Hope for Change in the New Semester

There are an exhaustive amount of things that need to be revamped in my classroom for this next semester, but since I only checked my e-mail and received notification of this blog this morning-I'll list the top 10 and continue later.

1) Consistently enforcing the rules and consequences.

2) Consistently distributing positive rewards

3) Consistently maintaining parent contact (both positive and negative.)

4) Prompting the students to take ownership of their learning by providing them with goal-setting tools, a choice in the designation of certain assignments, and contracts that they will sign when they miss homework, classwork, or refuse to do any of the above.

5) Incorporate a homework chart that will be posted on the outside of my door with the daily percentage average of received homework for each period (the period with the highest percentage average will be rewarded on Friday.)

6) Finish and utilize learning centers!

7) Effectively facilitate cooperative learning (not merely group work) but a collaborative learning team in which each member is responsible for a designated role.

8)  Develop a more age-appropriate and captivating selection of books to be circulated in the classroom library.

9) Use the library and the librarian as a resource to implement more interdisciplinary learning in the classroom.

10)  Approach everything with 100% more energy, passion, and zeal.