Katherine's+Page

I'm Katherine Hamel. I teach third grade at Crozet Elementary School. I have taught second, third, and fourth grades, but I have spent the most time in third. My son is also in third grade and his classroom is right next door to mine!

While we do not know what marvelous technological inventions will be here in ten years, we have been asked/challenged to prepare our students for that world. What kinds of jobs will be available then that have not even been imagined today? How will college/grad school/law school/med school/business school change as a result of technology? I hope that taking this online course will help me be more qualified to teach my students to live and work in that world. That may be ambitious, but a journey of a thousand miles...

PLC Characteristics We discuss student achievement and remediation. We group and regroup throughout the year. We share ways to presenting ideas and practicing skills that work and don't work. We expect to see progress and if we don't we figure out what to do next.

There are also meetings when we discuss pacing and curriculum. Although teaching is a collaborative profession, it is easy to shut yourself in your room and do your own thing. PLC provides teachers with a specific time and place to have conversations that used to happen informally at recess or when you pass each other in the hall. It also allows for documentation of interventions.

Having an agenda is helpful. It keeps us on task and prevents tangential conversations.