I wanted to begin by saying thanks to everyone for making this first full week function as well as it did. It can be very challenging to come in after a long break and be attentive and engaged for three days of meetings. Throw on top of that Open House and this has been a very busy week. With that being said, I believe we have the systems in place to make this a great year at Excelsior Springs Middle School.
As we begin to settle in next week for our first full week of school, remember to maximize as much instructional time as you can during the class period. It’s always a good idea to be over-prepared these first couple of weeks so that you can avoid any down time that might lead to student problem behaviors. As you begin introducing lessons and start to actively engage students in their learning for the year, periodically take some time at the beginning of the hour to share with your class things that you have learned recently or over the summer. One expectation we have for all of our students is to be life-long learners and one way we can model this for them is to share learning experiences we have recently engaged in. This doesn’t need to be something that takes a huge chunk of time, but students respond positively when they see that their teacher is constantly learning as well. You can use this time to share something you have learned with them and move on, or you can use what you have learned to start a class discussion. No matter which you decide to do, try and make it a habit of sharing new learning with your students.
As we begin to settle in next week for our first full week of school, remember to maximize as much instructional time as you can during the class period. It’s always a good idea to be over-prepared these first couple of weeks so that you can avoid any down time that might lead to student problem behaviors. As you begin introducing lessons and start to actively engage students in their learning for the year, periodically take some time at the beginning of the hour to share with your class things that you have learned recently or over the summer. One expectation we have for all of our students is to be life-long learners and one way we can model this for them is to share learning experiences we have recently engaged in. This doesn’t need to be something that takes a huge chunk of time, but students respond positively when they see that their teacher is constantly learning as well. You can use this time to share something you have learned with them and move on, or you can use what you have learned to start a class discussion. No matter which you decide to do, try and make it a habit of sharing new learning with your students.