They Call Me Mrs MG

10) These tiny humans need direct instruction and continuous feedback about self-control. They may need to be reminded every day before every transition that you expect them to respect personal space. They may need you to control the “traffic” flow in the classroom. They may need you to scaffold their routines such as classroom clean-up so that not so many tiny humans are moving chairs, or brooms, or materials at once. 9) Teach them to ask you if they want a hug, otherwise, you will have little hands and clingy bodies in your personal space all the time. They can say, “Excuse me, I need a hug please.” 8) Tiny humans have big feelings. And they often do not know how to cope with them. This manifests in tears, outrage, raucous laughter, and pushing/shoving/grabbing, etcetera – sometimes all at once. What can you do about this? Well, just like your own children, they are entitled to their feelings. Let them have their feelings, but teach them some strategies for coping appropri...

         During university professors drilled this process into me: read the curriculum, plan the unit, plan the assessment, reflect on your teaching. It was a cycle repeated in every Curriculum and Instruction class. My friends and I could site curriculum outcomes and whip together an impressive series of lessons in a flash. Through 16 years of experience, I have learned that this is certainly NOT all there is to it. Unit planning remains one of my favourite tasks in teaching. It is the dreaming phase. It is that time before instruction, that time before you may have met your students, that time when all is fresh, exciting and possible! But do you know what it also is? It is the time for focus, restraint and actually…leaving things just a little un-planned. Let me explain. What so many of my university professors failed to teach me as an undergrad is that teacher reflection should be about two things: 1) what are the students learning and to what degree are ...

  The following blog post is an exact replica of the Welcome Letter I sent to parents last fall. The purpose of this letter is to set up some structures and expectations for the home-school connection. I believe that homework should only be about practising a known skill. I also believe that daily reading is the main activity families can do to ensure success at school. Check it out and let me know what you think! September 6 th , 2016 Dear Parents and Guardians of Grade 3 & 4 Students,   Welcome back to school families! The kids call me Mrs. M.G. and I am excited for another year of helping the kids grow and learn in Grades 3 & 4. Along with our neighboring Grade 3 & 4 class, we will have some exciting learning experiences and fieldtrips. Early in the school year students and I will create the classroom rules and routines. Here’s what you need to know for now: Student Agenda   Students will have time each day to record work and important upc...