Teaching With Intention - Chapter 3

Now I have been enjoying reading this book so far.  It has gotten me thinking about the why of it all.  Why am I choosing to teach the way I teach?  What is most important to me?  And am I sticking to what is most important to me at all times when I am teaching?

This chapter has been a great read, but one I wish I had read even a week or so earlier.  We started school on Tuesday, so I read the chapter over Labor Day weekend when there was NOTHING I could do about changing my room.  And since I received a NEW student on Thursday right before leaving for the weekend, I will be spending my first day morning labeling EVERYTHING for her arrival!

There was nothing earth shattering about this chapter, but instead Debbie Miller again got me thinking about the why and the how of classroom setup. 

Here are some questions that she suggests you ask yourself…

-     Do children and I need a meeting area?

-     Do children and I need areas for small group work?

-     Do children and I need a library area?

o   Her answer to this one shocked me – but also got me thinking… She says NO, but because the whole room should be filled with books, not only one section. 

-     What about the configuration of kids’ desks or tables?

I’m not sure that I would have made any crazy changes to my set-up if I had read this chapter earlier, but I can be sure that I would have (if I didn’t already) clear intentions for each material in my classroom.