Getting Ready for the School Year: Part II

The Mentor

Coleen Armstrong taught secondary school for 31 years in Hamilton, Ohio. She hosted a TV talk-show that covered education issues from 1990-1999 and in 2002, co-authored

I am a third-year teacher, and this will be my first time looping with my students. (I will be teaching 2nd grade.) How do I make the new school year different and challenging on a shoestring budget?

You and your students have a priceless perk––you already know and understand each other! You won’t lose the first few weeks to figuring out temperaments and personalities. Tell the kids that because you’re so blessed to be together again, they’ll be learning faster than most second graders. Then use the extra time for what used to be called enrichment: telling “stories” from history, relating scientific discoveries’ sometimes convoluted paths, and exploring what psychologists think they know about children. Too advanced for seven-year-olds? Not if you’re creative and concise, yet engaging. Soon you’ll keep trying to top yourself in terms of piquing their natural curiosity––thereby fostering lifelong learning. Wow! The sky is the limit––and it...