Welcome back, students, parents and faculty! I hope everyone had a restful summer. I spent much of it working on the GT curriculum we will be using this year. I did, however, have some time to spend with my family. We were able to visit San Antonio for a few days, and saw some of the attractions the city has to offer, such as Seaworld. I am eager to begin the new year, however. I hope this year to continue working in providing challenging activities for our gifted students. I have been implementing technology in the past, and hope to continue doing so this year. The summer allowed me to reflect on things that worked last year, as well as things that could use improvement. I would also like to collaborate with other GT students outside our campus, so our Cooley students can become exposed to ideas of people outside their immediate community. I have more video comferencing ideas in the works. Finally, I also hope to establish a Destination Imagination team this year. In the past, Cooley has participated in this great event. It presents students with a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate their creativity. Unfortunately, we have not had a team compete for the past two years, but this year we will try to have at leat one team in the local competition next spring. I hope e
It has been a while since I have had an entry in this blog, but part of my New Year's resolution is to try to keep it up to date. I cannot believe it is February, and that we are just a week from Valentine's day. The year will go quickly from here, especially with everything that we still need to accomplish as a class. The 5th grade class needs to continue working with their My Journey autobiographies. We are still trying to do them all digital, so that at the end of the year every child will have a DVD to take home that contains all their hard work. The 4th grade students will do the same with their Engima projects, which I am sure will be great.
Despite all the hard work, the truth is there is nothing I would rather be doing than teaching. I love the challenges that the second semester brings, and rushing around to finish projects. It makes reaching the end of the school year all that more significant, when you can look back and see all that has been accomplished. Every year, every day, every minute offers something just a little bit different. Life is never dull a This time of the year, I always tend to become rather reflective. The end of the year somehow forces me to assess where I am and where I am headed. This is certainly true not just in my personal life, but of my school work as well. The Christmas break brings forth a time to regroup, to plan ahead, and to, quite simply, catch one's breath. It seems as if there is so much left to be done before June, and like so little has been accomplished since August.
But, as I look at my students, I try to picture them as they walked into my classroom in that first day of school. And, once I can visualize that moment, I can appreciate how far they have come along. It might be difficult to perceive the gradual changes when we interact with them on an almost daily basis. But, if we were to capture them and somehow freeze them that first day, and compare them to what they have become, the changes are there. My 5th graders were still in 4th grade mode back in August, but I can see through our discussion and through the work they turn in that there is a maturity, slight as it might be, that has taken place. The same is true of my 4th grade students. At the beginning of the year, I had all students fill out a questionnaire that we placed in a "time capsule". I promised that at the end of the year we would revisit their responses. It will be very enlightening, for them and me, to find out how much they have changed by then. In the meantime, I think I should take a deep breath, relax, listen to a few carols, and enjoy the break. After all, every year the tasks that seem insurmountable always managed to be conquered. Our gifted children are considered a special population. Like any such education, they require a specialized curriculum that meets their needs. Thus, at EPISD, and my classroom specifically, I try to take my students strengths and interests into consideration.
Even within gifted populations, there are differences. Each one of my students’ head is a unique universe. To tap into these universes, I need to constantly improve my teaching methods. I enjoy interacting with my students, and learning from them. Every day is an adventure, with not one resembling another. In this page, you will find some blogs by me, as well as blogs by the students...whatever is in our mind! Keep logging on to see what’s new. The site is designed to provide communication between students, parents and teacher. It is also meant as a place to showcase the wonderful work your children do everyday. Welcome to out class webpage. Why a webpage? The short answer to this question is simply, why not! But, let me be more specific. I know that there are days when technology seems to complicate our lives, rather than simplify tasks. But, to answer the question posted at the beginning, we need to answer the following: why do we educate children? Regardless of the day and age, children are educated to become productive members of society. We educate children, presumably, to prepare them for the future. If this is indeed the case, does it not make sense to prepare them with skill for such future? We are not soothsayers, so as wise as teachers are, we cannot tell what the future holds for our students. However, we can provide for them skills that will transend whatever they may face. There are some basics that we cannot get around with, like instilling in them a keen sense of perspective and an inquisitve thrist for problem solving. Most importantly, however, we must teach them how to adapt. School today is certainly not what it used to be when I was in 4th and 5th grade. But, as an adult, I have adapted along the way. The truth is that technology today plays a larger role in our student's lives than it did in ours. Thus, we must learn to adapt ourselves, and be willing to work with students in adapting to their environment. Thus, I ask once again: why a webpage? The answer still stands. Why not.
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AuthorPedro Delgado Archives
February 2015
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