Simplicity

Teaching is really very simple. You have ideas to share, ways to help your kids open to the world, explore their curiosity. It comes from a caring two way communication about life and all it's wonders. In the morass of paper work, guidelines, deadlines and expectations; in your effort to avoid mistakes and offending anyone, to be politically correct, please never forget what it's all about. You are a conduit through which truth can flow to those in your care. Even if you must perform superhuman tasks to meet all that is expected of you, in your heart and your actions, keep it elemental.

Welcoming Back

For those fortunate enough to be returning to the classroom next week, and I do mean fortunate, please consider the following. Come on, we all love our summer break, but if you really are in teaching for the right reasons, you are also more than happy to be with the kids again. Just remember, a car needs time to warm up in the morning. Workers do not generally find memos shoved under their noses immediately upon waking. Neither can our kids come back from the summer life to the reality of school without some time to adjust. There will be plenty of time to put pencil to paper. Make this first few days a time to make the children feel truly comfortable with going back to school. Help them to get to know each other, while you get to know them. Have some fun, make them glad they are there. Show them that perhaps this year, school will be a little different. Maybe they will start to discover something good about themselves they weren't aware of. All of that school work will keep. What you do in the first few days will affect the entire year and then some. Be creative and above all, have some fun.