Reflections Part 2

School's out for summer!!!!!  Today was our last day of school!  I am sooo excited:)  I will miss my sweet kids, but  I am definitely ready for summer!  I have had a very difficult week.  As you know last Friday, I was sick and missed work. Then, Monday, I was STILL sick.  So I stayed home again and went to the doctor.  They said that it was just viral and would have to run its course.  So, I went back to school Tuesday, but still felt sick. I also noticed on Tuesday that my eye was a little red. Yesterday I woke up with full blown pink eye, so I missed work again yesterday! There is so much to do at the end of the year, that I was very worried about missing so much.  But, it will all get done....I just keep telling myself that. 

Ok...so a few days ago I shared some things that I thought I did well this year.  Today I will share my goals for next year.  This could be a long one people....

1.  I have never been a plan ahead type person.   I always get done what I need to get done.  However, I can't help but thinking that I put way more stress on myself because I am always trying to do things last minute.  This is true even at work.  I'm not going to lie....I am often getting my materials ready for the day at 6:45 before my students come in at 7:10.  There.  I have said it.  I feel better!  I am also going to do a bit of justifying though.  On weeks when I have planned the whole week ahead of time, I end up not using all of what I had planned due to lack of  time or the students didn't get something, so I have to adjust and reteach.  Ok...now that I have justified my procrastination.....I will stop making excuses.  My goal next year is to have my plans and materials ready for the following week before I leave on Fridays.   This will be tough for me, but I really do think that it will make my life easier. 

2.  I do not feel confident as a writing teacher. I model, model, model.  Then, give them time to write.  However, I seem to be lost when it comes to conferencing with them about their writing.  I can read their papers and know what needs to be changed, but I don't know how to make them see it!  So often I will say, "read me what you wrote".  They read.  "Does that make sense?"  Then, they give me this look like, "I know I should say no, so I'm going to shake my head no, but it does make sense to me." So, my goal next year is to find a teacher who is really strong at teching writing, and ask if I can observe them conferencing with their students.  I definitely need some guidance.  Do you have any suggestions for me? Or good books to read on teaching writing?

3.  I WANT TO STAY ORGANIZED!!!!!  I am not an organized person.  At home or at school.  Now, I have to say....I always know where things are, but I'm sure to other people I look like a total mess.  I start off every year with such an organized, clean room, and then by September the end of the first week it is a mess. And, because I am not a good cleaner, I am not good at forcing the kids to be. So, my goal next year is to tidy up a bit each day before I leave, or to do a better job of getting the kids to clean and organize. 

4.  I have never been totally satisfied with what my kids do while I teach guided reading.  My first and second year, I did centers.  I just wasn't happy with this.  1. It was a lot of work for me. 2. I felt like kids need to be reading during reading time.  Even though we ask them to read at home for 20 minutes a night, they don't all have parents that enforce that.  So, they need to be doing it during the school day.  That's my opinion anyway. 3. I also felt like the centers weren't effective unless I was monitoring to ensure the students were on task. Last year my kids were very difficult.  They did seat work while I taught guided reading.  Otherwise, I got no teaching accomplished. I definitely didn't like that, but I had no other choice.  This year, my kids loved to read.  So, most of the time, they got their book box, found a spot to sit, and they read.  I started off the year by having them keep a reading response journal. I realized quickly that I wouldn't keep up with checking it very often.  I have heard so much about The Daily 5.  I want to read that book this summer, and see if I can get some ideas to modify and enhance what I did this year. What do your kids do while you teach guided reading?

Those are some of my goals for next year!  Hopefully putting them on here for everyone to read will keep me accountable!

Have a great day!