Dear Friends,
I went to a ‘lunch and learn’ yesterday. It was about using a social studies curriculum we have more effectively. I didn’t know much about it before yesterday, so it was cool as hell to see that there is a useful tool at my discretion.
I’ve kind of free-lanced my social studies curricula during the past two school years. In the charter school world I used to be in, there was a curriculum, but my class never got a set. Here in my current world of working for a district, I wasn’t told that what is there is as robust as it is.
Moving forward, I will use both strategies. I like the ability to focus the lessons on what is going on in the world or going on with the calendar (such as Women’s History Month or Black History Month), but I can see how this canned curriculum will be useful, too. It’s nice to have tools in one’s belt.
I love a good ‘lunch and learn,’ too. The school got us some salads and they were tasty, and it was nice to work with my colleagues. I’m a loner at lunch about 99% of the time, so a little socializing is a nice change. I’m not going to make a habit of it, but every once in a while.
During the day, I work social emotional learning into the room and into lessons wherever I can. My students have learned how to solve issues with each other pretty quickly and I don’t think there is more than a couple of grudges being currently held and those are only by a few people. They forgive and forget pretty quickly.
What they don’t know very much about is their world. I’ve got a couple of kids who learned this year that California is a state and not a country. Even more learned that the United States is a very large country, but even close to being the largest in the world. With effort, there are narrower knowledge gaps than there used to be, but it couldn’t have hurt to do more about the world we live in.
Hopefully this curriculum I learned about today will be helpful in getting the kids next year to understand their world better.
As far as my own “social” stuff, I’m going to keep my head down, each lunch alone a lot, and have a low profile around campus. I want to be known as someone who will help you however he can but is often very busy. People who are busy (or at very least seem that way) in places where many like to coast a bit on the job get left alone.
On a total side note, I’m going to miss Succession when it is over. Such a good show.
See you tomorrow.
If you know what this picture represents, I guess, for lack of a better way of saying it, then you have been around Phoenix for a while.
Comentarii