Summary Post C4T #4

I'm a 6th grade teacher from Iowa in my fifth year of teaching who loves learning. I am on twitter at @MrsBMG.

We need to revive the learning spaces we have. They need to feel more natural, welcoming, home-like.
I'm not sure I'm a fan of grade-levels. My son walked at 13 months. Some kids walk at 9 months. Some don't walk until 15 months. Trying to cram all these kids in the same room and teach them the same thing just because they're of the same age isn't quite working.
To encourage people to do the arts, we need to make them a priority in our schools. Right now, we basically label some subjects as useful and some as useless.
Life is based on diversity. We don't want canned results, yet we treat all students as if they're on the college route.
Many times, students leave school not knowing what they're good at.
Talents aren't discovered because we get too focused on standards/benchmarks.
We need to give students time to explore things outside the "curriculum."
"Covering curriculum” is focusing on teaching, not on learning.
We're focusing on learning stuff instead of how to learn.
We need to be more of a "guide on the side" and not the "sage on the stage."


Her latest post on her blog is about how others have recognized her with appreciation of her blog. She wasn't sure if all her tweeting and blogging was doing anyone any good and YES IT has! Hearing how she has helped others made her feel "humbled and uplifted." The picture on her blog post is a canvas bag that says "One person can make a difference and everyone should try." This is a small thought that we should all try to achieve everyday. It does not matter how big or small. What is small to us could be BIG to someone else, it's worth taking the chance for.