Jan
5
What Does Your Garden Grow?
January 5, 2009 | 2 Comments
Copied directly from Apples and Chalkdust: A Teacher’s Journal. Vicki Caruana
Each school has its own unique culture.
A small school will look and function differently from a large school. An inner-city school may look dramatically different from a rural or suburban school. Elementary is different from secondary, private is different from public.
Where the differences lie are not just in the structures themselves but in the values and beliefs of the inhabitants.
Look deep into a school, and you can see what is cherished. Walk the halls, and you will see what they value.
Walk into a school that looks sterile–white blank walls with no adornment and complete silence–and you will feel as if you have walked into a hospital. This school’s leaders believe that students are there to be cured by their teaching.
Walk into another school with colorful walls covered with students’ artwork–where teachers’ doors are adorned with their personal style–and you will see a school that values students’ creativity and teachers’ personalities. It is a welcoming atmosphere, one that fosters growth.
Where do creative minds prefer to flower? They prefer a place where there is light, warmth, and plenty of food.
Some of the ways I would like to make my classroom and school environments that encourage growth include…
2 Comments so far
I plan to showcase more of my students’ accomplishments out in the hallway. I also plan to share my ideas and seek the ideas of those around me. I would like to see teachers’ build each other up rather than tear apart each other. One for all and all for one!
I have to brag about the other Social Studies Teachers in 6th Grade. They share and come up with some great ideas. I feel we are teamed well but we do need to push the kids to create more displayable items.DI will help with this.
I wish we had an ongoing Time line in the hall.