Aaron Johnson's blog

Working on teacher skillz.....

 I fell short in a few areas last year that I want to improve upon. For one, I am placing an emphasis on relationships. Last year I was very stern throughout the year. This year, I am cracking a smile and wishing every student a good morning and setting a more positive class tone. I am still old school and like a relatively silent classroom, but I want it to have a positive energy. My management is such that I am able to balance the two. The two areas that I need to really work on are innovation and parental communication. I am already talking to parents more this year, but I really need make the extra effort to reach out more and open those lines of communication. Last year I was terrible at this and didn't really make an effort. The parents that I did speak with were the ones that I mostly did not need to.  My first goal for this year is to increase parental communication through the web, phone calls, and conferences.
The next big thing that I want to focus on is innovation. I am a creature of habit and the procedures in my room are very conducive to monotony. I want to mix things up and work on being a little more creative and using different media to get lessons across and not become too routine in instruction. Also, I want to take things to the next level (higher DOK). I felt that last year my kids really got things on a base level but struggled with more critical thinking activities. They are familiar with concrete (A,B,C,D) but I want them to think more abstractly. I want to take skills and try to have them perform higher level tasks with them. I hear a lot about the things that our students are incapable of, but I have found that when you raise expectations, most of the students will rise to meet them. The last thing that I will be attempting this year is coaching. I will be laying the groundwork for the first golf team ever at my school. This year I will be focusing purely on instruction and then hopefully the program will take off and be competitive in future years. Our kids need and outlet and the gentlemen's game is very appropriate for teaching both physical and mental skills that translate into productivity later in life. We will see........

Night and day.....

 The start to this year is in direct contrast to the way we began last year. Last year, we had a new Principal who was hired in the middle of summer and didn't get into the building until late July. So needless to say, she didn't start with a strong game-plan. She wanted to observe the "Holly Springs way" and see how things operate in the school.  The start to last year was chaotic and STRESSFUL. This year has been a breeze so far. I know that kids begin to show out in a little while but so far so good. I have left each day feeling good. I believe that just establishing yourself in your school is very important. Once you are known by the kids and the community it makes teaching a lot easier. Many of the students that I teach this year are relatives and siblings of my kids last year so they knew about me before they arrived. I am very pleased with the way the year has begun. I appreciate the opportunities and leadership experiences that my Principal has given me.  I really enjoy being on the Building Leadership Team and gaining some of those administrative experiences. I am also very impressed with the new faculty members at my school. The newbies on my hallway are trying very hard and they are doing a great job dealing with the troublesome few and the other seventh graders in our school. So far so good. I cannot emphasize enough the difference that a little organization and higher expectations makes. I led a professional development session on discipline and classroom management and we voted (with my prompting) to have the kids walk on the right side of the hall at all times. This has been really successful and they come into the classroom in a more methodical manner ready for instruction. It also cut down on a major problem area last year. Last year, the hall was a zoo and this year it is a well-oiled machine. Little changes in policy and procedure can go a long way in managing a school. I am looking forward to the rest of the year and hopeful that our success continues.....

Class Website............

  One of the complaints of parents (and rightly so) was that our faculty did not use very much technology in the classroom. On the one hand, we are making due with what we have. On the other, there are ways to incorporate technology with your own resources and the ones that some families have at home. I decided to create a website (blog) that my parents can check to see assignments and projects and general class information. This may be a small step, but I believe some will check it and appreciate it. It may open another line of communication which is crucial. This paired with the possibility of getting an LCD projector this year means that Mr. Johnson's class will be slightly less "Old School" this year.

                  http://mrjohnsonlanguagearts.blogspot.com/