Welcome to the “Weekly Update” and congrats on completing the first week of school! I enjoyed meeting all of you and have read your "Time Capsule Questionnaires.” I had you fill these out not only so that you can see how much you have changed by the end of the year but also so that I can get to know you. I make an attempt to appreciate my students as individuals with
different interests, needs, concerns, and ideas. I’ve already learned all of your names, but to me, students should not just be names on a class list. Therefore, don’t plan on sitting on the bench this season thinking that I won’t notice! Occupying a chair in my room does not mean the same as being in attendance. If you are “attending class,” it means that you should be mentally tuned in and engaged as well. I’ll check again on Monday to see that all students have had their parents or guardians sign the class rules. I will also hand out my syllabus so that you have a basic outline of what we will be doing throughout this school year.
These “Weekly Updates” are blog posts that I put up every Friday night to recap what has been going on in class. Here you will find reminders about important assignments, clarification about topics we’ve been covering, class observations that I’ve made, and news about what is to come. Taking time to reflect is something that is very important in our ever-growing busy world. As the months go on, you will find that within these updates, there are not only “ELA-related lessons.” My greater purpose for writing these updates is offer you lessons that will help you successfully navigate school, and most importantly, life outside the classroom walls.
You will notice that most of my classes have deeper messages to carry away. You already received your first lesson from me today when I gave that “three minute test” at the start of class. As most of you began diligently working on hurrying to complete the 15 questions on that sheet, I saw a few students in each class who exchanged proud glances with me across the room as they realized that they had “passed” the test. The first question, of course, was to “read everything before you do anything.” For those who ignored that step to read everything before doing anything, it wasn’t until they got to step 15 that they realized what my message was: Pay attention! The 15th step, of course, was, “Now that you have finished reading carefully, do only what you are told to do in sentences 1 and 2.” Some of you did 14 more steps than you had to: You said your names out loud, calculated 60x3, drew shapes on your paper, underlined sentences, circled words, and wrote your names on the white-board! I appreciate your effort in trying to do all that work in three minutes, but you should know that I wouldn't ever expect you to take a real test in only three minutes! As you know, this does not count towards your grade. However, I do not think that this is a test that you will soon forget. Remember: Not all tests in life are graded!
-Ms. Sanford
different interests, needs, concerns, and ideas. I’ve already learned all of your names, but to me, students should not just be names on a class list. Therefore, don’t plan on sitting on the bench this season thinking that I won’t notice! Occupying a chair in my room does not mean the same as being in attendance. If you are “attending class,” it means that you should be mentally tuned in and engaged as well. I’ll check again on Monday to see that all students have had their parents or guardians sign the class rules. I will also hand out my syllabus so that you have a basic outline of what we will be doing throughout this school year.
These “Weekly Updates” are blog posts that I put up every Friday night to recap what has been going on in class. Here you will find reminders about important assignments, clarification about topics we’ve been covering, class observations that I’ve made, and news about what is to come. Taking time to reflect is something that is very important in our ever-growing busy world. As the months go on, you will find that within these updates, there are not only “ELA-related lessons.” My greater purpose for writing these updates is offer you lessons that will help you successfully navigate school, and most importantly, life outside the classroom walls.
You will notice that most of my classes have deeper messages to carry away. You already received your first lesson from me today when I gave that “three minute test” at the start of class. As most of you began diligently working on hurrying to complete the 15 questions on that sheet, I saw a few students in each class who exchanged proud glances with me across the room as they realized that they had “passed” the test. The first question, of course, was to “read everything before you do anything.” For those who ignored that step to read everything before doing anything, it wasn’t until they got to step 15 that they realized what my message was: Pay attention! The 15th step, of course, was, “Now that you have finished reading carefully, do only what you are told to do in sentences 1 and 2.” Some of you did 14 more steps than you had to: You said your names out loud, calculated 60x3, drew shapes on your paper, underlined sentences, circled words, and wrote your names on the white-board! I appreciate your effort in trying to do all that work in three minutes, but you should know that I wouldn't ever expect you to take a real test in only three minutes! As you know, this does not count towards your grade. However, I do not think that this is a test that you will soon forget. Remember: Not all tests in life are graded!
-Ms. Sanford
P.S. To my former students, I haven't forgotten about you! I hope that you were all as excited about your first day of school as out favorite clownfish was about his.