As any teacher knows, the beginning of the year is one of the busiest times of the school year. Getting to know the kids is paramount. In addition to setting a great tone for the year, we're constantly on the lookout for new and different things that will expand the learning of our kiddos. So far this year, we've managed to write a $21,100 grant to take the entire school to see the documentary film "He Named Me Malala", conducted our first Student EdCamp, kicked off our new year of 20% Time, and made great strides toward creating a classroom MakerSpace. All of these new things are in addition to creating the team climate that is best for kids, managing the regular project-based classroom learning experiences for kids, creating smaller team "events" that motivate kids to achieve and garnering parent support for the things we do in class and on team.
The first eight weeks of school have been hugely busy but so very rewarding. We thrive in an environment where change is constant and we introduce new and cool things all of the time. The kids learn that change is to be expected and that we are constantly learning by experiencing new things. Our kids are so much better prepared for life at the end of the year than they were when they came to us.
