Blog #4

A1- It sounds like morning meetings are a great way to create a community in your classroom. Students are free to express themselves and have people listen to what they have to say. Students learn to bond with their fellow classmates. They can learn that everyone has great ideas to contribute. When everyone trusts each other there are hardly any behavior issues in the classroom. I would like to try morning meetings in my classroom someday. I would like try and get my class to have synergy in the classroom. I want to try her method of vegetables and medicine, etc. That way the students can understand what we are trying to accomplish through morning meetings. I also want to give my students a lot of responsibility during morning meetings. I think that the students will want to do their best in the things that they do when they know the whole class in counting on them.

B1- How a teacher can response to a student's needs...

1. Invitation: wanting to get to know the student, have time for them personally, respecting them, seeing their value, etc.
2. Opportunity: having important, worthy, challenging things for them to do to open new possibilities.
3. Investment: making an enjoyable place for them, to reflect them, to help them grow and succeed.
4. Persistence: they are always growing, learning. There are many different ways for them to learn.
5. Reflection: After watching and observing you I know what to do to help you learn better. I try to see things through your eyes. Asking yourself what you can do to make things better.

I think that investment sort of encompasses all of them in a way. When you make an investment in something you want it to win so you can win. You will take the time to get to know what you are investing. You are always thinking of way to get the most out of your investment. As a teacher I am going to invest in all of my students and I want for us all to win. When I was in elementary school I didn't really feel like a lot of my teachers were really there for me. I want all my students to know that I know who they are and that I have a plan to help them succeed.