Professional Development

Every August, the week before our students arrive, staff meets to discuss CST results, acclimate new teachers, review district-mandated professional development power point presentations,set goals for the school year, etc... While this time can be valuable, it is WAY too much information to process. Therefore, I have decided to "Zen-out" (a skill I learned while taking certain credential courses at CSUS) for some of the day to create head space to think about what I personally need to change this school year so that students can find success in my classroom.

In lieu of backward curriculum mapping, I think it is a good idea to start with where I want to end up and direct every step with that destination in mind.

I pose this question to myself: How do I want to develop professionally this year?

I want my classroom to be a place where those students who have chaos all around them can finally catch a break. At home there may be violence and abuse. In their mind there may be anxiety and loneliness. Will my students finally be able to catch the break they so desperately need, while still being held to standards of excellence? It is up to me to create a dichotomous environment of warmth and demandingness so that these students, who have experienced failure after failure and have been given up on time and again, feel safe enough to take the academic and social risks necessary for them to grow.

I want to become a "warm demander," which is a stance described by a great article we read today during the professional development (see, told you it has it's value!). A warm demander first shows students that they genuinely care and then that they won't accept any excuses for not meeting the expectations that have been clearly set for them both academically and behaviorally. They show students they care by demanding their very best. Some of my students have never had these kinds of expectations set for them before...I'll link up the article rather than continuing to describe it so that you can see what I'm striving for this school year.

I'll try to be reflective of my efforts as often as I can, and hopefully I will see results.