The Journey Begins

"I never teach my pupils, I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn."

- Albert Einstein

After spending five years developing curriculum and leading classes of grade six students, I found out this past June that I would be moving to grade seven in the fall. The impending change left me with mixed emotions. I loved the grade six team I worked with, the engaging units we had developed, and the subjects I taught. Moving to a new grade would mean spending extra time learning new content and competencies and creating new material. I knew it would be a great opportunity to grow as a professional, but I was sad to leave my dream job.

Alas, I and some wonderful staff packed my room and moved it to a new wing of the school. During the first week of summer break I spent my free days in my new room unpacking bins and boxes and getting as much set up as possible. My thinking was that if the majority of the room was set up and ready for September, my brain could mull over curriculum and how to engage students in new ways during my down time in the summer. This decision was excellent and with one day to go before call-in week, I feel refreshed and ready to start creating new learning opportunities for my grade seven students. 

My grade six room packed into boxes and bins: 

My hope for this blog is that becomes a helpful resource for other teachers beginning a year in a new grade. My plan is to post ideas and resources that provide the best conditions for students to become engaged lifelong learners. Thanks for reading and following along on this new learning adventure!