Social and Emotional Standards 1-3

Social and Emotional Learning Standards are important to build and maintain positive relationships according to the State of Illinois. Stakeholders of a school build community. Students, staff, parents, administrators and community leaders all share in creating school climate.
Socioemotional standards and student emotional growth are a big buzz words now. Students are to recognize the feelings and perspectives of others. They are to recognize individual and group similarities and differences. Finally, students are expected to interact effectively with others.
After eleven years in the classroom, I am going to suggest the students not view a School Board meeting as an example of the correct socioemotional standards we aspire our children to eventually. Perhaps, teacher negotiation proceedings might be off the table also. Maybe we should share these standards with the legislators in Washington...alas, I digress.
Not all districts, administrators, or lawmakers are ineffective...I am just commenting, perhaps, the country as a whole should review these standards together.
In my children's' schools, the behaviors expected are on the report card. They are "graded" as needs improvement, developing, or secure. As a classroom teacher, some groups needed more explicit instruction in these skills more than others. I think it is a good thing these standards are now in place. I just can't wait to attend a School Board meeting when these children are leading the meeting.

Homework...Respond to Post 1

This post is one of my assignments. It would never have been one of my assignments in college or graduate school twenty years ago or even twelve years ago. As teachers, we should have a blog about our classroom with parent and student links. I love the idea. Teaching graduate school now, I use Blackboard to communicate with my students, we all like it. I think we all like it...it had some kinks, but we worked them out and now it is a great way to share links, files, announcements, and information.
In the past (the old days of the 1990s) information used to be top down only or accessible through extremely laborious process and effort. Now information is at the tips of students, parents, administrators, and educators. We all have a say and we all have an opinion. I enjoy letting my my middle school students or my adult students participate in building the agenda for the class. They are the consumers of the information, shouldn't they have a say in the who, what, where, how, and why?
I liked the old days with no phones or email in the classroom. I also love email and phones in the classroom. Communication is important. Parents are often the best resource a teacher has to help a child learn. Feeling at ease to ask questions to your instructor is an excellent skill to have in elementary school or college.

First Day Back

I thought returning to the classroom as a full-time teacher two years ago, after a seven year hiatus, was scary. I thought teaching graduate school for the first time was nerve racking. Returning to grad school as a student, possibly the most overwhelming endeavor of all three.
I am not pursuing another degree...yet. I am taking these two classes because the State of Illinois wants me too. In fact, in order to get my art and math endorsement I just need these two classes.
So, here I go. I am gaining empathy for for my grad students. This is hard work. This will require time, reading, research, and reflection. No wonder my students faces look pained when I give them their weekly assignments. How and when are we going to get all this work done on top of our already super busy lives?
We can and we will. Because we are invested teachers. We want to be current using best practices, new technologies, and instruction.