Woohie! It’s been a hot-minute since I’ve posted over here! Sorry for the un-intentional break, but it has been absolutely nuts in our neck of the woods (DEVOLSON, anyone?) Luckily for me, today is a rainy, go-nowhere, house-is-actually-clean, you-get-to-do-something-for-the-blog kinda day!
Honestly, I’ve been wanting to write this post since the beginning of the year, but I never got around to it! Well, here goes . . .
This year, I wanted to incorporate a lot of big changes in my classroom. It’s my fifth year teaching, and it’s my second year in second grade, but it’s also my second year teaching solo, without a beloved co-teacher to run crazy ideas by–scary. During the past two years though, I feel like I’ve really gotten the chance to hone in on who I am, as an individual teacher, and what my individual teaching style is. Comfort in the way I run a classroom and within the safety of a supportive environment had me wanting to head out of my comfort zone by the end of last year. Thus, my desire to transform my classroom into a flexible seating environment. I was so blessed to have a project approved and funded on DonorsChoose, so that I could move forward with my flexible seating, full-steam ahead!
But it didn’t stop there. I wanted to add in a few more elements to my classroom, to help students explore ideas within and outside of the standard curriculum. I decided that I would put my craft supplies in a more easily-accessible Maker Space (thanks to some amazing storage units my sweet hubby salvaged for me), and with the help of some generous donations from my Facebook friends, I was able to start a STEAM Bin station.
Again, it didn’t stop there. It was one thing to add in those stations, but I needed to know when I would be able to let students use them. That’s when I decided to look into incorporating “Soft Start”/”Morning Choice” into my homeroom time. In the past, I’ve done the traditional bell-ringer type morning work. While I love the review element that students are eventually able to get to later in the year, at the start of the year, I often find that students feel lost on morning work, wondering “What do I do here?” and “What does this mean?” While we do work through “Reading the directions and trying your best” (heeey, #growthmindset) this often just isn’t a skill that my second-graders (okay, end-of-year first-graders) have at the beginning of the year. It leaves them dreading morning work and stressing at the beginning of the day–not a note I like to start out on! So, after a lot of research and deliberating, I decided I’d also throw “Soft Start” into the mix, allowing students to do a “Doodle of the Week” from our Maker Space, complete engineering challenges in our STEAM Bin Station, read a choice book, practice current or previous skills with Toothy task cards, or work on differentiated skills on iLearn or XtraMath, throughout the week.
If you lost track (I know I did), I was incorporating four big changes into my classroom all at once: 1) moving to flexible seating, 2) introducing a Maker Space, 3) setting up a STEAM Bin Station, and 4) ditching regular morning work for “Soft Start.” Y’all . . . I was so overwhelmed with anxiety about all of these changes. What if they totally flopped? What if these changes didn’t help my students grow in the ways I thought they would? Worse still–what if I lost total control of my classroom?
Yet, I decided to go for it. I decided to do it scared. I decided to not “just do it” though, but to do it with a plan. I intentionally sat down and came up with very clear expectations and procedures for each new element of my classroom. I made sure that when I shared the new spaces and features with my students, I was clear in the delivery. I explained, rephrased, and answered any questions my little friends had. In doing so, I gave them clear and comfortable boundaries, that would allow them to explore and grow in new ways, while still helping me maintain control of my classroom. With a little bit of adjustment here and there (hey, I’m all for transparency; I’m not going to lie and tell you I had it all figured out before I gave any of it a shot), it all has been such a success! Students (and parents) LOVE the movement that is incorporated with flexible seating, and it really has helped my “wigglers” stay focused on their learning. We also LOVE soft start! As a teacher, the prep is so much easier, I don’t have to rush to go over morning work before our “actual” learning blocks begin (don’t worry, I still weasel the reviews in throughout the day 😉 ), and I don’t have 24 little bodies asking questions while I’m greeting students or taking care of morning routines. My kiddos are also so much more excited to come to homeroom in the mornings when they get to do “Soft Start,” and I love that they’re free to talk and work on communication skills in the morning! The growth I was worried about losing? Also, still happening–in fact, my students are making more growth, more quickly than they did last year! (Can I get a “Hallelujah!”?)
All this to say, I think we’re often scared to take risks as educators. It’s comfortable and easy to stick to what we know. If you’re feeling called to try something new though, I encourage you to go for it! Research it. Think about it. Plan it out. Troubleshoot potential problems before they arise. Be clear in expectations. Be prepared. But do it. Do it scared! The rewards are often so worth the risks!
Pixie Primary 