Reading Essentials by Regie Routman. I try to reread it every summer to prepare my heart and mind to go back to school. This book helps me put things in perspective so that I put my student, the learner at the forefront of what I do. If you haven't read it this is one, I'd recommend you put on your professional reading list.

Ginger