I attended a few interesting sessions (Race in the classroom / A 6th Grade Transition Class) and a few not so interesting sessions (geocaching). But, the highlight for me was an opportunity to sit and talk with other educators from around the country. I found myself in a discussion group with teachers from all sorts of backgrounds - from across the country - and vastly different socioeconomic schools...and we talked about what's best for kids in the middle school. I got a sense of pride in that many of items other teachers "wished" their schools would do, Patton is already doing.
I was struck by the importance of creating a positive environment for my students. One presenter showed a picture of a woman who had a fearful expression on her face. Most of the teachers in the room said she looked afraid; however, the presenter said 8/10 middle school students thought the teacher was angry. We need to be careful how we express ourselves in front of our students, knowing that they misread some of our thoughts.
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