Starting the Year (Part 2)

Classroom Status

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

As noted previously, educators have 6 months from now until Year-End's graduation.  A large portion of this time will be taking place in our schools and classrooms.  Educators not only need to take the time to map out and plan the next 6 months, but also need to take the time to review the status of the classroom.  After all, this is the place where we, and our students, will be spending a large portion of our education time.

• Structure

1. Take a tour of your own classroom.
2. How does it look on the first day of the year?  
3. How did it look on the first day of school?
4. How can the classroom be improved?

• Weather

1. From the cold of winter to the heat of summer.
2. Check for heating during winter and cooling for summer.
3. Can students be comfortable indoors during bad weather.

• Lighting

1. Sunlight continues to increase as we move toward summer.
2. Indoor lighting should be adequate for visual reception.
3. Spring should remind us with its equinox that outdoors and indoors are equal.

• Basic Supplies

1. Paper and pencil are still the most basic supplies needed for education.
2. Pens and colors provide a new dimension of professionalism and art.
3. Boards, both writing and bulletin.   They provide communication.

Educators will spend the next 6 months in their classrooms.  As we begin the new year, and prepare to get back into these places of learning, let us take a look at our classroom status, to ensure that these places of learning have all that is needed, from the basics like pencils and paper, to the advanced like LCD projectors and climate control.  We should request the supplies that are needed, replenish the ones we have exhausted, and share with others the surpluses we won't need.  Let us prepare the place where we will spend our time learning.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

ELL Challenges: Climate

English Language Learner Challenges

Climate: Weather the Weather.

By: Manuel R. CortezRodas

A student who has lived in the tropics is now living in the frozen tundra.  There is now white snowy blizzards being driven by northern winds in the life of a student who has never experience this in the tropics.  Even within the Unites States, students can have difficulties adjusting to the climate when moving from Seattle, Washington to Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida to Boston, Massachusetts.  There are difficulties students face in their learning when moving within the United States.  These difficulties also exist when moving from one nation to another, one hemisphere to another, one climate to another.

• How to prepare for new weather
1. Shelter: The student's place of residence should be adequately prepared to provide an educational learning environment.
2. Clothing: How to dress for the weather, and not to impress, is a lesson that is very helpful to students who are new to the climate that they will become accustomed to while living in the United States.
3. Information: News and information, weather channel or websites, looking at the sky to see what may come, are some of the ways that students will begin to understand how to make adjustments not just to their wardrobe, but mentally and physiologically.
4. Experience: There is no better way to understand weather than to experience it.  Having a chance to go play in the snow may help you become familiar with winter weather, but it will not prepare you to make it through a blizzard.

It takes a year for someone to experience the complete cycle of weather climate that any one region of the world endures.  It also takes many more years to become accustomed to the variations in weather climate that one experiences when living in a region for a long time.  Even after many years of living in one region, unexpected climate weather can occur.  Some students take time adjusting to new weather changes, and some may never adjust, and while they are adjusting to the weather, they will be expected to perform along side those students who are accustomed to their region's climate.

Copyright 2012 MRCR Educational Consulting Firm. All Rights Reserved.