November 2-8

Welcome to the 2nd week of Sharing the Blue Crayon.  Thanks to those who posted during the 1st week, and we encourage you to keep sharing your thoughts.  I was reading chapters 4 & 5, and some things caught my eye.  First is the Chart 4.2; I wondered how, other than time and maybe trial and error, the author paired the social/emotional skills with the various aspects of literacy learning.  I wondered how others would match the S/E skills to the literacy learning skills.  

Ms. Buckley notes on page 46, that "Teaching is not 'a matter of urgency' but rather a thoughtful and systematic development of an environment that supports learning."  I wondered how often teachers felt the urgency, felt the pressure of the urgency, not to mention the pressures of being a teacher.  What strategies do you employ that enable you to stay focused on the systematic development of a supportive learning environment?  These can be personal strategies to help foster positive mental health and/or teaching strategies for the supportive learning environment.