Where are the warm, wonderful days we wish for? Hopefully Mother Nature has decided to role out the hot, sunny days for our Easter break which is quickly approaching. Even with a couple of sick kids at home I was able to get at some chores that needed doing and was able to catch a bit of provincial volleyball in Saskatoon this weekend. It was great to see Derek Zacharias and his team from Briercrest, they are really strong, and Waldheim School is well represented with the Harder girls and Taryn Fehr playing a prominent role.
We are heading into another 4 day week, but with all that is going on, it may feel like an 8 day week! Our Spring Arts program is on display this week with our Monday afternoon matinee followed by our Tuesday evening performance. Activities like these always remind me of the students’ amazing ability to “pull it together” when the lights are brightest. While teaching grade 4 in the Cayman Islands and grade 5 in Langham, I was often responsible for planning and delivering school wide assemblies. I remember pulling my hair out, wondering if the students would ever fulfill my grand vision, and in the end they always did. It was a student in Langham that really brought me back to reality as we planned a performance of Tiger Story, Anansi Story for the school community. Things were not going as I had hoped and I was becoming agitated with the students. This student’s simple words helped refocus me, she said, “Mr. M. stop worrying so much. Our parents are going to love it, even if we mess up”. I know the performances on Monday and Tuesday will be terrific and your hearts will swell with pride as your students sing and dance, after all it’s the love for your students that make events like these so memorable.
Speaking of relationships, I am really looking forward to our staff meeting on Monday. Brenda and David have crafted a wonderful agenda that will allow us time to reflect on our peer visits and discuss collaborative relationships in our classroom. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to review the agenda and the questions we will be discussing, if not, click: Staff Meeting – April 10. I took some time on Friday to think about the questions, however I changed the word classroom to the word school. It was a great activity which had me reflecting on the hard work and fun times that have occurred to date, thanks Brenda for designing such a great activity. I am also looking forward to hearing about this round of peer observations and if the changes we made have had a positive impact on your learning. Remember we will have time to debrief so please come prepared to share with your group. We will provide some question stems for you to use if you choose to do so. As you look at the questions, think about how these types of questions could be used in your classroom, maybe teacher-to-student first, but ideally, student-to-student.
Teaching through relationships passes the student through that mystical threshold when formal knowledge leads to hidden knowledge. What is hidden is the process of discovery itself and the connections between thought, everyday life, and other seemingly unrelated ideas and disciplines. When students are able to make this connection via “teaching through relationships,” they begin to see themselves as co-learners along with their teachers, as well as with the greatest minds in history.
-Stacey Goodman
That quote comes from that attached article, found here, and it speaks to the importance of teaching through relationships. If you have time to give it a read, please do so, and if you can, I’d love to hear your thoughts about any connections you’ve made between it and what we discuss on Monday afternoon.
Here’s what lies ahead for the week:
Monday:
- Bruce away (am only), appointment
- Spring Arts (matinee)
- Staff Meeting (home ec lab)
Tuesday:
- Spring Arts (evening performance)
Wednesday:
- Pizza lunch
Thursday:
- 9 – 12 progress reports sent home
- Locker/desk clean out (schedule will be posted)
Friday:
- Good Friday
- Gym in use for private function
As always, create a great week.
