Inspire the Whole Child

Establishing a thriving learning environment is instrumental in students obtaining personal success.  We must be strategic in how we develop our classroom communities at the beginning of a new school year.   The setting must support the whole child, adapting to the needs of the group as everyone settles in for the yearlong learning journey.    The environment must specifically be designed to support the health and safety of our students, strengthening the emotional well-being of each individual.  While providing an atmosphere that supports learning endeavors from every angle, students can be offered many opportunities to be truly engaged and challenged. 

But how do we guarantee that we WILL develop a solid foundation that supports the whole child?

I recommend intentional inspiration:

Brain Breakfast

Our students last year helped us refine the way we began our morning routine.  As we were starting to feel our “Entry Task” becoming mundane, we were in search of a better way to establish our mornings.  Ann and I have spent a lot of time researching about the brain and how to teach so students will retain the information.  We absolutely knew we wanted to begin the day in an inviting, engaging way.  Thus, our students helped us in developing the Brain Breakfast.  We began implementing cognitive activities that would expand on the knowledge we were exploring, but also motivate our creative juices. 

Pay Attention

Several years ago I was very impressed with my ability to keep students attention during a lesson.  They would sit still on their pockets at the carpet, with their alert eyes staring at me.  They seemed so engaged.  But what I never considered at the time was why they were behaving this way.  What were they truly focusing on?  The content/information/demonstration being given, or did they just have a desire to please me?  Were their brains too focused on their behavior and desire to do the right thing and please me that the true learning was lost.