Below is our newsletter for this week. Remember, we are not the end-all, be-all! We are just teachers
sharing our thoughts and ideas with you. Feel free to modify strategies you receive from us to fit you
and your classroom!
=============================================================================== The Truth About Teaching - Winner of Benjamin Franklin Book Award!!
===============================================================================
Check out our blog at
www.inspiringteachers.com/wordpress2/ to read all about our excitement in winning this national award!
Those of you who helped us with choosing the cover and offered feedback/reviews about the book, we could
not have won this award without you! You have our deepest thanks and respect for participating in the
publishing of The Truth About Teaching by Coleen Armstrong.
If you are wondering what all the hoopla is about, please click on one of the links below and check out
this national award-winning book written by a 31-year veteran teacher. Don't forget to read the
Testimonials of other teachers on our list who have already read and reviewed The Truth About
Teaching:What I Wish the Veterans Had Told MeLearn More about The Truth
about Teaching by Coleen Armstrong!
The Truth About Teaching is also a Finalist in the IPPY Book Awards and the ForeWord Book of
the Year Awards. It is truly an award-winning book!
============= Weekly Tip
=============
End of the Year Reflections
The end of the school year is the best time for reflection. Although we really all ought to be keeping a
journal of our experiences and thoughts throughout the year, I know it doesn't always happen. Perhaps we
have great intentions at the beginning of the year, but if it isn't a habit, then school life takes over
and the journal gathers dust. However, once everything is packed up or put neatly away, the desks are
cleaned out, and the students are gone, there is that perfect opportunity to take some time and
reflect.
How did the year go? Was it more positive or negative? What were ten great things about the year? What
were ten not-so-great things about the year? How could we improve on the not-so-great? Was there anything
we could have done to make the situation better or were we simply caught in the wave and swept aside? With
all that happens during the course of a school year it is easy to get overwhelmed when trying to reflect
on it all. Below are a few topics to help you get started.
1. First day of school. Was it what you expected? Did everything go as planned? Did you do what you
wanted to do? What would you do differently?
2. Parent Communication. Do you feel you and the parents worked together to help your students? Did
parents feel comfortable coming to talk with you? Did you feel comfortable talking with parents? How can
you make parents feel more comfortable? What can you do to feel more comfortable? Did you keep parents
informed about their child or wait to the last minute? What can you do next year to improve this area?
3. Lesson Planning. Did your lessons flow from beginning to end? What were the best lessons? What
made them the best? What were your worst lessons? What made them the worst? Did students "get" the lesson?
Could you see the progress of learning from start to end? What were your favorite parts of lesson
planning? What were your least favorite parts of lesson planning? What can you do better next year? What
might you change?
4. Working with Colleagues. Did you get along with the other faculty on your grade
level/department? Did you have any face-offs with a particular teacher? Was there someone who was
especially helpful? Did you notice any teacher who got along well with everyone? How did this person do
that? How did you overcome any challenges you faced with colleagues? Do you feel you overcame difficulties
with grace or grudgingly? What might you do differently next year?
5. Working with Administrators. Did you have any major problems with any of the administrators in
your school/district? Was there a particular administrator who was helpful and supportive? What was the
difference between the two? How did your attitude affect your perceptions of the administrator? What could
you have done differently? What do you wish the administrator had done differently? If you could tell/ask
the administrator three things, what would they be? What will you do differently next year to improve your
situation?
6. Difficult Students. Did you have any difficult/challenging students? What was the
difficulty/challenge? How did you handle the situation(s)? Do you feel you could have handled it any
better? What would you have liked to do differently? How might you handle a similar situation in the
future? What actions worked best with different students? What have you learned from the situations you
experienced this year?
7. Personal Life. How did your personal life/family/friends hold up this year? Did you find your
loved ones/friends supportive or did they not understand your situation? What would you have liked for
them to say/do to show their support? In what ways did your job interfere with other aspects of your life?
How did you juggle the different responsibilities you carry? Do you feel you did a good job of juggling
everything? What might you try to do differently next year? How does your family feel about your teaching?
Do you find their attitude helpful or not helpful? What might you say to them to help them understand what
you need to do a better job in juggling everything? How has your own attitude toward teaching affected the
rest of your life? Did you do anything throughout the year to de-stress and relax or to show equal
attention to your family/friends? Do you feel as though teaching took over your life? How might you
organize yourself to handle things differently next year?
Want to respond and share your thoughts about how you find time for reflection? Respond to this email and
we'll combine them all together in our Idea Share!
====================== Inspirational Thought
======================
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
~George Santayana (1863 - 1952), The Life of Reason, Volume 1, 1905
=========================== Thoughts for Reflection
===========================
Follow the reflection questions above to reflect on your past year.
=========== Feedback
===========
Want to respond and share your thoughts about how you get through those tough times and still give it your
all? Respond to this email and we'll combine them all together in our Idea Share!
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These thoughts and ideas are brought to you by Emma McDonald co-author of Survival Kit for New
teachers AND the AWARD WINNING Classrooms that SPARK. Find us at
The entire contents of this e-zine are Copyrighted by Inspiring Teachers and Emma McDonald. If you would
like
to reprint all or parts of this e-zine, please contact Inspiring Teachers at 972-496-7633 or toll-free at
1-877-496-7633 or via email to info@inspiringteachers.com