C4T #2

"Live the Conversation"

The first post from Becky that I read was "Always on the Clock". Becky writes, "As a teacher, the job doesn't end when contract time is up at the end of the day. I don't mean the paperwork or the planning, I mean the title." She continues to tell us that throughout her weekend, she is constantly running into her students and/or former students. She will see them anywhere from the grocery store to a fundraiser. This post was just a simple reminder that we, as educators, are always on the clock. I will always be Ms. Lauren, their teacher. Since,I choose to live in the community in which I teach, I will always need to remember that "little adoring eyes" could be watching me.

I scrolled on down to a post that I thought was very interesting and it was not a "housekeeper's" post. This post was called "Turning it over to them - Success in the making". Becky explained how her class is nearing the end of the school year and was struggling with socializing in the classroom. She asked one of her administrators to come observe and see if there were any ways to decrease the socializing. The administrator later pointed out that Becky was working harder than the students. She suggested that Becky should pass over some responsibilities to the students. So with that advice Becky got with her class and created a rubric. This rubric is for students to assess themselves throughout the day, and focuses on three problem areas. She chooses two students each day to do the official assessments. She explains, "Doesn't this take a lot of time? To begin with, yes. It took us a few hours as a class to come up with the rubric. I have to copy rubrics and plan who is going to assess the class. We have to take a minute to report at the end of each of the three subjects, but things that are worthwhile do take time. If this helps the learners in my classroom focus more, it's totally worth it!" This new approach of keeping students to a minimal of socializing in the classroom is great.