Gas Leak Day
What's a "gas leak day?" Well, it's like a snow day, but with a gas leak instead of snow. I teach at one of three elementary schools in my district, and my building had a gas leak that prevented students from coming to school while it was repaired. Teachers were sent to one of the other two elementary schools to co-teach with a teacher at their grade level. At first, the experience was a bit awkward like I was a student teacher that had to find my place again. As the day went on and I found my place, I learned valuable lessons that I would take with me.
I was reminded of beneficial strategies such as math talk, spiral review, formative assessments, project-based learning, STEM, and individualized learning, getting to see it in action in real time. For example, during math students were brought to the carpet with a whiteboard to complete and discuss spiral review problems posted on the Promethean Board. This seems expected, but seeing it from a different perspective opened my eyes even more to the value of the conversation. Additionally, I was able to see students working on individual paths on their Chromebooks as part of a blended learning environment and some students programming Sphero robots. Social Studies class was project-based learning where students were creating population maps of the Northeast. Even the basic daily parts of a classroom like morning routine, transitions, physical layout, classroom management, etc. were interesting to see from a different angle. Was any of this crazy new stuff that was foreign to me? No, but it was a valuable reminder and an insightful look into what other fourth graders are doing.
Teaching is a collaborative yet individual profession. Teachers do not often get to observe other teachers teaching, but this would help us spark creativity and do what is best for our students. Looking in from the outside, I was also reminded of my love for this profession. Everybody needs a "gas leak day."
