Hopes and Dreams, Part 2

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One of the nicest advantages of teaching is the possibility of multiple "fresh starts" throughout the year. There's the obvious one -- in the Fall, another after one report card period closes and another opens, and tomorrow's: the first day of a new calendar year.Each start brings excitement and butterflies.  Obviously the unknown of meeting students for the first time in the Fall is stressful, but so is a restarted school year after vacation.  Will I be up to the task? What do I need to know about these children to make this a positive experience? How can I adapt and adjust my lessons to stay true to my own pedagogical philosophy yet provide students with what they'll need for the high stakes tests that envelop us in uncertainty and doubt.Tomorrow begins the first school day for 2010. It is a time for restarting learning with even greater intensity, with renewed commitment to our learning mantra:

  • This is important,
  • You can do,
  • I am not giving up on you.