Don't Miss The Bus!

For our county, school for the students start Monday, August 10. As children prepare for school by picking out what they are going to wear for the first day, parents are smiling. They made it through another summer.

Teachers are in school making preparation and declaring that this is going to be a better year. Our rooms are clean, lesson plans are made, meetings are too long and the copier is broke. School as usual. Let us keep looking on the bright side. All our smiling students are on their way back to us. New outfits on and bookbags full of school supplies. Remember, we are forming the future!

The Five P's of Classroom Management
　
Powerful curriculum all planned and ready to go - meaningful, useful, relevant, with opportunities to be creative and emotional

Prerequisites are in place - teacher and students are in relationship with each other, as are students with students

Parameters are clear at all times - general and specific ground rules, procedures, and directions

Participation is expected and nurtured - students are actively engaged and on task; direct instruction provides for student involvement

Positive attitude - teacher models a positive mental attitude towards students and classroom activities

Classroom Management: A Positive Approach
http://www.todaysteacher.com/ClassroomManagement.htm

To Scaffold or not to Scaffold

To scaffold or not to scaffold... That is the question. If we want to be effective and have all our students learn we must use diversity in our teaching strategies.

According to a definition in Thesaurus : "Scaffolding is a temporary arrangement erected around a building for convenience of workers." Let us be that temporary arrangement around our students and remember that:
"Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or in the same way."...George Evans. I borrowed this quote from Alberta Wandell's blog.

So teachers, let the SCAFFOLDING begin.

The Three Evils.....

Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil,


This is an old adage that I was brought up on. We still see the pictures of the little monkeys covering their ears, eyes , and mouth.

Let's look at another old adage for teaching. This saying is perfect for the kinesthetic learner.

I HEAR AND I FORGET

I SEE AND I REMEMBER

I DO AND I UNDERSTAND

When we are making plans for the upcoming school year let's keep this saying in mind. (: This was probably one of the basis for authentic assessment:)

A Teacher's Motto

“The Teacher’s Motto”

As school starts back, budget cuts have given us furlough days, our class size may increase, we no longer get the $100 to buy supplies for our students and classrooms. We must remember why we became teachers.

“A hundred years from now, some things won’t matter; how much money was in my bank account, the size of the house in which I lived, or the kind of car I drove around…but the world may be a better place because I was important in the life of a child.”

author unknown
http://www.behavioradvisor.com/oldindex.html

Cobb Performance Learning Center

Cobb Performance Learning Center

What is the Cobb Performance Learning Center? It is an alternative high school in Cobb County where Success in the only option. The Performance Learning Center none as PLC has been in existence in Cobb County for 3 years. There are other PLC's throughout Georgia and now in Pennsylvania and other states.

Usually when someone says alternative school you think of discipline problems. In our school that is not the case. Our School consist of 75 students at one time 15 maximum per classroom. These students feed into us from all the Cobb County High School. Our student body is made up of those students who have dropped out or are on the verge of dropping out because of family situations, boredom, being bullied etc.

To be admitted the students and parents must fill out an application which can be obtained online. Once this application is completed along with references from their home school an interview is made. Once the child and their parent or guardian are interviewed the admissions committee discuss the candidate. If they are accepted they start the next mini-mester. If they are not accepted they will receive a letter stating why their application was denied and suggestions to what they can do and then reapply.

All applicants take a competency skills test because our school does not have the traditional set up. All students must be self motivated. We are student centered and our teachers are facilitators.

Our classes consist of 20 %-50% nova net instructions, individual and group projects, and offline assignments. We have job shadowing, mentor ship and other activities. The students are allowed to attend their home school functions. They take their exit exams with us and when they graduate their diploma will come from their home school.

If you would like more information on our program you can call the school at 678-331-1098.

Opening the Door to Learning

In toady's classroom we as teachers must always be aware of ways to integrate technology into our classrooms. Our students are so Internet savvy and we must become that way also. In order to keep our students positive about learning we must include technology whenever we can.

At my school, Cobb Performance Learning Center, in Marietta, Georgia we not only are changing with technology we are also being Eco friendly. There is a paper shortage all around and we don't need to cut down any unnecessary trees. We have decided to put part of our course online in Rcampus. It is a free website where you can have an online class. Activity sheets can be loaded, Internet searches can be done and the students get a free eportfolio. The teachers get a website. You should check this out.

I am in the process of updating my website, so when you get a chance check me out at www.beamath.1faculty.com