Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.

Lesson Plans


Create a positive learning environment

From: mdecker (mdecker)
Date: Thu Jul 13 2000 - 09:05:06 PDT

  • Next message: John & Sandra Barrick: "Re: where did the messages go?"

    This will be my last post for a while....But another lesson learned in life.
    (I will not be reading the digest for a few days...but will still read
    personal mail)
    This is an extension of someone's earlier post. Creating this hierarchy in
    teachers has added to a hostile environment in my building (I refer again to
    the "Sneatches"). We have teachers against teachers (teachers who will not
    support other teachers). I know I kept working for the kids....but my
    administrator was not supportive or respectful of my program (I had
    financial support from the superintendent and school board--they are the
    ones I worked hard for). I know what this hostile environment has done to
    me. It has made me want to leave. If we have a hostile environment in our
    classroom (yelling, name calling, slams, etc) we will make our students not
    wish to be there. I worked hard to improve my classroom environment. I have
    taken steps to improve my environment and this list has helped me make those
    decisions. My assistant principal has done much to show me the value of
    self-assessment. I know what I need to do to be a better teacher and he did
    not even come in and evaluate me (he chose not to). I have decided to take
    my newly learned skills to another district as I have taken an application
    to put on file should an opening still exist. This other district has strong
    leadership in the arts and I envy this mutual respect of staff members
    accomplishments. Once I am situated in this new district, I may have time to
    obtain a supervisor's certificate so I can move on to try to better the
    community spirit in our county schools. The county schools need the
    leadership in the arts that the city schools have. Financial support doesn't
    mean as much to me as "real" support.

    Deb Sterner has done extended research on creating a positive learning
    environment. She is going to share her research with me AFTER I send her my
    PowerPoint presentations. I am saving them all to CD today. Deb had many
    good ideas and she has influenced my teaching style greatly. I am looking
    forward to reading her entire research.

    I was at a Boy Scout Camp function last night...It was so wonderful to see
    the community spirit, support and enthusiasm between scout members, leaders
    (including the camp directors) and families. I even admired the patience the
    scout showed when he was instructing me to use the compound bow (something I
    have never done). Funny thing is...I didn't get it right the first
    time....didn't get it right the second time....but the third time I hit a
    bull's eye. I wonder what would happen now if I had three more arrows! It
    was also great to see so many of my former students....they were happy to
    see me!

    Let's do what we can to improve the learning environment in our own
    classrooms and buildings....

    Judith

    P.S. Thanks to all who have not noticed my typos...I sure made a bunch in my
    last posts....LOL found out how to keep the telemarketers away
    today...I left my modem connected twice today for long periods of
    time....oops.
    For those who want to know...we had some problems with the wall in our
    kitchen....needed a few extra days to mend the repairs...but we are back in
    business now. So I say good-bye for now. I am glad I had this time to share. 

    ---

    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 13 2000 - 09:09:01 PDT