Back to the Roots

Over the last three years, I have noticed that it is easy to get swept up in what is easy for instruction.  It is so easy to get caught up in the craziness of the job from day to day.  I have found myself caught up in good, but not great instruction and I really wanted to refocus this year to better my instruction for my students.

I spent a lot of time this summer really thinking about my practice in the classroom and how that really matches up with my beliefs about learning.  I can confidently say that I believe my students learn through real practice with purpose, all while enjoying the process.  I know that they learn when they are challenged and when they make mistakes.  I know that they learn at their own pace and it will always eventually "click."  I also know that their time in the classroom isn't their only priority and outlet.  

It was clear to me that there were some things in my practice I needed to change to match these beliefs.  One of the biggest one was my homework policy.  I used to give nightly worksheets for my students to complete.   This year, I switched to weekly homework in math.  I did this because I wanted my students to have the flexibility to complete the work when they have the time.  This allows them to have time to still be kids and continue to learn to love learning.  The homework should be my students practicing what they have learned and working with the knowledge they have to continue to grow.  Weekly homework with a purpose has been doing just this.  

Take a look at some of our homework assignments from last week that were turned in today!  Needless to say... I am a proud teacher of their hard work, effort, and excitment.  They didn't all get the answer correct, but I was able to quickly see where their misunderstandings were and that was extremely valuable.