October is professional development month

Or so it seems. Started an early childhood outdoors writing class, finishing up a math class from this summer and a new math class begins this coming weekend. So yes, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed but I am also really excited to be learning new ideas and continuing my development as a teacher.

The outdoor early childhood writers' workshop class meets on Wednesday. I am really excited about this class because I enjoy writing as an adult and feel strongly that the current curriculum does not provide enough opportunities for students to write to convey meaning. The curriculum seems to emphasize letter formation over story telling and I feel that there is a place for both. So I signed up for this class. I am hoping to learn some new ideas and techniques for inspiring young children to write. How powerful would it be for them to see themselves as writers? If that perception was cultivated and developed from an early age, perhaps there would not be so much anxiety around writing for standardized tests, college applications, written reports later in life. Of course, it would also be wonderful if students chose to write more creatively, for pleasure.

I have posted previously in this blog about my mathematics courses from the summer. The one I am in the process of finishing has a been a wonderful and inspiring class. I actually posted that I thought math was cool, which is a huge shift in my personal thinking. If I am excited about something, I think my students will also be excited about it. The class that begins this weekend will be dealing with shapes and I hope to generalize some specific ideas from the course content for my classroom.

Those classes listed above are in addition to all the school based professional development, which can hardly be called professional. Knowledge of dancing with the stars does not improve my teaching. It is not my month to lead our grade level and professional development meetings but I feel like I do. I am trying to encourage my colleagues to think and share information. I try to ask questions and facilitate conversations. Next week, I am hoping to teach people how to use their digital cameras to document student learning. I wish that the school based professional development was somehow more meaningful and productive, but thankfully I am able to seek out classes that meet my needs and interests.

Need to finish my homework:)