Tag: Success

Posted in Mission

Ready or Not…

Posted on by Janis Sexton

My Classroom is ready for learning….Hopefully when my new first graders arrive Monday, August 18th…Our class will provide them a place to feel safe and learn to appreciate their love of learning…

This will be my final year…I will be retiring…

Back in 1972 when I first began, there was such hope and idealism…We just survived civil unrest…We just  integrated our schools; hopefully providing all our children a strong education with such wonderful programs such as: Head Start and Parenting Programs …We teachers were ready to teach and inspire all our children!

And now, sadly as I embark on retirement, I so very feel we have lost what is truly important..Inspiring and teaching all our children…
However, I am still hopeful that we will not let this continue, allowing powerful businesses taking control of our public schools…

We will find our way back to what is essentially  Important…
Teaching all of our children! wpid-20140806_141403.jpgwpid-20140806_141112.jpg
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Continue reading “Ready or Not…” →

Summer… Time for reflection…

This 2013-2014 school year is over…With each year, the summer gives me that chance to reflect…

My first thought, this year especially, is acknowledging how exhausted I am; All the extra demands of testing and keeping up the pace of a more challenging curriculum…While striving to keep the children motivated and engaged…

I do also worry how my children spend their summer’s free time…

Throughout the school year I spent my teaching time encouraging them the “love of reading”; encouraging parents to take their child to the public library…And now with this extra time, I so do hope my parents “if” they have the time in their challenging lives… to take their child to the public library… to become the owner of their personal library card, that will open up their “World” to all the joys of the Public Library; SummerPrograms..Movies…Reading Books…And free Computer time!

I will most definitely worry about my children; and how regularly they will eat…So many of them come from such chaos, and our classroom providing them that safety net.. At school they would have their breakfast, lunch, and many snacks that I would routinely provide…

Most of all, I too will be able to come back to school in August ready and recharged to be the best I can be… even with all its demands and rigors…Our children deserve no less…

Summer…A Time…to Reflect…

Quote• Posted on by Janis Sexton

We love the month of February…We have so much to look forward to besides the stressors and rigors of curriculum and testing....

With my planning and organization, I do find creative ways to allow time for celebrating Valentine’s Day, and President’s Day through creative writing, reading ,and art… Might even utilize math activities, as well...

The children wrote a Valentine’s Day poem to their family, with illustrations; decorated Valentine’s bags, and brought in cards for their classmates that were to be done by themselves….We had a Valentine Social sharing our love and exchanging Valentines….

The children loved learning about our Presidents; George Washington and Abraham Lincoln…We learned about the history of our Flag….

We will celebrate this patriotic unit with a culminating activity for our parents; a patriotic program that will include songs that we learned in our music class….All our first graders will share in this exciting performance, and our wonderful music teacher directing…

Teaching should really be about making learning fun and interesting…. It really is so much more than tests and collecting data….

(more…)

February… a Busy Month…

Posted in Reflections

Celebrate…100 days!…

Posted on by Janis Sexton

Monday, February 3rd  will be our “100 days”  of the school year celebration… This is a milestone for us… On this special occasion, learning activities, especially in math will    commemorate this special milestone…

” What can we count using the magical number”100″?

“If you were given $100.00, how would you spend the money?”

At this time, first graders are realizing they can do  more learning becoming active in their learning; listening and following teacher directions; becoming more independent…I can read!

Now, we  are more than half way on the path to becoming a second grader!

Continue reading “Celebrate…100 days!…” →

Posted in Reflections

Teaching Reading….

Posted on by Janis Sexton

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I have loved the joy of teaching young children to read…. It has been such a delight in seeing them for the first time realize they can read….There is such a look on their precious faces of surprise …

This year for me has been a quite challenging…Our school is a diverse school in a progressive district…We do have a majority of children from poverty…Our school does have a reputation, even with the challenges… Always striving to maintain the status quo… With all the demands of Common Core Curriculum, and the rigors of Testing…. These challenges, added to the many other teaching responsibilities…

We struggle with the problem our children face who live in such impoverished conditions…

I will always inspire my children to love to read, even with all these demands… I do feel though, no one is listening to our children…They are our future...

Posted in Reflections

Teaching and Technology

Posted on by Janis Sexton

Today teachers do need to be proficient in technology; demonstrating their expertise utilizing  all that is necessary to teach children… 

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We have smartboards that have taken the place of the chalk board;white board….  We utilize the computer to communicate with teachers, administration, and even with parents through our webpages ..Lesson plans and grades are all required to be done on the computer where information can be shared….Children are required to learn math and reading skills on the many websites that are available on the computer…along with learning to access information for  research on the computer …Keeping lists of websites and computer resources are a must for today’s teacher…

When I first began in 1972,  all I had to be concerned with was a ditto machine  and overhead projector…Even back then,  I was not comfortable utilizing  technology…And now, a teacher of today must be able to keep up with all the demands of technology…I have had to learn…

I was not a willing participant…I am a Baby Boomer, not savvy in this new technology…When I taught fifth grade, my students helped me boot the system up and access what was necessary back in the “nineties”…I was even known to take out a computer… destroy the Mother Board…My reputation on my faculty was that I needed to stay away from computers;  I was  quite dangerous…

I  am proud to say with the turn of the century in this new millenium, I have learned how to become somewhat computer literate…I am not too proud to ask for help, and I have been determined to teach this “old dog a new trick”….As I have told my children many times: “Never Give Up”!

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Being a teacher has been my mission on my life’s journey;   It is my passion… From my very beginning in 1972, I had no idea what an impact it would have on my life…  

There were other roads I could have taken, administration; guidance counseling, teaching at the college level…. All these I  opportunities to leave the classroom, but I did not choose those paths… I am a teacher…

I felt my need was to teach  and inspire  all  children, especially those children who needed my love and  safety…How that makes me feel with this choice, as a teacher and an individual… impacting children’s lives for me has been a gift…

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Am I Successful in My Teaching?

Quote• Posted on by Janis Sexton

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I have always believed my role as teacher, would be such an influence on the many children I have taught…

Accepting this crucial role;

One being that positive role model, is the most critical responsibility; not which I have taken lightly…

Moreover, because I have taken on this responsibility, especially realizing in my later years; It has been of my opinion that I need to demonstrate my style through my actions; even with my appearance; those essential values that would hopefully teach my students how to balance their need to belong in being social;

To becoming that critical thinker; a person of integrity; one who who would respect and accept our differences…

I have believed to accomplish this; I have had to utilize my flair for drama, art, and my professionalism thus making our classroom warm, structured and a safe environment that  fosters such values as: having a strong work ethic; practicing kindness within our classroom essential with our classmates and others around our school ; learning to be honest and speaking the truth; learning how to cooperate and work through conflicts with their words; and especially the understanding and acceptance of our differences…

Hopefully, the outcome for my students would be to learn and appreciate values that they will need to become active and productive adults…living a true life…

I feel the children of today who live in poverty, many of the children that I teach, due to circumstance have few positive role models to guide them with the choices they make ; Therefore, I have felt the need to be that strong influencer in their lives…Hopefully making that difference…

Being a Role Model