The Classroom Connection
October 3, 2006
This is the first edition of The Classroom Connection, a monthly electronic newsletter with information about classroom instruction and the link between the WCPSS Curriculum and Instruction staff and classroom teachers. We hope you find this first edition interesting and informative.
CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER DONNA HARGENS: WHAT WE ARE LEARNING
It is impossible for educators to get together and not talk about educational
issues. What is exciting about the direction and the focus of the content
of those conversations right now in the Wake County Public School System
is on the sharing and development of strategies that respond to the system-wide
commitment of success for all students. Dufour (2004) explains how the work
of professional learning communities revolves around three critical issues:
what students are to learn, assessing if they know it, and then developing
school-wide and system-wide responses to what happens when a student does
learn and when a student doesn't learn. Educators in Wake County are successfully
moving teaching from being an isolated profession to a collaborative profession.
The focus is successfully being put on assessment FOR learning rather than
on assessment of learning. End of year results tell us if students have
or haven't learned. Year-end results, however, do not provide us with the
data that can effectively inform our teaching practices during the 180 instructional
days that make up a school year.
We are proud of the success of our students and teachers. When a teacher in one part of the county has developed an effective lesson or strategy that has engaged students and resulted in learning, that teacher is being encouraged to share that expertise with colleagues throughout the system. New teachers to Wake County Public Schools benefit from the instructional resources that are provided by Curriculum and Instruction, but also from the willingness of their colleagues to collaborate with them for the benefit of students. The Wake County Public School System in turn benefits from the knowledge and experience of those who are new to the district and what they add to the discussions and problem-solving sessions.
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GLADYS L. MADAUSS: FIRST-GRADE TEACHER AT FOREST PINES ELEMENTARY
Madauss has been teaching for 11 years. When she was named Wake County Teacher
of the Year last year, she was in her fourth year at Brentwood Elementary.
At Brentwood, she was the grade level chair, Leadership team chair and a
member of the School Improvement team. At the end of the school year, Madauss
moved to a new teaching position in Wake County at Forest Pines Elementary.
GLADYS L. MADAUSS: IN MY CLASSROOM
The beginning of the year is an exciting time! It is full of discovery and
surprises for both teachers and children. It is also a stressful time for
all. The first few weeks are a crucial time to establish a relationship
with students and their parents. It is also the time when teachers are busy
assessing children to know where to begin their reading instruction with
each child. How do I get all this accomplished? I jump into literacy centers
right away! The first two weeks my centers are all about reviewing kindergarten
skills. They can be as simple as forming the alphabet with play dough, alphabet
puzzles, matching capital letters to lowercase letters, stamping the alphabet,
etc. While they are busy at work, I assess students' reading through running
records.
We have our play on Friday afternoons. Both children and parents love the plays. Plays are a wonderful way to develop oral language, especially in ESL children. Through the auditions both the children and I get to know each other very well and by inviting parents to attend I am also building a relationship with them. I must confess that I borrowed most of these ideas from my dear mentor at Brentwood Elementary and that it has taken me a few years to "get it right.". I encourage all teachers to make the first few weeks of school as memorable and fun as possible. This may guarantee you a smooth and successful rest of the year.
-wcpss-
The Classroom Connection is published electronically monthly for everyone interested in the Wake County Public School System. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.
Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
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