welcome to the circus

     What I've learned this month is that leadership is not just about what you do, but how you do it. Yes, it's impossible to get 100% buy-in. Yes, it may be messy and take longer to share your plans. But letting people have a say in plans that profoundly affect how they work is crucial. Without a say, people lose motivation. With a say, people may still not be happy, but at least they'll feel they had a shot at making changes and presenting their point of view.
     These thoughts were prompted by a surprise change to the schoolwide schedule. While I like the idea of more time for students to learn math and language arts, I can't figure out how to use my itty-bitty half-hour blocks for resources. And I have serious reservations about being directed to focus my "reteaching" periods (an hour a day) on my approaching kids. In school-speak, an approaching kid is a student whose test score is not too far off from the magic 300 that means proficiency. So what happens to my lowest students, the ones who could really benefit from small-group teaching?
      I also miss teaching language arts before lunch. My morning class is doing OK, but the afternoon? Everyone's tired, sleepy, and not inclined to sit down for the hard but essential work of reading and writing.
     What heightens the chaos is that I just started guided reading. Basically, while we do have regular whole-class instruction, I am trying to work with small groups of students daily. This is where I'm trying to focus on my struggling readers. Guided reading is a daunting thing to start. One of my mentors calls it "a 3-ring circus." My students are not quite used to working independently. One of my big rules is that unless it's a real emergency, the students are not to interrupt me when I am with a group. My morning students have gotten adept at waving away classmates seeking a pencil or asking to go to the restroom. Volume control is a work in progress as well! I did try requiring "whisper voices" for the first 15 minutes of guided reading. It was quieter, but I think we need to actually practice. Maybe set the timer for 2 minutes and allow them to use "whisper voices" to converse with a neighbor.
    Another hurdle for me is organization. I did set up a crate for all the students' folders, but I need to start taking notes on what I did with each group and better organizing my materials.  I still harbor a deep envy for other teachers' spotless desks (just what do they DO with all the papers? the books? the worksheets? It's an eternal mystery), but I'm realizing one person's neat doesn't have to look like another's.
    Can't believe it's almost February. When we came back from winter break, the end of May seemed eons away, but now I can see that it just might sneak up on me.