Welcome to School

Well, I had pre-written this blog a few weeks ago and was about ready to publish it when a video came across my Facebook stream. I thought the video explained my thoughts much better.

Take a moment to notice how you greet your students, parents, and community into your school and classroom. What message does it send? We know people are very observant and learn from watching and doing.  What are we teaching our students as we greet them for the day and for class? What tone are we setting for the class period and school day?

Imagine for a moment, you are a student entering your classroom.  Where is the teacher? What is she/he doing?  What message does it send? What is the teacher learning about you and the kind of day you are having? How are you feeling about coming to class?

Think about the following scenarios. What message is being sent? Would you want to attend this class?

Leaning against the wall –
The teacher is leaning against the wall in the hall.She says hi but doesn’t engage in any type of conversation.

Writing on the board –
The teacher is writing notes and information on the
board. She says hi, but doesn’t look at you.

Behind computer –
The teacher is sitting behind the computer as you enter the classroom.She does not glance up to acknowledge your presence.

Hand shake –
The teacher greets you at the door with a
business handshake.  She asks how you are doing.

My preferred style has changed over the past several years. Now, I greet each student with a handshake, welcome them by name, and inquire as to how they are doing.  Through this, I learn so much about my students from their exciting adventures to their bitter woes.  During this exchange, I have redirected behavior, given subtle reminders, and felt their excitement. I believe my classroom environment is more respectful and values relationships, individuals, and focuses on learning.  An additional bonus is that I am teaching the students a proper greeting and giving them a opportunity to practice in a safe environment.

It may not be much, but "What if…"

• You are the only person who said “hi” today to a lonely student?
• You could redirect a student not ready to learn before he even entered your room?
• You discovered a student was having a tough day and you needed to modify your approach?
• You discovered a student’s behavior would be off because they were excited?
• Your students discovered your routine was off and you were not there to greet them properly and so they greeted each other?

Not a believer yet, pay attention to how you are greeted when you going into different businesses.  What do you notice about your behaviors and feelings?

What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is 4-8 sentences that state facts on a main subject. [A small group of students responded]

Initial response to the question

What’s wrong with this response?  Many teachers work long and hard with students to develop well-written paragraphs which include a topic sentence and supporting details and examples.  They want the students to recognize the importance of clearly communicating and supporting ideas.

However,…Here’s a snapshot of a discussion from one of my 7^th grade classes.

A small group of students numbered the paragraphs in a narrative piece of writing so they could reference the text during their discussions and written responses.  After working independently, they began to discuss how they would chunk their reading so they could stop and discuss in order to comprehend the piece. They soon discovered; they each had a different number of paragraphs for the same piece of writing.

Their discussion turned into pondering the definition of a paragraph. Does it begin when the text indents or is a paragraph 5-9 sentences?  They were struggling with a portion of the text which used dialogue and the paragraphs were 1-2 sentences long.  Their justifications were solely based on “but the teacher said.”

New definition after a group discussion
 and a bit of research.

            Pointing to a single sentence containing dialogue, “This is a paragraph,” stated one girl.

            “No, that’s not a paragraph,” responded a classmate.

            “Why?” asked the girl.

            “Because teachers always say a paragraph is 5-9 sentences long”, replied the classmate.

At no point, did they discuss the concept that a paragraph deals with a particular idea.

After resorting to an online dictionary and considering various ideas, they discovered a new definition.

            What is a paragraph?

                        A portion of writing that tells a particular idea that begins with an indentation. [Their new response.]

A couple of them are still struggling with the concept of a paragraph, but we’ll get there.

Why do I share this? Concepts are a critical component of learning.  These students (and many more) do not understand the concept of a paragraph. If they did, just imagine how their writing would improve. This idea does not stop at paragraphs. Listen to your students; do they understand the concept of a sentence, of base 10, of the water cycle? When they understand the concept, they can apply it to new learning situations and discover more.

Did you notice, my writing communicates an idea using a variety of paragraph lengths?