Book - Teaching with Intention

 I have soooo many books that I want to read. They clutter the floor beside my bed. And I have a bookshelf in the empty bedroom in our basement that is starting to overflow. 

So... I decide to take Monday evenings and do some actual reading. I started with this:



I had already read the first chapter and skimmed through most of the rest of it, but I've got my own copy now, so I went in with yellow highlighter - wowza! {I was also looking on my nightstand for a pencil but couldn't find one. I was thinking of really going crazy, and writing notes in the margins. What next!}

The first part is called Defining Beliefs and Aligning Practices. The first chapter is called Picture Perfect: How Does Your Ideal Classroom Look, Sound and Feel? And I highlighted the very first sentence: "If I were to ask you to close your eyes and envision the perfect classroom scene, what would you see? What would you hear and smell and feel?"

And then, Debbie Miller says, "Once you take the time to envision exactly what it is you want for you and the children you teach, you can set about taking action and bringing your vision to life."

Personally, I think this is the perfect time to start thinking about this. It's getting close to the end of the year. I can think about things I think aren't working, and what is working {yes, please Sara, do this! (because I seem to be a pessimist)}  And what do I want to do differently.

I need to make notes. I need to think about what's important to me. Like, I want my class to be enjoyable. I want, for the most part, for my classroom to be somewhere my kids want to be. 

So, what else do I want? I also want to plan more fun, memorable ideas. I often feel that our time together is so structure, that my students and I don't have much time to do some of the creative things I'd like to try. But maybe I need to do a better job in planning those times.

Just this tip of the iceberg has gotten me thinking. What about you, what would your perfect classroom look like? This is like my own personal book study, but I'd love to hear from you, if you have a thought or idea to add. 

Thanks, Sara