Marcia Tate In The House!

So.... Marcia Tate wore me out! I am not a morning person and Marcia, Marcia! Marcia!! before coffee was a bit overwhelming! However, after I consumed a large amount of caffeine, I picked up on about the 5th strategy, filled in the blanks I missed, and couldn't help but be truly engaged and challenged. I often say to my kids, "If I have to be here with you, I'm gonna enjoy it!" To accomplish this goal and to promote an enjoyable environment of learning, I vary the delivery of my instruction. Marcia Tate was a (very) positive reinforcement to many of the strategies I already use in my classroom. As a teacher of healthcare, I was extremely interested in the characteristics of a "Brain Compatible Classroom". How the brain receives and successfully retains information is truly the key to learning. Marcia reminded me to provide a positive, relevent classroom, challenging students with high expectations but not stressing them out. Additionally, she challenged me to add music and movement to my instruction. Overall, Marcia's presentation was just the encouragement I needed... Some great new ideas and validation that what I'm doing will work. So...I think I will keep doing this teaching thing... and maybe...just maybe they'll learn something!?