The first day of school for most teachers was Monday, August 26th.  My first day was more than a month ago.  I teach on a modified year-round schedule.  Unfortunately, the transition from middle to elementary/middle has required a great deal of my time in creating new materials and planning new lessons.  It has been making my fellowship difficult, as when I would normally sit down to tag resources, I now have to cut out manipulatives for K-2 and 3-5.

The good news is that as I am finding and tagging resources online, I have the opportunity to implement them in the classroom.  Thus far, I haven’t implemented a full item or lesson that I have tagged into my classroom, but I have incorporated several pieces of lessons and items.

From lesson plans including puppetry, I have introduced into my lower level classrooms ‘Miguel la Mano’, a decorated rubber glove, stuffed with poly-fill and tied off with string.  Miguel lets students introduce themselves to him over and over, and he’s a lot less intimidating than towering, fast-talking Ms. B.  From the video series ‘SALSA’ created by Georgia Public Broadcasting, I’ve internalized a mindset that helps students acquire and retain vocabulary: theatricality and repetition.  From an elementary curriculum project in a university education program, I’ve incorporated several silly songs that I never would have had the whimsy to invent nor the guts to try myself if they hadn’t been previously tested.

Having not taught anyone younger than 11 years old in my life, this fellowship is like an exercise in pedagogy.  What I never learned in professional development that addressed the middle school learner, I am now gleaning through the lesson plans and instructional items of other teachers.  These skills and mindsets are being transferred to my teaching in real time, and it’s incredibly formative and exciting.