As the new year approaches, we all have a natural inclination to evaluate our current circumstances and determine ways that we would like to improve in the coming year. I personally spend way too much time perusing social media with the sole purpose of learning about what my friends and family are doing without using it as a tool for personal and professional growth. I'm hoping that the use of this blog will be a platform for me to share some of my own professional thoughts and a way to intentionally interact with other educators across the country.
I'll start by sharing a little about me. I wanted to be a teacher since third grade, when I was a student in Ms. Reppa's class at Eads Elementary School in Munster, Indiana. Ms. Reppa was a first year teacher that had a contagious enthusiasm in the classroom. Back then reading was predominantly taught through the use of basal readers and phonics workbooks. Ms. Reppa, however, was different. She made learning fun for her students by allowing us to integrate the multiple intelligences as a way to demonstrate our learning. For example after reading the book, Charlotte's Web, she showed us how to create paper mache characters. I also recall the enactment of a reader's theater that included sound effects, spoken parts, and costumes as the culminating activity.
It amazes me that over 30 years later schools still have teachers who consistently use worksheets and workbook pages as an instructional follow up to a text that their students have read. As educators, we have to do better than that! In the age of technology, it could not be easier to come up with creative ways to get students excited about what they are learning. Websites like Teachers Pay Teachers have made it easier than ever to locate materials that align with grade level standards and content. We need to seek opportunities to learn from other educators around us so that all students can benefit from creative learning experiences such as the ones that inspired me in third grade.
The other quality that Ms. Reppa possessed and is a necessary component in every classroom is the ability to develop strong relationships with students. Students are inspired when they feel like their teacher truly cares about them. Ms. Reppa lived a few blocks over from my childhood home. I recall her taking the time to stop by one day when my neighbors, brother, and I developed our own fundraiser for charity. This small gesture showed that she was interested in me as an individual. Student interest could be shown by taking the time to talk with students and learn about their interests, make personalized parent phone calls to comment on a job well done in class, or even attending a sporting event or other special activity after school hours.
Ms. Reppa really is a special person. When I began my first year as a third grade teacher in 2000, I had reached out to her to let her know what I was doing and where I was working. She followed up by sending me a photograph that she had taken of me and my very best friend on the school playground during recess as young third grade students. This was yet another way that she showed the relationships that she had fostered with each of her students.
As educators all of us have the opportunity to make a daily impact in the lives of students. I'm sure that Ms. Reppa didn't realize that she had a future school administrator sitting in one of the desks within her classroom. Let's make sure that our time spent at school leaves a lasting impression on all of our students.
