Off to a great bright start

August 2023 Written by Esmeralda Valdez

Hello Friends!

I hope that summer has come to a relaxing end. As we look toward the new year,as many of our readers are in warmer weather states begin the school year at the beginning of August. While some of our readers will begin working with students in the next few weeks and prepare to meet and greet students at our classroom doors.

As we begin to embark on this academic journey of 2023-2024, much recent literature and research articles are shedding light on the need for social and emotional learning in classrooms not only at the Elementary but also at the middle and high school levels; this is an issue and an initiative that seems to be embarking nationwide. Furthermore, as you begin the next year of your teaching career, it is essential to remember that you and your professional development opportunities are aligned as you embark on new skills that will help support the effective instruction that you provide to the students in your classrooms this year. Remember that building relationships with students is first and foremost in our teaching profession, and in my opinion, what comes second is our professional development, knowledge, and skills that we bring to the classroom. When we invest in our students and ourselves in this ever demanding field is when we can confidently implement and offer our students effective and engaging lessons and skills which will allow us to see them grow academically and be able to meet the standards we set for them.

While many of you know data is vital to truly understanding our students and the deficiencies and strengths they bring, we must constantly revisit the data, whether it be once a month or once every three months in collaboration with colleagues during professional learning community meetings. It is critical to be able to know and understand where our students are in terms of academic achievement in each subject area, which include reading, writing, math in order to support them best, because this is truly where the art of teaching, lesson design and curriculum planning make us shine as educators in our classrooms (see my TPT site for digital teacher planners with data trackers and PD growth goal setting).

In closing, I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts; we know that data is always going to be at the forefront of education, because our students are constantly evolving, as students come to us, today more than ever we are witnessing students coming to our schools with diverse language backgrounds as well as, diverse needs. It is imperative that we be ready to meet them where they are and to support their educational journeys. However, according to a self-conducted research, I found many teachers want to support students. Yet, there are continuous reforms and initiatives being asked of us to implement in the classrooms. Our school districts and or state initiatives do not want to invest the time and to provide educators with the skill sets, resources and materials they need or at times required to be effective in our jobs. This is why I have made it my life work and recent studies mission to support our self-sought targeted professional development opportunities on our own to find job satisfaction and to grow personally and professionally as an educator. As always, remember to visit our website for any resources that you may need when it comes to professional development, reflecting on your professional development, and learning more about current topics within education at teachingisanart.org.