Unconventional Tactics?
As many of you know, I am not your average teacher. I tend to go about things a little different and maybe a bit unconventional than most. However, this is who I am and what kind of teacher I am. I like to take risks--whether it's using a cartoon creation website to learn about the Age of Exploration or leave my students drawings and messages on the board. I do these things I think because I put myself in my 7th graders shoes and ask, "How would I liked to have been taught this when I was 12 years old?" Therefore I try and look at the content and figure out the best way to teach it so that my kiddos will really learn the material. Sometimes the things I come up with don't work, other times they work fabulously well.
I try and use this strategy also when it comes to motivating my students. Sometimes simply reminding them in person, or sending them an email, doesn't do the trick. That's when my creativity juices get a'flowin' in my noggin and I come up with things like this:
You know what?! My crazy dragon drawing worked like magic! I started off with missing 8 essays, and by noon ALL of them were submitted. An unconventional way of retrieving missing work? Yes, totally. But an effective and fun way too? Most definitely. So here's to more risks and unconventional methods in the future from Ms. Pepin...and it's all done for the kiddos. Whatever it takes to get them to learn--like crazy drawings from their teacher--I'm game.
I try and use this strategy also when it comes to motivating my students. Sometimes simply reminding them in person, or sending them an email, doesn't do the trick. That's when my creativity juices get a'flowin' in my noggin and I come up with things like this:
You know what?! My crazy dragon drawing worked like magic! I started off with missing 8 essays, and by noon ALL of them were submitted. An unconventional way of retrieving missing work? Yes, totally. But an effective and fun way too? Most definitely. So here's to more risks and unconventional methods in the future from Ms. Pepin...and it's all done for the kiddos. Whatever it takes to get them to learn--like crazy drawings from their teacher--I'm game.
