A Place for Everything...

For the second assignment, I had to choose two from seven common teaching mistakes, and write a letter of advice to myself about how I'm going to avoid these mistakes in the coming year.  I found it a challenge to have to write a letter to me!  I earned another 25 points toward WBT Certification!  That's worth a ten-finger woooo!

November 11, 2013

Dear Jackie,

The school year has begun, and I know you are excited about implementing the Whole Brain Teaching classroom management system! Chris Biffle talks about the “Seven Common Teaching Mistakes,” and I would like you to pay close attention to two of the ways we can avoid making our most challenging students even more of a challenge.

We know “Disorganized teachers breed chaotic classrooms.” Please continue to maintain the organization and structure you have in the classroom (and don’t forget the “funtricity!”). With Whole Brain Teaching, we can be organized and we can make learning fun! Remember, as Chris Biffle says, “At minimum, there should be a place for everything in your classroom, and everything should always be in the same place.” Be sure to heed his sage advice.

Remember, although teaching is fun, it is also mountains of work! Do not become discouraged, though. Mr. Biffle reminds us, “The less work you do outside of class, the more work your classes will be.” You need to be willing to invest all those hours of preparation in order to have a classroom that becomes the orderly, magical world where learning occurs. Good teaching should be seamless; those endless hours of preparation and planning will make your efforts appear effortless. You reap what you sow, so get out there and plant and nurture these Whole Brain Teaching tenets! Have a terrific Whole Brain Teaching year!

Sincerely,

Jackie