Defining Learning in Room 27

On my first official day at NRMS, I walked into our cafeteria, just in time to be a part of creating our department mission statement!

We were given three questions to answer

• Why are we here?
• What do we have to do together?
• How will we make it happen?  

Individually, we responded to the three questions and then shared within our department.  The discussion our department had was amazing!  I could sense the embarking of transition from a teacher-led classroom to a student-centered classroom within our department; a transition from a fixed mindset towards a growth mindset and most off all, a group of educators who want to create a more enriching learning environment for our students.  

One of our tasks, during the first week of school, was to create class mission statements with each of our classes.  To say I was excited about this, was a complete understatement!  

Having gone through the process of creating our department mission statement allowed me to create a similar experience within the four walls of room 27.  (A huge thank you to admin for modeling effective instructional practices!)

Creating our class mission statements goes hand in hand with building and creating culture in our classroom!  Because of being the "new" teacher, students did not know who I was but more importantly, I had no idea who they were, what their story was.  On our first day together, students were split into various groups and given 4 sticky notes.  The questions they had to answer:

• What will Ms. Pauley need to do to help you this year?
• Our classroom should be _____________ everyday.
• My goal for math this year is ________________.  
• Math is important because _______________.  

Of course, some responses were straight out of a textbook:  to get an A this year, you need math to get a job, our class should be fun.  Though I was a bit disappointed in some of their responses, such as don't yell at me or get mad if I ask a question or to pass STAAR, I was reminded once again why I was standing in room 27, reading their responses at 4:30 on a Tuesday afternoon.  

Amazed by the words on their sticky notes, I knew Wednesday we would be talking about how learning is a journey; it's not a one-way road.  A journey where we work together as we overcome obstacles, celebrate our successes and most of embrace each other for our diversity in thinking!  

Students again came together in groups of 4 and answered the same questions that we as a department reflected on during our first week together!  Watching the barriers of textbook learning slowly crumble and excitement prevail, we began to write our class mission statements.  I shared my learning journey with my students, but was more excited as they shared what makes them excited about learning!  

Our week culminated with students signing our class mission statements, which are posted in our classroom!  I often find myself rereading these when a planned activity goes not quite as planned or when we're at school early or late helping a chid get extra help.  Seeing students look up at our mission statements serves as a reminder of why WE are here TOGETHER! 

1st & 2nd Period Mission Statement

6th & 7th Period Mission Statement

3rd & 4th Period Mission Statement