Tuesday SOL: New school year begins

This is a Tuesday Slice of Life for Two Writing Teachers. 

Check out their website for many more reflections on teaching.


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The start of the school year.

Summer gone. School begins.

I always, always, always forget that it is going to be like this.

What is the appropriate metaphor?

A predicted storm, shifting the calm weather into wild wind and rain?

The contrast of an idling race car at the starting gate and the fast and furious laps that follow?

The quiet of a house followed by the big surprise party, filled with raucous, loud guests?

Whew.

We are only two days into a week of professional development.

5:30 am alarm.

Out the door to the metro.

New staff, new faces, new names to learn.

A whole new cohort of teaching residents.

Get to know, 

think, 

plan, 

reflect, 

hear, 

review, 

still more.

Working lunches.

Get your keys, your ID photo, your handbook, your binder.

Reflect on lessons and teaching, role play teacher-student interactions - what might you do?

So many "conversations," 

lower school, middle school, special ed, lead teachers, teaching residents.

Get to know, 

think, 

plan, 

reflect, 

hear, 

review, 

still more.

Update vertical plans for literacy and math.

Add details to unit and lesson plans.

Review mission, core beliefs -

what does it mean to learn through inquiry? 

allow student voice? 

be a teacher leader?

Get to know, 

think, 

plan, 

reflect, 

hear, 

review, 

still more.

Was it just a moment ago that I 

was sleeping in,

basking in solitude,

writing with abandon,

making my own plans

for how I would spend my day?

Or was that long, long, long ago?

Only two days in.

Three more to go.

When do I get to prepare my classroom for preschoolers?