Valentine's Day is about sharing love and remembering the people and the things that you love. Not only do I love Valentine's Day but I LOVE teaching. I feel so blessed to be an educator. I LOVE that I get to teach and learn with students, colleagues, and educators in so many different contexts. It's just exciting to me. Teachers are developed, but I feel in my HEART, that there is just something inside me that makes me LOVE teaching! All of the new educational initiatives and concepts that I learn about each day are exciting as they provide tools, strategies, and new information that only help to develop my pedagogy. There are so many Initiatives today such as: 21st Century Learning, New Literacy’s, The Common Core, Teacher Leadership, Ethical and Social Education, Global Learning, Project Based Learning. Each idea is important and really fills my heart with more ways I can help others learn and grow.
Yesterday we had a staff meeting at my school. I led teachers in a reflection activity to help them think of different aspects from the second quarter of school that they could ponder, celebrate, revise, and share. I feel that REFELCTION is so significant in teaching and taking the time to do so is important. I have been reading Learning by Heart by Roland S. Barth in one of my graduate courses. It is a phenomenal resource that encourages teachers to discover themselves and to truly teach from the heart. In the staff activity I integrated some ideas I have learned from reading this book, Valentine's Day, and second quarter reflections/celebration with my staff yesterday. It was my hope that they searched their HEARTS so that they could take some time out and celebrate the positive things that they did in the second nine weeks of school. Looking inside oneself can sometimes bring insight into one's pedagogy. The photographs of hearts shown above are reflections from the heart! Happy Valentine's Day! <3
From the heart we reflected on the following:
· One wish for the rest of the year
· The best book that you read in 2nd Quarter
· Something learned in 2nd Quarter
· One change you would have made in 2nd Quarter
· One new skill learned in 2nd Quarter
· One goal that you have set for Quarter 3
· One thing you most look forward to in Quarter 3
One thing in Quarter 2 that you are most thankful for