Tuesday, September 2, 2014

First Day Reflections

Yesterday was the first day of school and I thought about it and wanted to share some reflections.

I was able to see my #NerdySpaces in action for the first time and I have some mixed feelings.

The Good:

I was moving around the room much more than before. I had over 16K steps. That is crazy for my classroom. I was able to freely move around the center of the room.

Not Sure:

The students seemed a bit crowded. I told them the room would be changing based on their feedback, so there is plenty of room for change.

Marshmallow Challenge:

The Good:

For the first time ever, I did an ice breaker to start of the school year. I normally just go over class procedures, but decided to change I up. The students had a blast and my new principal stopped by and even helped out. You can find some pics searching the hashtags #MRPAL and #MRPFROSH.

The Bad:

I felt like I did not have the same flow I normally have going over this information. I felt my timing was off. I'm not sue, but it was something I noticed and I wonder if the students did.

The Students:

The Good:

I've got great kids and they seem excited to be in my class and they all have a pretty good sense of humor. At least they were good at giving me a pity laugh when I needed it. :-)

Looking Ahead:

There is so much promise in meeting your classes for the first time. You do not know the students and you think every single one of them are capable of amazing things. I'm excited to learn about all of my students, their dreams, passions, and everything else that matters to them.

I hope others who started yesterday had an amazing day.

Hugs and high fives friends,

Nick

3 comments:

  1. There's such a fine line between a good sense of humor and a pity laugh. Assume the best. Here's to promise ahead and a great second day!

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  2. I am sure everything went great yesterday for you! I can't imagine it not! Why not ask the students for some feedback? I love that you realize the room belongs to the students and will listen to ideas from them! You will have a great year! Keep us informed!

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  3. Hi Nick! I'm Emily, a student at the University of South Alabama, and I really enjoyed reading your post. I thought the way it was structured was great with the good vs the bad thing. The Marshmallow Challenge sounds like a lot of fun! I went and looked at your pictures on twitter and it seemed like your students were having a blast as well. Don't worry too much about the flow, new students, new you! You seem like a fun teacher so I'm sure the laughs weren't out of pity. Best of wishes for you and your students!

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