A New Entry Every Sunday!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Week 1 - What Does Your Garden Grow?

"What is honored in a country will be cultivated there." - Plato

Each school has its own unique culture.

A small school will look and function differently from a large school. An inner-city school may look dramatically different from a rural or suburban school. Elementary is different from secondary; private is different from public.

Where the differences lie are not just in the structures themselves but in the value and beliefs of the inhabitants.

Look deep into a school, and you can see what is cherished. Walk the halls, and you will see what they value.

Walk into a school that looks sterile - white blank walls with no adornment and complete silence - and you will feel as if you have walked into a hospital. This school's leaders believe that students are there to be cured by their teaching.

Walk into another school with colorful walls covered with students' artwork - where teachers' doors are adorned with their personal style - and you will see a school that values students' creativity and teachers' personalities. It is a welcoming atmosphere, one that fosters growth.

Where do creative minds prefer to flower? They prefer a place where there is light, warmth, and plenty of food.

Is your school a place for growth? It could be, if you choose to be a tiller of the soil in your school.

Prompt:
Some of the ways I would like to make my classroom and school into environments that encourage growth include . . . 

3 comments:

  1. ... a classroom that team with vibrant colors, student artwork and inspirational posters decorating the walls, and a smile every morning (no matter how bad their day truly is) to my students as they enter my "haven" for creativity and positive enlightenment.

    If every teacher finds a way to add a little vibrancy to their classrooms, it will make the world a better place.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi,

    I came across your site http://appleschalkdustjournal.blogspot.com/ while searching Google for blogs talking about growing/gardening equipment and related keywords and was wondering if you'd be open to doing a sponsored blog post.

    We have a site that growing/gardening equipment and are looking for more exposure online.

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    Also if you have some other blogs, please send them over and I'll take a look and we might be open to doing a post on those as well!

    Let me know if you'd be open to this!

    Regards,

    Vanessa
    vanessac@lashopmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just wrote a book called "361 Things a Substitute Teacher Learned at School: A Sub's Mini Guide". Check it out on Amazon:
    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ISIG3J8

    ReplyDelete