Ep 2: Reading the Room

 
We’re a few weeks into the school year now, and taking time to check in. How are you doing? How are the children doing? How can you tell? What’s the vibe in your school? AND how can you continue to check in with yourself, your colleagues, and your students—what works and what doesn’t?

Episode Transcript

Resources

1. Mister Chris & Friends: Songs About Routines (PreK-2nd Grade)
   This video collection features songs to get kids engaged and help them understand the importance of various routines, both at home and in the classroom.  Using this series as a way to check in with kids about their understanding of certain procedures will help them feel more safe and connected to the classroom.
2. Young Peace Leaders Collection (3rd-8th Grade)
   This collection of videos and lesson plans provides inspired ideas for building up core values among individual students and as a classroom community.  Using integrated arts like dance, theater, and writing, the series emphasizes the cultivation of skills that are often overlooked in traditional content curriculum.  Working with students to build up their capacity for self-acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, empathy, and the like, are great strategies to utilize at the beginning of a new school year, when teachers can both reassure students they belong in the space and help set the tone for the learning to come!
3. Homework in High School: How Much Is Too Much? / Above The Noise (9th-12th Grade)
   It’s no secret that being a high school student can be extremely stressful.  Especially as students get back into the groove of a new school year, acclimating to a new level of learning is extremely overwhelming.  In this episode of Above The Noise (an excellent series for sparking dialogue and introspection among students), high schoolers talk about the pros and cons of homework.  While students may not be able to avoid the pervasiveness of homework, talking about its purpose and management will provide a constructive outlet for dealing with some of the stress it may bring.