Golden Circle

Why? I am a teacher because I wanted my career to provide joy and fulfillment in my life by making a difference in other people's lives.  

How? I invest myself into my students lives by making connections and learning about each individual child on a daily basis. 

What? Everyday I build relationships with my students and teach them lifelong skills such as teamwork, collaborating, how to read, social skills, problem solving, etc. 

Each morning I have a morning meeting with my students to to provide joy and community in my classroom. During this time students are developing their EQs (emotional quotients), as we all learn about one another and make connections to greet each other, share, and play games. I want each child to know that they matter and are important.  Morning meeting is a time where the students are developing social skills such as listening, collaborating, working as a team, and being respectful. All of these skills will be important as they grow and are out in the real world. 

#millennials

Social media is changing our world. When you are at stores, restaurants, sporting events, etc.  you often see people on their phones like the above picture. There is more communicating over social media than there is in person. 

Did you know that social media gives our bodies doses of dopamine? Today we are addicted to getting "likes" and "snaps" back to feel a sense of belonging. But, do we really feel the love and fulfillment in life from this? No, they only get an instant gratification but it does not help them build their self confidence. Social media is addictive and it is something that needs to be balanced in our lives. 

In my classroom, I want to teach my students the importance of creating relationships with one another. In the elementary setting, we are big on creating a community and building their social skills. I think this is important for the kids to learn. When it comes to technology, there needs to be a balance. Technology and social media is a great resource for the students, but it needs to be monitored and restricted so they don't become addicted. I provide my students with technology time but it is restricted to short amounts of time for each student and they are not using it every day in the classroom. Every week in my classroom, we have Fun Friday that is a time for the students to play. I have started letting my students go on the computers and ipads during this time, but I am no longer going to give them this option. Fun Friday needs to be a time where they are learning how to work and play with others, use their imagination, share ideas and thoughts, and build relationships. I am doing a disservice to my students when I allow them to play on the computers and ipads because they are not practicing their social skills during this time. 

According to the book, Top 20 Teachers, it is important for people to have a high EQ (Emotional Quotient). They explain that people who have higher EQs than IQs will be more successful. The emotional quotient is where people are able to connect to one another and understand each others feelings. If we allow our students to get addicted to social media, they will not develop a high EQ. We need to provide our students with opportunities to develop their EQ in school and this can be done by having restrictions and balance on technology. 

You're Gonna Miss This

On the last day of school, I want my students to leave with memories that they will remember forever. I give each of my students their First Grade Memory Book that has class pictures, work they've done, and individual pictures from different parts of our year. We take time to look through the pages and remember the fun times we had. At the back of the book there is an autograph page for the students to sign their names in each other's books. I hope that this book will be something that the students keep forever and look back on to remember the people, learning, and experiences that they had. I want them to remember first grade as a fun and memorable year that had a positive impact on their lives.

My student's futures our so bright they have to wear shades! 

Yesterday was our last day of school and we celebrated by looking through our memory books and signing them. The kids loved looking through all of the different things we had done throughout the year! Then, we signed each others books! My students absolutely loved their books and I got many emails from parents about the book and how thankful they were for it! I will continue to do this each year! One thing I decided to add this year, was to have my students write a letter to next years 1st graders. They wrote about what to expect in first grade, what they should know about me as their teacher, and then gave them some advice for the year. These will go in each child's desk at the beginning of the year to read! Yesterday was a bitter sweet day- we are all excited about summer, but are sad that we have to move on and won't be together any more. There were a lot of tears, smiles and laughter and I will forever hold this class and each individual student in a place in my heart! I guess it's true that all good things come to an end.