We chat every Tuesday night at 8:30-9:30 pm CST. All are welcome, especially EarlyEd teachers, leaders & experts. Co-founded & moderated by @techwnancy @JessicaCabeen & @VealHeidi
Hi #ECEchat friends! Heidi here, #EarlyEd District Program Administrator in North Texas. I'm passionate about all things #PreK, leadership, #CodingInPk & #ECEchat
My name is Macie. I and senior at the University of Northern Iowa studying elementary education. I am excited to be a part of this chat and learn from you all!#ECEChat
Oh that is awesome! I definitely love UNI and I am so excited to have my own classroom one day! What would be one piece of advice you would give me when I become a first year teacher? #ECEChat
So excited to reconnect again! We start with the littles on Monday. Full week of meeting with every family! #ecechat Cannot wait to hear about your journey!
A1 Small motor skills; attended a fantastic session at Now4Ever about proper grasp and how to achieve it, scissor skills and how to model/teach it. #ecechat
A1: I learned a lot about integrating computer science into the Math classroom all the way down to our PreK babies! I did A LOT of coding courses this summer and am SUPER excited to work with a kinder teacher on coding the Dash Robot!! #ecechat
A1: The essentials play-based learning. Being more intentional about helping teachers create opportunities and environments that "invite" students to explore and develop understanding. #ecechat
A1 excites to teach my littles to use seesaw. Looking for ideas on organizing formative assessment data to feed forward and differentiate well. #ECEchat
A1 Small motor skills; attended a fantastic session at Now4Ever about proper grasp and how to achieve it, scissor skills and how to model/teach it. #ecechat
I love that this is an option for teachers! It allows us to connect with teachers all over! Such a great tool! I will be using this in my future as a teacher! #ECeChat#UNILitEd
A1 I learned more about #codinginpk & with young learners, especially incorporating empathy w/ coding! I highly recommend @marinabers book #Coding as a Playground! #ecechat
A2: Ask them before school begins: What do you want/need this year to be? Create a GPS system to keep you on track and accountable for meeting their needs. #ecechat
Something we’ve talked about in my education classes is that it is import to show your students that you care, because they can tell if you don’t. #ECEChat#UNILitEd
A2: I share pictures on @gethomeroom of what we’re up to everyday. So many parents shared positive feedback about being able to see what their child did and being able to prompt them to share more at home! #ECEchat
A2: Genuine care and compassion to know each family. Always assuming positive intent. Seeking new and accommodating ways to engage each child and family. #ecechat
A2: I send personalized postcards to each child once I have my class list; after I meet my families I invite them my private class Facebook page and immediately start posting and doing live "Teacher Talks" so they can feel like a part of our community #ecechat
A2. I do my best to find a connection with each child at their level. Focus on SEL first. Same with families. Open door policy. Families always welcome. Communication Notebook in backpack. Phone calls. Emails. Whatever it takes! #ECEchat
A2. Time, taking the time to get to know each other. Providing time for teachers to meet with parents/families with the sole goal of learning about each other. This year we are gathering #hopesanddreams for each child and their family & filling the walls of our school. #ECEchat
A2: Start the year with....Welcome Welcome Welcome with a smile and inform them of your open door policy. Then the clssrm will become a friendly open environment to all. #ECEchat
A2 (cont.) If the parents feel comfortable with you and being in the classroom, so will the children and you can become educational partners for the year. #ecechat
A2: Being Open. Telling Ps that they are their Ss first teacher and that helping their child learn is both of our jobs, so I want to work with you. I try to get to know something about the Ss individually and remember to bring it up in another conversation #ECEchat
A2: I send personalized postcards to each child once I have my class list; after I meet my families I invite them my private class Facebook page and immediately start posting and doing live "Teacher Talks" so they can feel like a part of our community #ecechat
A2 Asking parents what their hopes and fears are for their child. It’s such an important conversation to have with parents at the start of the school year! #ecechat
#ECEchat A2 I make it a point each day to connect w/each of my little ones & send a message, photo or note to the parent. I don't see each of my Ss everyday so I make it a priority to connect. I also came across this recently:
A3: I always feel like I’m rushing at the start of the year. I end up rushing through teaching routines and procedures😣 This year I’ve really made a conscious effort to slow down and really take things step by step and focus on building relationships❤️ #ECEchat
A3: Seeing as I have transitioned into a coaching position for teachers, I want to make myself visible to them! Stop by in the morning, ask if they need help with anything, send out fun tech tools, collaborate with them, and offer to co-teach with them! #ECEchat#Missesthekids
A3: Be patient! Its tempting to dive headfirst into the "academics" but we have to take time to teach and reteach SEL and routines and rituals. Then learning will take off! #ecechat
A2: I ask my front office staff to come and find me when we have a new family enrolling their child. I like to greet them and welcome them personally. #ECEchat
As a mama of a kindergartner this year...I’ve absolutely LOVED seeing the pics his teachers posts on her class Facebook page and Remind app. #ECEchat@emiline3052016
A1: of course go over routines routines routines, but also get to know the kids and show them you care. Give hugs. Tell the parents a nice thing about their child. Make it very easy to see your heart is full of love for the children who spend all day with you! #ECEchat
A3. Ensure teachers are supported. They do the heavy lifting. Teachers who are supported have the ability to connect with families. My job is to get out of the way and trust my teachers. #ecechat
A2: a smile and a genuine greeting every morning to every parent and child. Also being as accessable as possible and communicating frequently with seesaw! Trying to reply to all emails within an hour. Have actual conversations with the children and PLAY with them!
#ECEchat
A3 I struggle w/organization & keeping on top of all the paperwork/IEPs that go along w/my current role. I'm taking the advice & guidance of coworkers who excel w/organization so that I can stay on track(or as close as possible!😉) & spend less time trying to catch up.
A4. Finding authentic ways to connect with the new grade levels I serve...so far finding out K and 7th and 8th graders aren't as different as I had thought they were....#ECEChat
A4: Besides implementing project approach, I really want to become more comfortable with expanding learning experiences beyond my classroom. I’m lucky to work at a new school with an amazing playground and lake nearby and I want to make the most of it! #ECEchat
A4: Personal Goal— make connections with as many Ss and Ts as possible! Not being on a campus should not stop you from making connections; you just have to make it a priority & take the time! #ECEchat
Promote understanding of what the PreK world is like and help connect it to the bigger picture, and dive back into the world of little people ! #ecechat
A4: my campus is blessed with a huge amazing magnetic wall with ramps, and my goal is to purposefully incorporate it into lessons more often in a meaningful way. Also to make more STEM connections to read alouds! #ECEchat
A4: Personal Goal— make connections with as many Ss and Ts as possible! Not being on a campus should not stop you from making connections; you just have to make it a priority & take the time! #ECEchat
Q5 Collaborating with a team is a critical part of teaching. How do you ensure that your collaboration time with your team is the most productive & successful time possible? #ECEchat
A3: spending ample group meeting times discussing our three rules 1. We care for others, 2. We care for ourselves, 3. We care for our classroom. Then being intentional about recognizing and helping Ss to recognize what this looks like . #ECEchat
#ECEchat
A4 This goes hand in hand w/Q3 for me. My personal goal is to stay more organized & on track with my paperwork this year. This will make tracking Ss goals/progress easier which will help with writing progress reports & annual IEPs.
Are you a teacher thinking about your Fall classroom? Create a "family" feeling:
🔔 Implement a mantra: no family is perfect, but everyone belongs
🖼 Take a photo of the whole class for the front door
🎐 Have students create materials and spaces to communicate "this is our space"
A4: my campus is blessed with a huge amazing magnetic wall with ramps, and my goal is to purposefully incorporate it into lessons more often in a meaningful way. Also to make more STEM connections to read alouds! #ECEchat
I am a singleton at my site and there is one other full day PreK teacher in my district. We are trying to make some collaboration time! Anyone else out there doing full day PreK? Would love to chat! #ECEChat
Q5 Collaborating with a team is a critical part of teaching. How do you ensure that your collaboration time with your team is the most productive & successful time possible? #ECEchat
A5: I ask teachers to tell me what THEY want to collaborate on! I can sit there until I am blue in the face recommending things, but if they don't have the buy in...nothing will be accomplished! It's all about OWNERSHIP and SUCCESS #ECEchat
Q5 Collaborating with a team is a critical part of teaching. How do you ensure that your collaboration time with your team is the most productive & successful time possible? #ECEchat
A5 I make a "To Do" list or Agenda for each of our planning and PLC meetings; We divide and conquer and share the work, ideas and rewards...there is no "I" in TEAM #ecechat
Q5 Collaborating with a team is a critical part of teaching. How do you ensure that your collaboration time with your team is the most productive & successful time possible? #ECEchat
A5: Tips for a successful collaborative time include being on time, prepared, respectful & student focused! The 4 PLC questions are a great guide! #ECEchat
A5: A positive outlook and a growth mindset!!! As teachers we need to be able to address concerns but not fixate on them so that we keep the end goal in mind--to help students be successful! #ecechat
A5. Supporting teams to develop structures and norms allows all members to participate and get the job done. Doing the same with the teams I am a part of. #teamworkmakesthedreamwork#ecechat
Q5 Collaborating with a team is a critical part of teaching. How do you ensure that your collaboration time with your team is the most productive & successful time possible? #ECEchat
It’s incredible to see what an on fire PLN this is dedicated to advocating for our youngest learners! Keep us informed on your advocacy & let #ECEchat know how we can help along the way!
RT Q5 Collaborating with a team is a critical part of teaching. How do you ensure that your collaboration time with your team is the most productive & successful time possible? #ECEchat
It’s incredible to see what an on fire PLN this is dedicated to advocating for our youngest learners! Keep us informed on your advocacy & let #ECEchat know how we can help along the way!
#ECEchat
A5 We have scheduled PLC time weekly &biweekly with our EC-School Psych. We take 5 minutes to chat/catch up & then get started on our agenda. If we make it through w/time left over we can meet in smaller groups to discuss shared caseloads, what's working & what's not.
A5: Use the school library as a space for large collabs! The librarian can assist Ts and Ss. This works great for any subject- like this social studies maker project we did in Jan-Feb https://t.co/xiQHAULe7R#ECEchat
A5: I ask teachers to tell me what THEY want to collaborate on! I can sit there until I am blue in the face recommending things, but if they don't have the buy in...nothing will be accomplished! It's all about OWNERSHIP and SUCCESS #ECEchat
Q5 Collaborating with a team is a critical part of teaching. How do you ensure that your collaboration time with your team is the most productive & successful time possible? #ECEchat
A5: I’m the only PreK3 teacher in my school, but there are two other PreK4 teachers as well! PreK is a spectrum of learning so I feel we can always reach out to each other for support. I also want to partner up with a reading buddy class this year! #ecechat
Q6 Share your ideas for making this the best school year ever. What is something special you are doing to start the school year off in an awesome way? #ECEchat
Q5 Collaborating with a team is a critical part of teaching. How do you ensure that your collaboration time with your team is the most productive & successful time possible? #ECEchat
A6: I'm excited to get out to my districts and see some of the summer learning PD goals in action to improve outcomes for our youngest learners! #ECEchat
A6: I thank Ss and Ts for visiting the library. They are our customers- I must remember this- even when I’m tired. I want them to feel valued! #ECEchat
Q6 Share your ideas for making this the best school year ever. What is something special you are doing to start the school year off in an awesome way? #ECEchat
A5 Establishing norms, job rolls, and keeping students at the center of everything (have pics of the kids at PLC meetings) helps sets the tone for when challenges arise. #ecechat
RT Q5 Collaborating with a team is a critical part of teaching. How do you ensure that your collaboration time with your team is the most productive & successful time possible? #ECEchat
Q6 Share your ideas for making this the best school year ever. What is something special you are doing to start the school year off in an awesome way? #ECEchat
A6. Being visible and present. New building, new grade level and new students have given me a chance to really be engaged in school, and the community this year. Hitting home events for every 7/8th grade afterschool group this year is a way I am hoping to achieve this. #ECEChat
A6: Collaborate with other, in your grade level, across grade levels, over social media. Support Support Support...Don't just walk away when you see a need! It take a village to raise a child and a school is a village! #ECEchat
RT Q6 Share your ideas for making this the best school year ever. What is something special you are doing to start the school year off in an awesome way? #ECEchat
A5: I’m the only PreK3 teacher in my school, but there are two other PreK4 teachers as well! PreK is a spectrum of learning so I feel we can always reach out to each other for support. I also want to partner up with a reading buddy class this year! #ecechat
Q6 Share your ideas for making this the best school year ever. What is something special you are doing to start the school year off in an awesome way? #ECEchat
A6: I’m making #ecechat a regular part of my PD! I’m also making time for myself and being better at filling my cup so I’m ready for my students each day❤️
