Living what you believe...

Before I dive into my take on the reading I want to share a few of the lines of the chapters that caught my attention. I loved what the principal said about her teachers. “They do it because they live what they believe.” I loved this because I do and will learn to live more fully what I believe, that all children can excel if they have the tools necessary to do so.
These chapters help me not to feel so overwhelmed with how I can differentiate. I liked the examples it gave in each of the 5 sections. With these statements it helps me to realize more clearly how I can approach each students and how I can make them feel a part of our community. Reading through the scenarios I realized I may have to be quick to change direction and open for new situation. I understand how important it is to create a classroom that is positive safe. I never really thought of the setting of desks, walls, books, and students material hanging on the walls as part of making the environment feel one of community or isolation. I feel that in creating this environment students need to know what to expect from me and form each other. These chapters gave lots of great ideas on how to create that environment through transitions, answering questions, and doing work. I loved the ideas of the windshield check! (p. 43) its fun activities and saying like these that make students feel more comfortable asking questions and participating in the class. For me these chapters made differentiate even that much more plausible.