I am so pleased to feature the following post from guest blogger, Kerri Winderman. She was my eldest son’s fourth-grade teacher, and is now a Staff Developer in the Rye City School district – but she’s also the mom of a Midland School Kindergartner. She’s a great example of the talented and dedicated staff that works with our kids in the local schools!
by Kerri Winderman
I taught in Rye for a couple of years while living in New York City. In fact, I first met Joan as the fourth grade teacher of her oldest son. I quickly realized what a great community it was and I knew first-hand that the schools were top notch. I liked the idea of living in the suburbs but being able to walk to the beach, to town, and to the schools. Rye is an easy and short commute to the city for my husband. My house is a short walk or bike ride to the elementary school as well as to the middle and high school. Besides being close for going to and from school, it is also nice because there is always a field or playground nearby.
Currently I am a Staff Developer in Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies so I no longer teach in the regular classroom setting. I work with all the students and teachers on new initiatives, best practices, and finding appropriate resources. The typical classroom has around 18-22 children, and in kindergarten, the classes have full time aides. There are shared aides for the rest of the grades.
There is always an adjustment period after the summer break and it is perfectly normal for children to forget some of what they learned the year before. It almost always comes back quickly! As a teacher, I try to use the children’s experiences to prompt their writing and discussions. Camp, trips, days at the beach, etc. can provide for great story starters. I am a firm believer in routines and starting them right away in the classroom and at home helps children get off to a positive start.
One of the most exciting parts of working with children is that they are all so different. I found that one child may love reading while it might be the most disliked subject for another. The same could be said for math and writing. Many children love their special subjects—music, gym, and art. I found that students typically enjoyed social studies and science. One of the keys to good teaching is finding your students’ strengths and interests so that you can use that as a motivating factor.
There are so many interesting themes throughout the elementary school years including electricity and magnetism, marine life, communities around the world, pioneers, insects, the solar system, and so much more. The children are exposed to various genres of literature and have opportunities to write in different styles. In math, the focus is on concepts and problem-solving while developing skills in number sense, measurement, geometry and algebra.
There are always exciting new initiatives in each school building and across the district. In the elementary schools, they are continuing to work with a fairly new math program that is off to a great start. We have another staff developer who focuses on math practices and curriculum.
We are also working on improving our Language Arts curriculum and instruction, especially on the transition from grade 5 to 6 and grade 8 to 9, with a focus on grammar. In the elementary classroom, all of the teachers now have access to a web program, called Reading A-Z which will allow teachers to find wonderful resources for their small group, guided reading instruction.
RTI, a federal initiative that stands for Response to Intervention, drives our need to effectively assess our students three times a year. Most importantly, we look to use the data we collect from assessments to drive our instruction. In other words, we look at a child’s strength and weaknesses, as well as the entire classes’ strengths and weakness, and make appropriate instructional goals. We continue to utilize differentiated instruction to meet the diverse needs of our community of learners.
A committee of K-12 teachers continues to meet to discuss our needs in the area of science so that we make sure our schools remain current and innovative. Children are naturally curious and we want them to remain creative, inquisitive, and to grow into effective problem solvers.
Thank you for this opportunity to share my love of Rye and our schools!
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