Comments on: Creating a Homeroom Community

By: Laurie Wasserman

Laurie Wasserman — Sun, 12 May 2013 12:03:50 +0000

Bill,
thank-you so much for your lovely comments and please pass the word to all of your classmates how wonderful the activities are that you all created and shared. My students will enjoy them this week after we finish our standardized testing. Please keep in touch about ideas you may need for your resource classroom. I think having the luxury of these next few months will be wonderful to set things up. My motto has always been to have fun while I teach. If I’m enjoying what we’re doing, the kids will too,.I am so happy to hear my ideas will help you and your students. when I was first teaching public school I taught high school students similar to the ones you will we working with. If you have time, check out any of Louanne Johnson’s books; she taught high school kids with social and emotional difficulties and gave me some wonderful ideas. All the best with your new class, and thanks so much for writing.
Laurie

By: Bill Scott

Bill Scott — Wed, 08 May 2013 21:43:25 +0000

Laurie,
Sorry I am late to the parade, but I am also a student of Dr. Post’s. Reading your blog was wonderful. I bet the students can’t believe that there are “fun” teachers out there. It sounds like the students have a very good time in your homeroom since they are all involved in the daily workings of the class. I do not teach middle school, I am in the high school setting but I do think that the same principles of placing the students in charge of a resource classroom could be implemented. In fact, I just learned that I will be tasked with helping build a new self-contained classroom at our school mostly for the emotionally disturbed students that need more support. After reading your blog I think that I will use some of your ideas to empower these students and give them a sense of ownership of our classroom that we will be sharing. It seems like a long way until we get to August, but I know it will be right around the corner so I will post an update once we get there to let you know how some of your ideas are working in my classroom and how the kids are feeling about being part of the daily doings of the classroom. I am saving your site in my favorites right now.
It sounds like you have a great group of kids. Keep up the good work!!
Bill Scott

By: Laurie Wasserman

Laurie Wasserman — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:47:54 +0000

Dennis,
Thank you so much for writing; I love being a part of Dr. Post’s class and “meeting” all of you.
I have to admit time management is very difficult for me, as you can tell by how long it took me to write back. Last week was a tough one here in Boston, and it was difficult to do anything but worry and watch the news. The young woman Krystle Campbell who was killed, went to the first middle school I taught in, and I was her brother’s teacher as well….

Thank-you for your caring and thoughtful responses; I admit there is nothing better for a teacher than to have someone come back as say, “Remember me?” and it’s a former student all grown up and sharing a story from when they were our student. If each of us touches one life and helps a young person feel hope where they may not have any, to have one person tell them, “I love you, I care about you,” then it’s worth all the tough days.
thank-you for writing.
Laurie

By: Laurie Wasserman

Laurie Wasserman — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:40:56 +0000

Michael,
I am so glad you can relate to what I have shared. Middle School is so much hard work and joy; it’s always nice to hear from fellow middle school teachers who love what they do. There is nothing better than working with students in a community of family that we as teachers create. Music is such a part of all of our lives, and I learn so much about my students from their favorite artists and their songs.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful words and reading our blog.
Laurie

By: Laurie Wasserman

Laurie Wasserman — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:14:20 +0000

Barb,
Thanks for your sweet story about those little cutie pies we get in the future. On behalf of all upper grade teachers I thank-you for teaching them to help out and be thoughtful of others. those life lessons are invaluable, and it sounds like music is a great motivator. (I admit your image of play dough reminds me how much I love it still, especially when we let older students use it in science. I think they remember fondly teachers like yourself)
thank-you for reading our blog, and your kind words.
Laurie

By: Laurie Wasserman

Laurie Wasserman — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:08:58 +0000

Hi Katie,
So glad you are enjoying our blog and that you had such a nice experience being a homeroom teachers. It is so nice when you have a small homeroom; you can really connect with kids and you become the adult they can go to if they help with school, homework, etc. Years ago we all had homerooms of about 12 students and it was so nice.
thank-you for your kind words,
Laurie

By: Laurie Wasserman

Laurie Wasserman — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:01:09 +0000

Pete, I am so touched and honored to see all these responses from your interns. Thank-you for sharing your science football game, my partner Suznna and I will have so much fun! Here is my address:
Laurie Wasserman
Andrews Middle School
3000 Mystic Valley Parkway
Medford, MA 02155

By: Laurie Wasserman

Laurie Wasserman — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:52:11 +0000

Dan, Many thanks for reading our blog and your very kind words. How incredibly wonderful that you have such a supportive team for your students who are often so fragile. I am so glad you had such a positive experience from when you were a student that you can bring into your students’ lives, and share your mutual love of music.
One of my favorite authors, Louanne Johnson, (the teacher in the movie, “Dangerous Minds”) wrote a book about working with students like you teach, that may be helpful to you. My favorite is “Teaching OUtside the Box: How to Grab Your Students by their Brains.” If it no longer in print, the other is “Two Parts Textbook: One Part Love.”
When I first became a public school teacher I worked with students similar to yours, it broke my heart hearing their stories, but I learned so much from them.
All the best to you,
Laurie

By: Laurie Wasserman

Laurie Wasserman — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:50:35 +0000

Hi Laura, Having your students on your caseload can be such a nice opportunity to do things “outside the box” and connect with kids in a different way. I too taught my students reading when I had a “small group” of 12-20 kids. I set my room up like a Starbucks tucked inside a Barnes and Noble with hot chocolate in the winter and lemonade in the hot weather. I found most of my students loved being read to and I would use this time to put on relaxation music. the kids even brought in cookies to share. Sometimes they were on carpet squares on the floor and I would suggest books for them to read (thank goodness for library book sales and parent donations!!)
thank-you again for taking the time to write.
Laurie

By: Laurie Wasserman

Laurie Wasserman — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:44:53 +0000

Hi Paula,
What lovely comments you’ve written; I am so happy I’ve inspired you.. I love the idea of rapping to multiplication facts. Maybe you could share the link for other teachers who have kids who struggle with their facts? My 6th grade students sure could use the practice as well. Math is so skill based and kids love making connections to music. do you know about Flocabulary? I just learned about it this year and it has some really cool raps about math, science and ELA.
thank-you for taking the time to write,
Laurie