Taniah Louis, Seek Academy
Even though we are halfway through the school year, the start of a new year is the perfect opportunity for a fresh perspective on my classroom. Just like I did with my home over break, I reorganized my room and purged any resources that I no longer need. If I haven’t used it yet at this point in the year, chances are I don’t actually need it and it should go. Of course, I don’t want to throw out anything that could be useful to someone else, so I will give them away to a teacher, tutor, or student that will put them to good use. After all, one person’s trash is another ones treasure. A freshly cleaned classroom is a terrific landscape for exciting new projects.
In January, the routines and activities that we have placed can become dull and redundant to scholars so this is a great time to shake things up and try something different. I have always been interested in the idea of Project-Based Learning, and while I worry that third graders might be ready for this new idea, I also remind myself to never underestimate the power of my scholars. Even if it doesn’t turn out the way I envision, I’ll never know what can be improved if I don’t try it, and there will be many lessons for all of us to learn as we go through the initiatory process. I will start by helping the kids peak their curiosity. No limits either, because I want them to aim high and see where it takes us. I plan to integrate technology, encourage kids to blog about their challenges and successes, and incorporate other pieces of our curriculum to model a project-based learning environment, which has been a goal of mine for a long time.
For Love of the Game 