A group of Decorah staff attended the Be All In Conference in Dubuque last June. This Conference was a new format, combining KPEC and Trauma Sensitive Schools. Viking staff collaborated along with 1,000 other educators, and Jenn Delarosa, Sarah Nowack, and Shanna Dibble had the opportunity to present on topics including Mindfulness, Co-Teaching, and differentiating social skill instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. Listed below are a few highlights from staff who attended this educational and inspirational conference. They are excited to share more information throughout the school year, as staff work collaboratively with an Outward Mindset to “Be All In” for our students and families!
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Beginning a new school year inevitably creates the homo sapiens in us, to forcefully adapt to change. Maybe we have to (or get to) change classrooms. Possibly, we are moving to a new grade level. Maybe we have gone from teacher to administrator or administrator to para? No matter what capacity you serve in education, the beginning of a new school year requires you to devote time to think about change. Our Third Grade Team looks very different this year. We have hired on Marcy Klein; straight out the gate from The University of Northern Iowa. She brings a contagious excitement and a fresh set of ideas that has rubbed off on the rest of the team. We have also hired Kirsten Burrett; who has one year of teaching under her belt and has become an asset to the team as well. Both of these teachers were lucky enough to student teach in third grade at Carrie Lee. The familiarity of the environment, the TLC Program, the community and knowing “Veteran” teachers, helps everyone to adapt to the new changes. We devote ourselves, in education, to students. However, with a mindfulness change, we can also make sure to be mindful of our co-workers. We think we can do this on our own (mostly), but sometimes it takes someone to help us build on what we know. Our team has decided to learn and support through book studies. The first book we chose, is “The Power of a Positive Team” by Jon Gordon. This summer, we gathered to discuss the book a few times and vet the finer points of Gordon’s work to improve how all of us can be more effective for our kiddos in the classroom. Throughout the first chapters, we highlighted significant takeaways: culture beats strategy, the commitment to the process, and having a team mission. We learned to make time to create and revisit our vision and mission throughout the school year. As single entities, we are changing every day. Our socialization process extends, and we become different. That’s difficult enough, let alone making those changes and then learning to adapt together. “Be the Teacher You Want to Teach With.” This seemed to sum up our deep discussions on how our team needs to be effective before we can individually go into our own classrooms and be effective for students. Bringing out the inner champion in each other makes us better every single day. Celebrating improvements. Assuring each other when we stumble and believing in each other are what bring purpose to our mission. As you move forward with your new (or consistent) team, we wish you well! Our team has high hopes that this district shows up big-time for not only students but for each other. Let us all guide each other into a place where everyone succeeds! |
AuthorsDCSD Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Learner Advocate, and Collaborative Teachers Archives
April 2024
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