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College of Education

Category: January 2015

Words to Inspire You

resourcesHere are some books and other resources some of your former professors offer as ways to inspire you in your new career of teaching:

Dr. Brad Burenheide (Secondary Social Studies)—

  1. First Days of School by Harry Wong and Rosemary Wong
  2. Meet Me in the Middle by Rick Wormeli
  3. Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement by Ceri B. Dean, Elizabeth Ross Hubbell, Howard Pitler, and BJ Stone

Dr. Sherri Martinie (Secondary Math)—

  1. The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer
  2. Teaching with Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk
  3. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

Dr. Tom Vontz (Elementary Social Studies)—

  1. Socrative
  2. Padlet
  3. Core Teaching Skills by Vontz and Goodson

Dr. Vicki Sherbert (Secondary English/Language Arts, Speech/Theatre, Journalism)—

  1. Kittle, P. (2013). Book love: Developing depth, stamina, and passion in adolescent readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
  2. National Writing Project & Nagin, C. (2006). Because writing matters: Improving student writing in our schools. San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass.
  3. Graves, D. (2006). A sea of faces: The importance of knowing your students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Dr. Phillip Payne (Music Education) —

  1. First Days of School by Harry Wong or Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones
  2. The Journey from Music Student to Teacher by Michael Raiber and David Teachout
  3. Alternative Approaches to Music Education by Ann Clements

Let It Snow…Let It Snow…Let It Snow

person walking in the snowSnow days bring their share of questions and hassles, as students and adults alike are asking: Will school let out early because of the snow? Will we have school tomorrow? And, for you, the teacher, just how do you adjust your amazing lesson plans?

Keep these things in mind as you experience your first snow days:

  • Be ready for interruptions. You may have more tardies and absences, since students may not be able to get to school on time. Understand that that is a possibility and know that you’ll probably need to help tardy students get back on track with the rest of the class.
  • BE FLEXIBLE! Your daily calendar and lesson plans can fall victim to the weather. Remember that it’s truly no one’s fault (unless you want to blame yourself for not taking that teaching job in Hawaii). The calmer you deal with these changes, the calmer your students will respond, as well.
  • Expect your students to be more excited and bubbly–as they wait to hear an early release announcement or as they come back to school after a snow day and want to discuss what they did on their day off. If it’s a real problem, alter your activities to include more desk work, which should keep your students a little calmer.
  • Take advantage of the season, if possible. If your students are excited about the snow, try to alter your assignments to make the most of it. For English class, can you work in some winter poetry? Or snow images for art? How can you work in a brief study of weather in one of your classes?
  • Have “extra” but meaningful assignments prepared to keep students focused. If they’re bubbling because of the weather, don’t be surprised if they fly through the regular activities and you need to supplement. Down time and snow days aren’t a good combination!
  • Take a few minutes to simply enjoy the fun spirit that a new snowfall can create! You have a front-row ticket to possibly the best place there is to experience the world: Your classroom.

In the Classroom

Johanna Ryckert (back row, far right) teaches at Southeast of Saline Jr./Sr. High School in Gypsum, KS .She is the agriculture teacher; her classes include Agricultural Mechanics, Advanced Agricultural Mechanics, Plant and Soil Sciences, Research in Agriculture, Animal Science, Intro to Agriscience and 8th Grade Exploratory Agriculture. She also serves as the FFA Advisor.

Welcome to Winter!

snow, boots and mittensIt’s official! Winter has arrived and will be sticking around for several more weeks! Here are a few suggestions to keep you warm, happy, and teaching through the winter months:

  • It’s cold and flu season, so watch out for those germs! Use disinfectants on door knobs, often-used items around the room, and anti-bacterial lotion for your hands. Keep boxes of facial tissues on hand, as students will go through them quickly. (It might be a good time to  request a few boxes from parents.)
  • Messy weather also brings messy items into your classroom. You’ll have snow and slush tracked in, so be ready for spur-of-the-moment clean ups.
  • Cold weather also means more winter coats, hats, mittens, and other gear to keep track of and store through the day, so develop a system that allows easy access for recess or at the end of the day, yet keeps them out of your day during class time.
  • Allow extra time for bundling up younger students! Parents and guardians will appreciate that you spent that extra time making sure their children were protected as they head to a school bus or walk home.
  • For your own well being, be sure to layer your clothing, since schools often can shift from too cold to too warm on a day-to-day basis. Store an extra sweater or jacket in a closet just in case.
  • Allow yourself extra time to get to your school. Sacrificing a few extra minutes of a morning can save you time by helping you avoid a fender-bender.

Once you get your winter system in place, you can fine-tune it and take whatever winter throws your way in stride!

We Want to Hear From You!

e-mail iconDo you have a question about classroom procedures? Or a suggestion for a topic we should address in Before the Bell? Want to add your name to our mailing list? Or provide a different email for our mailing list? Or, if you’re in your first year of teaching, send us a photo of you at work in your classroom! We’d love to hear from you, so please email us at lagoodson@k-state.edu.

Go, COE Cats!

Looking Ahead

Congratulations! You’re starting your second semester as a classroom teacher! Next month, we’ll be looking at how to help your students through assessments and ways to stay inspired in your new career! Be sure to read next month’s newsletter for:

  • Assessments – how you AND your students can succeed.
  • Silly first-year teacher mistakes your professors made!
  • Collaboration for secondary teachers.