Earlier this week, I shared a picture of one of my second graders using a dictionary for the first time. At the time, I thought it was a sweet little classroom moment worth sharing. But as the week went on, I found myself reflecting on it a little more.
One of the nicest parts of being a teacher is having opportunities to connect with students and their families beyond the classroom. I was happy to be part of our school's Fall Fest this year, spending time providing temporary tattoos and sharing in the excitement of the evening.
Teaching children to look closer, think deeper, and use what they learn to make sense of the world.
Tomorrow, I will have the opportunity to do something that is both a privilege and a responsibility: vote.
Some of the most meaningful moments in teaching are the ones that will never appear on a lesson plan.
Let’s be honest. Teacher morale is struggling, and it isn’t just happening in one school or one district. Teachers across the country are feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, and sometimes discouraged by a profession that asks so much of them.
There are moments in the classroom when you can almost see the learning click. They may not be the biggest moments on the lesson plan, and they may not happen when you are standing at the front of the room explaining a new concept. Sometimes, they happen quietly, as a child takes something they have learned and begins to use it independently.
Some of the things that become the most meaningful parts of our lives are never the things we plan to treasure. Sometimes, they are the simplest things we bring home on an ordinary afternoon, never imagining that years later, they will hold so many memories.
There are some weeks in the classroom when I find myself reflecting not only on what my students are learning, but also on the people, relationships, and little moments that make teaching such a meaningful part of my life. This was one of those weeks.
This week I was reminded how much learning can happen when we make room for both academics and the heart.
Reflecting on a week of reading, growing, and discovering that every child deserves to feel like a reader.
Another week in second grade is in the books, and once again, I find myself reflecting on how much learning can happen when children are given the opportunity to wonder, explore, practice, and try again.