Thank you Pam. I just keep remembering the "fun" of teaching 1st and 2nd grade. I miss that so. I know that as long as we have people in Texas as our lawmakers, who have never taught, then we will continue to ask children to perform task they are not ready. And yes, I have too water down my teaching...teaching task to task, instead of teaching for depth, just to make sure the kids pass. Shelby and Veronica Walker -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 10:27 AM Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] teaching strategies
oops... here it goes again.... Dear Shelby and Veronica, After sitting at my desk most of the weekend and all of today trying to mesh informed practice with scheduling (grade level as well as district) and limited district interventions I find myself a bit discouraged..... There are so many wonderful hands-on, developmentally appropriate means that would clearly demonstrate a strategy and a child's understanding of that strategy... It upsets me as I look at the distict's report cards as well as the time constraints of the day or even a curriuclum map as mandated by building as well as a child's readiness to learn and "box out" a mish mash of ideas without enough schoolhouse supports: take for example supplies and materials, support personnel, accurate and revealing reporting forms .... and the list goes on as I know you all experience. My only plea is that teachers ban together and call for more in-house reform and state reform. (And we don't think of teaching as rocket science?) There really is a point at which too much-too soon and too little- too late fan the fires of burn out or worse watered down teaching and learning. Teachers tend to think they are at a fault... I hear it in your response... as if you could pour yourself more into buying, teaching, learning , creating and all the problems would disappear.. Not so! Keep it simple.... reinvest not necessarily reinvent..... One of my favorite books of all times is Beyond the Schoolhouse Doors.... it keeps me sane as does this listserve Pam. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
