Safety Checkup

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

Safety Checkup —

Another school tragedy happened this week and our hearts go out to the families, students, and school staff of the high school in Florida. Every time I hear of something terrible happens to a student or teacher, I feel for those that are involved. They are a part of us. They are a part of what we do every day even though they are not a part of our school. Whenever something happens at a school I always thing about how we can make our school a little safer. I think about how important the little things we do that keep our students safe. Monitoring students before school as we are on duty. I wonder if we need to do the same thing after school as students head home. Keeping our outside doors locked and making sure our inside doors can be locked quickly in an emergency. Keeping track of students so we know where they are at all times. Having a teacher in each area of the playground during recess duty. It is a great time to talk, but keeping track of students helps keep them safe. Lunch duty teachers and aides keep track of students in many different areas, especially at the playground area. That is an area that we wish we had a gate to minimize people coming through or playing during lunch and recess, but being a city park also has made it hard to get something to close off that side of the grounds. So we have someone there to monitor students and others that might show up. Fire drills are important to get students an d teachers ready if there is an emergency. Even though it is a drill, students need to understand that in an emergency they need to be able to hear the teacher so they can hear instructions. Moving students in an organized manner helps keep track of who is there and who is not. Safety is so important. A student on the news made the comment that it should not have ever happened in their school, but it did. The little things we practice and keep up on are the little things that will keep us safe. Even though they seem to be an annoyance, they keep us safe. This is why we practice a reunification drill each year. We still have things we need to work on. Students are worth our time and efforts to keep them safe. They need to know they are safe. Thank you for all you do to help them feel loved and safe.

Quote I’m pondering —

Want to be great? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation. Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. 

—Augustine

What I am Watching —

10 ways to have a better conversation

I love TED talk. Conversation skills are important for students to learn. 

Favorite Article This Week —

Tom Brady Summed Up His Super Bowl Loss With One Word. You Should Steal It

This is a word we should teach more to our students. I should also live it more in my own life.

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Julie and Sandy for all you do. I know you two are taking a class and Julie comes in to teach Kim and I about the new things she is learning. She has also taught us a few things about letter sounds and a better way of teaching spelling. We will have Julie talk about it in a rotation during our PLC Monday training. I know there are many of you taking classes and learning new things you are implementing in your classroom. We love when you are learning new things. Julie we appreciate your excitement in telling us what you are learning. Thank you for sharing. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful weekend.