A Letter to My Students - You Are A Genius!

Dear 6th Graders,

My name is Tricia Mayer and I will have all of you in my math class this year. I will have about half of you in The Leader in Me class and about a third of you in Religion class. I've been thinking about you all summer! No, I haven't thought of you individually, but I've been thinking about you as a class and what we will accomplish this year. I've spent a lot of time thinking about the amazing sixth graders who are about to enter my classroom.

I've thought about how I can challenge you. I've thought about embracing your differences. I've thought about how to help you with your weaknesses. I've thought about how to increase your strengths. There is one thing I know for certain:

You Are All Geniuses!

Your inner genius is about to come out. This is my tenth year of teaching, so I've worked with many geniuses. Every year, genius after genius, it's amazing! I can't wait to meet the genius in you!

Think about YOUR genius. What are you an expert at? What do you enjoy? What can I learn from YOU? How are you going to change the world? If you don't know yet, don't worry, we will discover your genius together! I can't wait to share my genius with you and for you to share your genius with me and your classmates!

Mrs. Mayer

A Letter to My New Students - You Matter!

Dear 6th Graders,

Before you step into Room 123 to begin the new school year, I want you to know something important. You Matter! It's only two small words, but this short phrase carries one large message.

Maybe it seems strange to have to tell somebody they matter, but people often go through life feeling like they are not appreciated or not noticed. So I am here to tell you, I will notice you when you are in our classroom. I will appreciate and be thankful for having you in our classroom. You Matter!

Some of you I have never met before, and some of you I already know by name. But, the message is the same for each and every student. You matter to me! You matter to many people - your family, your friends, your teachers, everyone. Take a moment to think about the people who matter to you. Chances are YOU matter to them too.

YOU are the reason I became a teacher! YOU will make a difference in my life, just as I hope to make a difference in YOUR life.

Summer is almost over and I am so excited to begin this new school year. I can't wait to get to know you better as we begin this experience together.

I hope to see you on Monday, August 18 when you visit school and drop off your supplies. Let the adventure begin!

Mrs. Mayer

Surviving and Thriving: Reflections of a Sixth Grade Teacher

This blog has been inspired by the challenges set forth by Todd Nesloney (@TechNinjaTodd) in his Summer Learning Series. I am very excited to be a part of this Professional Development experience and loving the connections I am making with people all over the world. Part of this week's challenge is to make time to reflect, to gather my thoughts so I can grow and learn and make changes for next year.

R is for Renew

Though I could spend all summer reading novels just for fun, I've learned it's in everybody's best interest if we use moderation. Yes, I will definitely find plenty of time to renew my spirit and soul by spending lots of time with my family and my good friends. We will spend one week this summer in a cabin with family and many a sunny day on our boat. But, I will also make time to renew my mind. So far I've accomplished this by taking the CVCS Summer Institute class where I learned about numerous apps that I can use in my classroom next year. There are some very cool things I can't wait to do with my students! I have also been completing challenges for the Summer Learning Series. One of my favorite challenges was reading the book Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess. It is also motivating to connect with other educators on Twitter.

E is for Engage

Speaking of cool apps I learned about at the Summer Institute, I want to incorporate many of them to increase student engagement in my classroom. I know if students are having fun, they will want to come to class and will be motivated to engage in learning. I am looking forward to using these apps and websites: Kahoot!, iBooks Author, Twitter, Prezi, ShowMe videos, Remind, Tellagami, QR Codes, and Aurasma (love this one!) to name a few.

F is for Favorites

What lessons did I teach this year that went really well? When did I see a high level of engagement from the students in my classroom? What lessons would my students consider to be their favorites? Some of the best lessons came from collaborating with my team; those times when we created interdisciplinary units around a specific theme. For instance, our students take their standardized tests in the fall. It can be stressful to spend a couple of hours each day testing in silence. We use the rest of class time doing a hockey unit. Students are assigned to a hockey team and given their position on the team. They travel in teams to complete tasks - creating their team chant, a flag, and use their iPads to take a team picture. All week long they learn everything there is to know about hockey - how to check box scores, the calls a referee makes, statistics about mass and volume, geography about different teams. Each day we gather together to get the official ESPN-like update on stats and find out team matchups for the day. At the end of the unit, a couple of hockey players from the Waterloo Blackhawks visit to talk and answer questions. Everyone loves the hockey unit! We also do an amazing Iditarod unit in February and March.  

L is for Lean Forward

I need to remind myself from time to time to lean forward, to make progress. What steps can I take now to help me reach my bigger goals? I would love to write a book, but I get stuck in a cycle thinking about the things I don't know how to do, so I never get started. But, if I never get started, how will I ever get published? Which leads me to the next one...

E is for Execute Changes

Don't be a bystander. Take action! 

C is for Challenges

Looking at some of the challenges I faced this past year, I try looking at them as opportunities to grow. Working with challenging people, whether they are students, parents, other teachers, anyone really...these are opportunities for me to be a better teacher. These are times when I need to pause and reflect before I take action. Think before responding. Be considerate of the opinions of others and never crush anyone's spirit.

T is for Technology

I am so lucky to teach at a brand new school in a 1:1 environment. I need to continue to make improvements each year and use the technology we have. Be fearless. Working towards thriving, not merely surviving!