Personal Response to Featured Blog: The Compelled Educator

Personal Response to Featured Blog: The Compelled Educator

Brianna Baxter

This blog was packed with inspiration for fostering a positive, interactive classroom. I would like to share some of the strategies that speak to me the loudest in the article that I was so driven to adopt in my own classroom as soon as possible.

4. Journal writing is an activity to get to know your students well and give students a voice in the classroom.

It is very important to me for my students to be comfortable with their own writing and voice. Students all have different talents and favor some subjects over another, and some students may not like writing.

6. Genius Hour/Passion Projects really give teachers an opportunity to learn about student passions.

Allowing students to share personal feelings, experiences, and interests is a direct gateway to engagement.

16. Find their interests and what motivates them! Sometimes it may take a bit to break down barriers and build trust, but through being genuine and authentic with them this will happen in no time.

When students tell me about their pets, siblings, or favorite games, they are telling me for a reason. Students tell you these things because they believe that you care, and it is important to remember things. This has inspired me to keep track with notes of all the things that my students tell me. To me, there is no guilt like not remembering that a student has two dogs instead of one, or that their birthday is in May instead of April! It is important to me to remember these things that students passionately tell me, and I like to integrate these tidbits of information into my conversations with students.

I was excited to see that some of these have been utilized in my classroom this year.

11. Hold Monday morning meetings (We call them “Weekend News Updates”). Ask each student to share about their weekend - good or bad.  Ask questions. Be sure to share about your weekend too!  Occasionally bring in breakfast or make hot chocolate.

We begin our day with Reading, which begins by students coming to sit on the front carpet. Every Monday, we give each student a chance to share about their weekend. I would love to highlight the importance of this by increasing hospitality like bringing breakfast or other treats like this guideline suggests.

12. Laugh with them. Frequently. Show them that school, and your class, is just not about learning stuff. It is about sharing an experience. Tell them you missed them if they were out.

Laughing is so important to me because it spreads instant happiness. There are appropriate and inappropriate times to laugh, and it is important for students to know this, but laughter at the right time can bring so much joy to a lesson or activity. I love to see children laugh, and children especially love to hear teachers laugh!

26. Have dance parties! It is so fun to let loose and get down with students. Students love seeing you have fun with them, and the saying goes, “The class that dances together, stays together”.

I take advantage of the benefits of dancing and stretching to give our brain a break. I have told my students, “I will do the dance with you as long as I see you all participating…” and some of the students will lift up and encourage the shy dancers to dance so they get their teacher to participate! It is amazing to see the energy of the children change after a brain break.

What would I add to this list?

My favorite thing that I have done for my students this year was making personalized Valentine’s Day cards based on their interests that I have remembered about them throughout the year. One of my students is obsessed with pugs, so I hand-drew a pug for hers. Another one of my students and I connect over Harry Potter series. So many of them used these as bookmarks or even propped them up on their desks to display, and it was one of the most heartwarming experiences I have had!