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August 2007
In This Issue
The Traveling Teacher
Thought for the Day
New DVD Series!
Links to My Website
 
 
 
 
Rick Smith
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Dear Fellow Educator, 
Welcome to the Conscious Teaching newsletter, bringing you stories and strategies throughout the school year. I'm committed to making a difference for kids, by bringing a breath of fresh air to teachers. Feel free to write back with your own contributions that can be included in future newsletters. And please use the "Forward email" link at the bottom of this newsletter to share it with your colleagues.
 The Traveling teacher...

...also known as the "shopping cart teacher".


Many teachers, especially new teachers and "specialty" teachers, don't have their own classrooms. Instead, they travel from room to room. This can be quite a challenge. Here are some things you can do to minimize the stress and maximize the learning time:

 

"Hire" a student.  If your school allows it, have a trusted student leave your classroom one minute before the bell rings to end class, lugging your materials to the next classroom. When the bell does ring, that student is standing outside the door of your new classroom, bringing the materials in and setting them up. The student can earn "extra credit" of your choosing. If it's not allowable or doable to have a student leave your classroom early, then have that student escort you to the next class, helping you lug your materials.

 

In addition, you can have a student from your next classroom stay after and set things up between classes before you arrive.

 

Workshop

Use transparencies, PowerPoint, or butcher paper to pre-write your board information. Instead of spending the time between classes writing a warm-up activity on the board, for example, write the warm-up the night before on a transparency. When you arrive at your new classroom, turn the overhead on, and you're good to go. Or, write on butcher paper the night before. Your "hired" student can take it from one class to the next and post it on the board.

 

Secure wall space for your posters and for student work. Secure file cabinet space and/or shelf space for your materials. 

Both of these can be problematic, in that the teacher in the room is not likely to want to yield any wall or cabinet space.  However, if you are teaching one class per day in another teacher's room, for example, and she is teaching five classes, then you should be entitled to one-sixth of the space.  Because most traveling teachers are new and therefore non-tenured, most traveling teachers never speak up about the need for space. Most of the time, the teacher whose room it is will happily yield a little wall and cabinet space. Sometimes, however, the teacher is not so willing to yield. If this is the case, then consider having your mentor teacher or department head or administrator go to bat for you. As a mentor, I have requested wall and file space in the room on behalf of the new teacher, and let the teacher know up front that it was my request, as opposed to that of the new teacher.  In this way, I was the one who received any negativity that came up, thus freeing up my mentee to work in harmony with that teacher.

 

Once you have cabinet space, photocopy class sets of handouts that you may need, and place them in each of your classrooms. For example, there's seven minutes left in class, and the students are finishing an activity. If only you had that poem or worksheet or math handout, you could keep them on task for the rest of the period. Because you don't want to have to lug a class set (or series of class sets) around with you all the time, place your handouts in each classroom, and store them in a file cabinet or drawer in advance, so that you can pull them out on a moment's notice.

 

Use wall space to post student work, announcements, personal touches about yourself, or anything else you might do if the room were actually yours.

 

Change the seating arrangement.  If you would prefer a different seating arrangement than what exists in the classroom, change it. For example, if the room is set up with desks in groups of four, and you would prefer rows, simply have your students change the seating arrangement at the start of class, and then move things back at the end of class.  The amount of time spent doing this can be minimized by using visuals, such as an overhead view of the room, to get the students to set the room up as you like it. By practicing the procedure, the students will able to move desks efficiently.  The stress saved by teaching in an environment that you prefer is always worth the hassle of moving desks.

Thought for the Day

Every moment we are faced with a new opportunity to be kind with ourselves exactly as we are. Our students are rarely perfect, yet we seem to be able to find ways to forgive, love, and care for them regardless. Let's take this same kindness that we have for our students, and use it for ourselves in our own "imperfect moments."

My New DVD Series!
Conscious Classroom Management on Video is now available.
 
Conscious Teaching DVD SetThis is a five disc comprehensive video series on Conscious Classroom Management, coordinated with the book and facilitator guide. These programs provide a powerful model and wealth of ideas to help veteran as well as new teachers organize and manage classrooms to improve learning.
 
All orders received before September 1, 2007 will receive FREE shipping

Click here to view the trailer and order
 
Sincerely,
Rick Smith
Rick Smith
Conscious Teaching