One advantage of
being in the field of education for over four decades is that I’ve seen many
bandwagons roll down School Avenue.
By that I mean that every five years there seems to be a new set of standards,
a new discipline strategy, a new assessment, or a new approach that is going to
fix all of our education system’s short fallings.
The bottom line
is good teaching is good teaching.
My father taught in a one room school house over 75 years ago and I bet
he implemented some of the “best practices” that worked for me when I started
teaching in 1969.
I’ve heard some
moans and groans recently about the Common Core Standards. Have you looked at them? Look at them and study them before
condemning them. They are
GOOD. They are BASIC. They are meant to improve quality
across our country. Let me
quote: “The Standards define what
all students are expected to know and be able to do, not how teachers should
teach.” The expectations are very
relevant and realistic. They are what
good teachers have been doing in the different grade levels for decades.
Smart teachers
know the research. Smart teachers
know their standards and curriculum.
And smart teachers know how to articulate what they are doing and how
they are fusing activities children enjoy with goals to success!
teachingchannel.org
I’ve found a
great website called teachingchannel.org.
Take a look at some of their videos that demonstrate how teachers are
implementing Common Core Standards.
Rock Star
Cheer
Now that I’ve
preached, I owe you a new cheer! Bend
down the middle finger and ring finger on both hands. Pinky, index fingers, and thumb stay straight. Now, bend your elbows and point your
hands down as you say, “Rock star!”
You can also do
the “You Rock” cheer. When a child
gets an answer correctly clap twice, point at them with both index fingers and
say, “You rock!”