End of the Year Reflections

[Angela Cunningham]

 

As the end of the 2010-11 school year fast approaches, I find myself creating my annual "To Do - Next Year" list.  And as a start mine, I am interested to know what is on yours.  What are some things that you will do differently next year?  What did you try this year that failed? That succeeded?  

 

Please share your experiences in the comments below.

[David Wallace]

This was my 2nd year teaching and one of the things I have found useful is a Keep/Start/Stop list. I take all of the general day to day activities and place them into these categories. For example this year I started with state quizzes because my students were utterly unaware of the location of states and I feel its just one of those thing people should know. Next year on my start list I have: Create a Youtube channel to compile videos. Create Unit Review Videos, that students will be able to watch on their own time to review for an upcoming test. Next year our school is switching to google docs so I am trying to incorporate this. I am trying to create a HOT question for each chapter that will require the students to reflect on the entire chapter. I am also looking to set up a cooperative blog with another school for our students to bounce ideas off of each other and post regular writing assignments. Those are some of my goals today, will they be the same in 3 months...probably not!

[Angela St. George]

I've been thinking about this one all year - in this first year I've felt like I've just been doing my best to survive. I got to sit down with a small group of students the other day and get their feedback on my ideas for next year, which was really important to me. I desperately need to get all of my "stuff" better organized, both hard copies and digital files. I want to make my units and lessons more cohesive and provide my students with ongoing projects that help students connect content throughout the year. Including more primary sources is a major goal for next year, as well as much more practice with writing essays. I want to integrate more technology and give my students more creative outlets for their intelligence. My students were very supportive of my ideas and gave me a lot of great feedback and suggestions. Hopefully I accomplish some of these things this summer, as I know the list will continue to grow!

[Isabel Morales]

Areas on which to improve:

Trust: I work at a small and very trusting school that gives students more freedom than a lot of other schools. I had a large amount of yearbook money stolen this year, so will be much more vigilant and cautious about lending my keys and allowing students in my room unsupervised.

Understanding: I want to be more understanding of my students' circumstances and skill levels. I want to teach from a place of love rather than frustration.

 

Areas in which I excelled

College: I took students on college tours, advised students throughout their college selection process, helped students understand their financial aid packages, and started College Connection LA, a local resource for kids about college, scholarships, summer programs...