Collaboration is the key and we must all work together in accomplishing our goals as teachers.

I am blogging for the first time,I am a student at Walden University.Since,doing this course I have had my personal beliefs reaffirmed,Additionally,I think that teachers should be engaged in meaningful collaboration to acheive maximum academic growth for all students.Often times,I have encountered meetings that involve teachers and administrators,but these meetings have never been geared towards developing students growth.Therefore ,I have proposed to administrators that we meet according to grade levels to co-ordinate and strategnize teaching approaches.

I am familiar with Lou Holtz. I am a former University of South Carolina graduate. I could not agree more with his comments. As educators, we have to set goals and think about what is important and worry about the rest later. I also stand at the door when my students arrive and depart from school. I greet them with a smiling face and tell each student "Good Morning." They are always eagered to tell their stories and love to have a open ear to hear their stories. I also have a goal of making students feel like they are valuable members of our classroom community.

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Greeting students so important to starting the day off right, and creating a culture of caring. At my school greeting students in the hallway is a designated duty in the morning. Classroom teachers are just outside their classrooms, other teachers and school personnel are placed throughout the building. We make sure to greet everyone we can and take extra care to greet and chat with those students who need a little attention. Students who are new to our school tend to give us strange looks for a while but soon they are smiling and saying “Hi!” as they walk by. What a great habit to get into. My principal also emphasizes the importance of greeting adults in the building. With teachers in the building it shows the students that we are all a team. Many parents have commented how friendly and helpful our staff is compared to other schools because they are greeted by every adult who walks by.

I am one that only feels that the task is done right when I do it myself. Over the summer I had a TA in my classroom and I had a very hard time given her stuff to do for the class because I wanted to make sure it was done right. It is very important to let fellow teachers help you or you will get burned out. Like Lou Holtz said, "Work hard, set goals, and decide on the most important things you must get done today and do them." If you follow these outlines and you know when to let others help then you will be a successful and fresh minded teacher.

I agree with your comment that " many hands make light work." I have taught first-grade in a small Pre-K -12 school for seven years. When I began teaching, I taught in a portable classroom across the parking lot from the rest of the buildings. I received no help from my mentor teacher and in some cases no teacher's editions for the required texts. It was a very difficult year. I had to find my own way of preparing materials with countless hours researching educational sites and purchasing materials out of my own pocket. I enjoyed the students; but wondered if they were gaining as they should. I had never taught before and had no way of knowing if they gains I saw were appropriate. Shortly after that year, the other two teachers retired. I now work with two great teachers. We are able to collaborate in every area. I feel the lessons taught are much more rich and meaningful. We are able to pull projects or other applicatiosn to enhance our weekly text. I now have the same experience as you. We are very fortunate to work with such involved, caring educators.

Educators from all over the nation gathered at the Model Schools' Conference in Atlanta in late June. 'Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships' was the running mantra woven through every session. I visited sessions from 8-4 each day, and I found that the single most important concept of these three, the piece that we as educators must allow ourselves to 'grow into' with our kids, is that of 'Relationships.' In high school, I see the most successful teachers as being those who speak 'into' the lives of not just their students, but into the lives of ALL students. These are the teachers who stop and not just ask kids 'how are you doin' today?' but stay the minute and listen to the answer. We are going to lose kids to on-line education, to dropping out, and to those devastating things that 'take' our kids from us if we don't step up our relationship building. We cannot be just about the curriculum, about 'finishing the chapter,' and taking the AP Tests in May. We don't teach subjects! We teach KIDS!