Morning Drive and Morning Routine

I was having my morning drive when I listened to Teaching With Jillian Starr Podcast. I simply clicked on Episode 14. Morning Meeting The Most Important Part of Our Day because it was yeah, morning and because I like to rekindle the memories I had observing classrooms when I was a teacher student in the UK.

I remember a period I spent in an elementary school. The class was busy, students were here and there, but it was structured. Perhaps it was a thing they usually did every morning. The teacher would be at the front, welcoming kids, sorting papers, checking attendance. And the teacher assistant would be at the back sitting, waiting to be greeted by the kids who sometimes came in with reply letters, money or even messages such as the father had a change of work schedule hence could join the class trip the next week. Then from the front door, came in the class monitor with a bag of baby carrots. Everyone was given one, including me who had the least interest to finish it. 

That was morning routine, at least in my definition. I have never observed a Malaysian kindergarten or primary school therefore I could not really tell if those are also practiced here. Nevertheless, it has always been great reminiscing the good old time. 

Coming back to the day I am currently living, what has attracted me is the way Jillian shares the day objectives with her students through Morning Message. As many teachers, I used  "By the end of the/this lesson, students would be able to ..." to share the lesson objectives with the class. But then, Jillian's way has made me realise that perhaps, I have been too formal, strict and uninteresting. Usually, after few weeks of teaching, my students would be rehearsing the line while I am writing it on the board. AMAZING but not effective. I never notice my students using any words I've introduced them through the shared lesson objectives in their writings or when speaking. 

"So my message always has a Dear on the top, and it might say Dear Second Grader, or Dear Budding Mathematicians, or Dear Curious Scientists. It always has a greeting and then it will start with, something like today we have and I might list out the special that they may have that day and something exciting that I want them to look forward to. I might also share a piece of content that I am going to be teaching that day or something that we might be revisiting that can help them be like 'okay, that's going to be familiar for me today'."

I love the idea of Dear + Adj + Noun to begin the day. Calling the class a name they could be proud of, and having it written will definitely boost student's confidence on themselves and also to learn! And it is also an interesting yet effortless way to introduce a new adjective and its noun. I've tried in my lesson this year, and I am loving it but yeah, it is still an in-progress work.

With this on, I can also effortlessly teach linkers!