Teach. Stop. Reflect.

I am trying my best to remember, the more communication, the better! In order to have a great head-start, I began the year by going to EACH teacher's classroom to introduce myself and discuss the first week's plans.  This only took about 5 minutes per teacher, and it was a great way to get to know them better and let them know that I'd be there to support them no matter what! When my team was ready to roll-out our Title services, I held a fifteen minute after school meeting .  This ensured that everyone was hearing the same information at once, and allowed teachers to have a chance to ask any questions they were having.  (I know you see the candy...Candy always helps!) A few days before, I put a cute little reminder in their mailboxes! :)  Like I said...the more communication, the better!  We all have busy lives, so extra reminders are always helpful!

One thing I've learned is to TRY EVERYTHING OUT before you do it!   Our new initiative this year was to try out Classroom Dojo.  Our plan was to have our students bring their chromebooks on the first day of LLI, so they could sign up on Classroom Dojo right then and there.  Thank GOODNESS one of my TAs suggested we try it out ourselves first, because it didn't work!  Had our students come to LLI on the first day with their chromebooks, it would have been a disaster!  Plus, we are each in different locations in the building, so we would have been walking back and forth just to tell each other that Dojo wasn't working.  What a mess it would have been!

I believe in alignment!  My team and I need to be on the same page if we want to make sure that we're implementing our intervention with fidelity.   So, one of the things we decided to do is an  LLI "Kick-Off Presentation" .   This allowed us make sure ALL the students knew our expectations, and our expectations were the same regardless of who was teaching who. We also decided upon how we wanted to implement behavior rewards, birthdays, LLI rewards, and more.  We did EVERYTHING together, so we would all be on the same page.  The students will be receiving the same instruction, so we will have a good idea of how each student is progressing.   By allowing my TAs to take charge during these alignment meetings, it helped them take ownership of the program.  It helped build our team by hearing from their own colleagues rather than always hearing from me.   In the long-run, we came up with some of our best ideas yet ...

I have a VERY reluctant reader!  He's discouraged and doesn't want to be part of my reading group.  Because of this, he can be defiant at times. SO, I went home and did some thinking.  I thought about how he needs encouragement and motivation.  If I don't make reading fun for him, and make him feel more confident, he could slip through the cracks.  I will not give up on this kid! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 9-15-17 I tried so many different things!  What seems to be working best is building his confidence by using books that are either ON his level or a LITTLE bit lower.   In addition, I pre-write out words that I know will be difficult for him, and help him to sound them out.  We also focus on how long it will take him to get through the book by having a timer up.  Not scary- just information to show him how much faster he's getting over time! Also, we are doing a 1 minute fluency passage everyday- and...

I've already made a boo-boo in this area!  When I sent out our Title 1 permission slip forms, I did not add the Spanish version on the back.  I received a few emails requesting the Spanish version.  Although I was able to get one very quickly, it was a hassle for the families and for me!  I had to backtrack, which took time.  Time was wasted, when I could have just had it done right the first time! I'd like to make it a goal of mine to think more about Cultural Responsiveness AHEAD of time.  I could have saved myself and the families I work with a lot of headache.   Another issue with this letter was the fact that it looked like a permission slip, yet the bottom portion was to be filled out ONLY if they DENY services.  How confusing is that?  One of my TAs suggested that we add a part where they can deny or accept, but we all agreed that we didn't want to have to hunt down so many permission slips (we have about...

This year I've transitioned from being a general education classroom teacher (I've taught third, fourth and fifth grade) to being a Title 1 Teacher.  It's been AMAZING!  I get to work with a team of Teacher Aides, aka TAs, and we all work together to service grades K-3 in the area of reading. Throughout the day we pull out students and work with them in small groups (no more than 4 kids each).   As I reflect on this past week, I am reminded of the 4 phases of building a team.  I believe we have hit all four of them- and we are doing great!  I truly believe building relationships, setting expectations, and working as a TEAM help to make that "Storming" phase go by much faster, so you can make your way to Norming and Performing. Before the school year even began, I emailed my TAs to introduce myself.  I told them all about me and my background, and invited them to tell me anything about them.  It was a great way to learn about them before e...