NCLB

Summer Institute 2003 Project
Olympia, WA July 7-11th
Scott Ricardo and Connie Cutler

By Amy Gillett

Desired Grade: Pass
EDU 501
No Child Left Behind

Amy Gillett
8316 83rd ST SW #512
Lakewood, WA 98498
253-503-2799
n1m2s2001@hotmail.com

Outside assignment: Plan lessons for the first few days of school to incorporate learned ideas from the SI workshop and implement “No Child Left Behind” strategies.

“No Child or Teacher Left Behind” Plan…

As it stands now at my school we use “Make Your Day” which is reviewed the first week of school. Most students love it and buy into it. Last year, being my first year back at middle school and in the inner-city I was in for quit a shock that I hadn’t been aware of or prepared for. This fall however, I have some new ideas and strategies I would like to incorporate that first week of school in order to build trust, respect, cooperation, and responsibility (especially for those who do not buy into MYD). Then of course with the new emphasis on the “No Child Left Behind” and most schools like ours focusing on the middle-average learning child others may feel left out so getting all kids to team up will be most important for all to have more success.

First, I plan to play some name games. This is from you Scott. Not only will the students get to know each other, but I will see what skills they have both socially and academically while learning their names as well. Currently, I am working on a good rhyme for my last name. I will go by Awesome Amy for the first name. 
Some other fun “get to know you” and “community-trust building” activities I learned from Gil Chappa and Dana that I plan to implement are icebreakers/deinhibitizers with small groups and the name game you taught us, partner tag, group numbers game, & affirmation circles. I also am going to play musical chairs where the chairs are taken away not the kids. When the music stops the students have to figure out a way to all be touching a chair. I played musical chairs with them last year and it worked really well to start building trust among them. After the year I had last year I truly feel that this is a must for the first week of school then follow through every other month after that. For example, the affirmation circles I will continue monthly as the year continues on towards WASL and “No Child Left Behind” stress the kids may encounter. Finally, an idea I got from Linda Head is to role-play. I have many students respectively though out the day so during that first week as we review the MYD rules/guidelines I plan to have the students role play for the class in small groups. This should allow them to take ownership of the school wide program and allow me to see who are the leaders and who are the followers. Along with the trust building activities students should also be less inhibited.

A second idea I plan to implement, so that my students have less of a chance of being left behind is one I learned from Jamie. I am going to put my lesson plans on video and a greeting for the students so they do not get so distraught in my absence. By doing this I hope to have better plans for the substitute and more academics with less behavior issues while I am away.

The third thing I would like to focus on this year is to dress more professionally. This I will do for my students, but more for me so I feel like a professional. My attitude and behavior should change as well. In addition I will continue to work out at curves and work on incorporating an even better eating plan. Last year, I had fair success. I lost 20 pounds, but maintained all year! Last summer, I made a wellness plan and incorporated it. Now I would have loved to lose more than 20, but the simple fact that I lost it and kept it off is awesome by itself with all the donuts, candy, chips, and stress teachers encounter on a daily basis. It is my plan that all this will prevent the teacher from “Being Left Behind”.

Well Scott & Connie here are the three classroom strategies I have planned to prevent not only the child, but the teacher from being “left behind”. I am looking forward to a successful year. Thanks again for the great class and ideas.

Amy Gillett
FPSD
Special Education Teacher
SI July 7-11, 2003
Olympia High School
Pass / fail option
5 PLU credits