I Remember You
Heard this song before? It’s one of my all time favorites: hard, passionate, rockin’, beautiful; it hits me to the core every time I hear it bringing me back to a time when guitar solos ruled the radio. It had no less of an effect on me the other day when it came on in [...]
Teachers We Have Had
Teachers touch our lives! I bet you can think of one who made a difference in your life. Maybe they thought there was something great in you, gave you confidence in a talent you have or were just so cool, that you wanted to be just like him or her.
For this [...]
Children’s Freedom in a Classroom Structure
It is most important in my teaching for my students to have freedom to think, freedom of movement, and the freedom to be responsible for themselves, their work and their relationships. I want this to happen each day in my classroom as we work through the curriculum, snack, specials, lunch and recess.
To achieve this [...]
Effects of Quality Community Building
Shared experiences are what bond a group together. Whether the group is taking a nature walk, creating art, or sharing personal reflections about music or literature, it is all part of the process we need to share with our students. I believe that these experiences can all be linked to and integrated into [...]
It’s All About Experiences
Community building in the educational profession is important for teachers, students, administration, staff, parents and the whole community. This month, I have enjoyed reflecting about how I try to build community in my classroom with my students. In the future months, the topic of community will certainly be further explored.
What I have discovered [...]
You Can Learn a lot from a Slinky
Every month I give my students a little gift that reminds them of the value we study for the month. For example, in December we focus on determination and I give the students chomping teeth to illustrate tenacity.
This month, our focus is on patience and, quite honestly I wasn’t sure what to get them. [...]
Musical Experiences – Listening in the Classroom
Listening to music with your students can be a huge community builder. AND it is something that nearly any teacher can do in his or her classroom. (Even I can do it working in an open concept school!)
It’s a simple concept, really: to listen to music each day with your students. [...]
Musical Experiences – Composing in the Classroom
In the spirit of Music in Our Schools month, I would like to reflect some more on how music can build community, this time through composition. With MCAS (Massachusetts’s high stakes test) next week, I think it is necessary to give my students a balance of testing with play. We WILL go outside [...]
4th Grade Boys and Chopin
Every month, I introduce my students to a new composer or genre and for that month, we listen to the music of that composer or genre everyday during snack. Last month, our focus was on Chopin.
Undoubtedly, there are students that make a connection with the music or composers that we listen to, [...]
