This is the week before school starts.  For our school, that means we run a large new student orientation to welcome our school’s crop of 150 or so fall admits.  Running sessions for students a few days before school is actually a nice, low-pressure, way to kickstart the school part of my brain.  Before I worked here, this time of year would usually be spent wondering things like, why I am missing one of the boxes I packed last august, and whether or not I should keep looking for my numberline poster or make a new one.  Any thought about actually teaching would usually be as preced with, and followed by, and interreupted periodically throughout with small moments of curling into a fetal position on the ground along with some light sobbing.  Hopefully not this week.  Once I go through 3 days of welcome activities and role playing school policies, I’ll have shaken the rust off from a summer without being in front of kids, and all that’s left will be to plan out my actual teaching.

What I’m teaching this week

This week I am teaching students about the basics of our school.  These are kids who have been accepted to our school and are goign to be in either my advisory, or the advisory of two other teachers in the school.  This group is not going to be together in it’s entirety for more than just this advisory group, so it is a good chance to try out some new ice breakers.  This week I think I will try to do a “Think, Pair, Share” writing activity about why they are leaving their old school and coming here, but I am open to suggestions.  Have you heard of any good and unique ice breakers?

What I’m blogging this week

This week I want to wrap up talking about the book Mindset.  So far I have talked about what Mindset is about, and strategies for student feedback.  What I haven’t talked about yet is what Mindset means for teachers, as they approach their own teaching.  Given how difficult teaching can be, perhaps a growth mindset can help teachers remain positive about their practice.

This week I will also talk about what one more of my goals for the year, and what I plan on teaching this year (the blogging about these topics may happen whilst in the fetal position).

What I’m thinking this week

Nothing.  It’s probably the last week I can say that, so I’m going to enjoy it.