Thinking Globally About My Classroom

I became a teacher to make the world a better place. It can be easy to lose sight of that this time of year, so I'm taking some time to reflect and refocus with the Global Glitter Tribe's monthly link-up. I've just discovered this collaborative blog, and it's a great source of inspiration for teachers.

Thanksgiving is a time for remembering what we're grateful for. I'm grateful for my family. My husband, Jim, is the most trustworthy, reliable, honest person I know. I have the most amazing children: Cody (7), Corinne (3), Carly (almost 1). My mom is incredible and supportive. My sister is hilarious, practical, and fun. 

I do love the saying, "think globally, act locally." Our school organizes a few events each year to benefit the community. Right now there's a food drive going on. I try to model contributing to my community by talking to my students about my life choices. I tell them why I teach, and I model contributing to my community by talking to them about some of the things I do. (I donate blood and play music in nursing homes as my ways to contribute to the community.)

Other than my students, my classroom library is the pride and joy of my classroom. I have spent hours (and hours, and more hours) collecting and organizing books. It is like the eye of the storm in my classroom. This isn't exactly a quick organization tip, but you can find out all about my system in my Classroom Library Organization Guide.

As you would guess, I'm a huge fan of children's literature. I think high quality literature is the best way to get kids thinking deeply. I've written before about the book Duck! Rabbit! It is piece of literature to kids thinking about different perspectives. 

Affiliate link:

I love doing directed drawing with my students. It's not exactly expressive art, but it develops the skills kids will need to be able to produce art they are proud of. I know my own artistic abilities improved when I started doing directed drawing because I had to think more analytically about the subject. If you are hesitant to teach directed drawing, Art for Kids Hub will do it for you! Check it out!

For the final question the Global Glitter Tribe wants to know what they should chat about in an upcoming blab session. I haven't been struck by the blab-bug, but if you have an idea, go ahead and list it in the comments!

If you found this post to be interesting or fun, I'd love for you to connect with me!