What is going right? (Teacher Tip Tuesday)

This morning during one of my Data Team/ Planning meetings my admin commented on how well things were going in our teams rooms. Then she turned to us and said... (and I am paraphrasing here)

"What are you doing that is going to so well?"

We all had to stop and think about it. So often we feel like when we have a good day that we got lucky, or that it was just a "good day" but the truth is that something happened. It may have been the planets aligning, an extra reminder or just good procedures. Whatever it is we have to take the time to figure out what they are so that we can do them more often. Really it is so that we can do them when things aren't going so well.

One teacher on my team said that she had been giving herself time limits, ie: we are only spending 10 minutes on this activity. Because of this the class knew the expectations and were able to move through the routine smoothly and quickly. It is not something she had associated with the day going smoothly until she was asked to identify it.

For me? Well, I always go back to routines. I, myself, NEED routines. So my class is super packed with routines and procedures. I know this is part of why my ELL kids do well on a day to day basis. They know what is coming next and are not scared because they are in a predictable environment. 

After my meeting I created a reflections sheet. Some of us just jot down notes in our plans, others want something more. So if this is something you can use, enjoy!

So the teacher tip for the day is, figure out what is going right, and do more of it. LOL :)

I'll leave you with pictures of my students with their Firefighter hats on. We created these when we studied Fire Fighters, during out community helpers theme. They LOVED it.