Summer Professional Development

We all know that summer doesn't just mean time to play around, but also time to learn some new things for a better school year.  This summer I have so much I want to read and learn about.  This week I've been in a conference learning about MTSS which is a layered system of support for identifying struggling students and helping meet the needs of all learners. It has been an eye opening conference and I am looking forward to the changes that will be taking place at our school. 

Other than conferences I also have my own list of books I want to read this summer. I've already almost finished the book pictured below and it has been one of my favorite books related to students with learning disabilities.  

One idea I love is the concept of literally picturing what success looks like in the classroom. The author suggests taking or finding pictures of what you think a successful environment looks like and putting them into a college. Then post the picture in your classroom as a reminder to always have positive expectations for students.

Below is a picture of my current stack of books I want to read this summer. Some books are rereads, some are just for fun and non school related and most are related to learning more about teaching students with disabilties.

What's on your professional development menu for this summer? 

Last Week Fun

Last week was the last week of school for students.  We celebrated in my room with a different theme for each day.  Monday was math games, Tuesday was fun with reading, Wednesday was science, Thursday was reflection of the year and Friday was summer activities.   My students enjoyed these theme days and overall were able to keep their focus the last week while enjoying themselves. 

Reading in the dark on reading day

Getting to learn from a therapy dog on science day

Rain in a jar on science day

Started off our week growing grass.  It sprouted in just a few days and the kids loved watching how much it grew each day.