Ruth Ayres hosts a link-up every week in order to celebrate all the great happenings. You can find other celebrations at Discover. Play. Build.
This
week I am celebrating a renewed focus on the social and emotional well being of
students and teachers in my district.
During the first day orientation, both district administrators and
school administrators spoke about the importance of fostering the social and
emotional development of our students. At the first staff meeting, the
principal and assistant principal spoke about ways to provide breaks for
students in the classroom and to relieve stress for students. There was also mention of teachers’ well
being and reminders from my assistant principal to take care of ourselves and
to find time to give ourselves a break when it’s needed. An academic push, the
need to improve literacy and math test scores, has overshadowed the social and
emotional needs of students for quite a while. The principal at my school
explained that school superintendents throughout the state have been discussing
this and are finding a need to reduce stress for students. For the past few
years, there has been an intense focus on accountability, assessment data, and
the state test in my district. This has
been evident in the amount of testing students are exposed to in the first week
of school and throughout the remainder of the school year. Teachers in my district must follow an assessment
calendar. For the first time in a few
years, there were not any tests scheduled for the first few days of
school. I believe we are taking steps to
be more conscious of students’ well being and responsive to the academic
pressures placed on students. On the
first day of school I asked a student about the first day. His response was, “It was awesome! Double awesome!” This enthusiasm and love of school is as
important to foster as academics. The hope is that students will continue to
have this enthusiasm and love for the remainder of the school days.
Oh this is so lovely to hear. No testing. More breaks. More low stress! Wonderful for you and the students.
ReplyDeleteYes, it definitely is wonderful!
DeleteWhat a wonderful way to start your year. In fact awesome. "Double awesome."
ReplyDeleteEveryone needs less stress and breaks from the momentum of learning. It is nice to hear that your school district is advocating for that. As for tests in the beginning of the school year, that is just plain cruel!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree it is cruel. I see the need for assessment, but sometimes it's over done.
DeleteYes, I agree it is cruel. I see the need for assessment, but sometimes it's over done.
DeleteGreat way to start the school year. Love that your district is focusing on nurturing students and teachers.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely refreshing!
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