Alane Connolly
I am an AACPS: 1st Grade Teacher, Shady Side Elementary School | 2017 Teacher of the Year Nominee
I meet my students at the classroom door each day with a smile and a simple conversation: “How are you this morning? I’m so glad you’re here today!” For some students, these may be the first positive words spoken to them all morning. This small exchange allows me to build a relationship with my students, get to know their lives outside of school, and gauge how they are feeling before we start our day. To me, relationship building is key to having a successful school year. I believe students learn and achieve best when they believe their teacher cares about them and when they feel safe to take risks and make mistakes. I continue to build this relationship throughout our day by celebrating student successes and showing students I value their thoughts and opinions. It is as much their classroom as it is mine.
As our day proceeds, I continue to create a welcoming and engaging environment. I strive to create activities that meet the needs of all my learners. It is important to me that all of my learners are engaged, challenged, and able to feel successful in my classroom. I believe in scaffolding and differentiating material. All children are capable of success at their own level. In addition to using assessment to tailor lessons to student needs, I believe that it is important to use hands-on materials and make learning as tangible as possible for all students. Most lessons in my classroom involve students manipulating something. Letter magnets, counters, and dice are used almost daily, as I believe it helps students build connections to the content (and it adds an element of fun!).
I believe it is important to be reflective and flexible. What worked in the classroom today, may not work tomorrow. Therefore, I am continuously seeking new ideas to keep up with my students and to make my classroom a fun and engaging place to learn.
