Thursday, November 13, 2014

Learning from Others

An influential mentor in my life taught me that it is better to be the "guide on the side" than the "sage on the stage".  In order to develop lifelong learners, teachers recognize that one of the most important things we teach the children is how we can learn from everyone around us.

This past Tuesday, on Veterans Day, we honored our crossing guard, Mr. Poteracki. Children gave him cards, and shared words of appreciation as they walked to school. 

Mr. Poteracki brought photographs of when he served in the Army, during the Vietnam War. He also brought in pictures of his father, who served during World War II. 

This was a great opportunity for our students to learn about the service of veterans and say "thank you". 

The ideas for honoring Mr. Poteracki originated from our Student Council, who declared it Mr. Poteracki Day at Dryden!

Scientists from High Touch High Tech visited the first grade classes and introduced them to many exciting science concepts. 
Electricity

Changing states of matter

One of our fourth grade classes has developed a partnership with a fourth grade class from Futabakai Japanese School. The children from Futabakai visted Dryden for the first time this week. Our students were eager to make new friends and make our guests feel welcome. We were all so touched by the respectful, good manners of our new friends. Communicating, sharing, playing, eating and working together helped everyone learn about similarities and differences in cultures, while forming new and positive relationships. 





As students utilize technology more frequently to research, document learning and give constructive feedback to one another, it's imperative that we instill a deep understanding of safe and ethical use of technology. Mrs. Breaux, our amazingly talented technology facilitator, is often working behind the scenes to make sure all of our devices are working properly. We are grateful that she has also been able to spend time with students in the classroom to make sure they "THINK" before they share their thoughts electronically. 
















No comments:

Post a Comment