Finally Spring! (now get ready!)

Today the 2nd graders and I painted sweet little spring snowdrops. To help them get settled and connect with the imagery of the painting, I shared a little story about the signs of spring I see around my garden.

I told them that the sprouting leaves of the tulips and the colorful crocuses are certainly encouraging, but the sign that tells me that spring is truly on its way are the little leaf buds on the pluot tree in my front yard.

When I told them that those little leaf buds were there last night when I got home from school, they erupted with applause.

Yes, we’re certainly ready for spring after the roller coaster of a winter we’ve had.

But we teachers see the arrival of spring with somewhat bittersweet emotions. For me, these feelings are mostly because the spring is absolutely my busiest time of year.

During the spring we are conducting assessments, directing plays, writing reports, making professional development plans, leading field trips and planning the summer.

And all of this is happening while we are full-time in the classroom! At my school, the stretch from spring break to the end of the year is the longest period of time without a break. And by the last day of school, I’m certainly feeling it!

Over the years, I’ve found that these last few weeks of the school year are far more manageable if I go into them with a plan.

(Towards that end, I’ve been working on a little something to help us all stay on track this spring. Click through to find out more.)

Right now, the aspect of that spring work I’ve been thinking about is my professional development plan.

Each summer I go away to some sort of teacher conference. I always get a lot out of them and I really enjoy figuring out the best summer conference to attend each year.

Last year, thanks to some extra funding my school tapped into, I got to attend a couple of different workshops.

Grade Specific Summer Training

I almost always attend a conference that gives a lot of detail about the grade that I’m going into. Teaching a new grade every year is one of the blessings of being a Waldorf teacher, but it is also one of the most challenging aspects. I really count on this training to really get me ready for the coming school year. Here are just a few of the options.

• Rudolf Steiner College (RSC has been my long-standing go-to for years.)
• Sunbridge College
• The Center for Anthroposophy
• The Micha-el Institute
• The Art of Teaching at the Sebastopol Charter (this is the one I’m looking into for this year!)
• Teaching as an Art at Gradalis

I’m also really excited about a new opportunity that is sprouting. I’ve been approached by a long-time local Waldorf teacher about hosting a conference here in Portland. Though I’ve done lots of mentoring and attended countless conferences myself, I’ve never led one, and I’m really excited about the possibility. I just love working with teachers and the spirit of collaboration that goes on at those events is absolutely inspiring.

Keep an eye on this space for more information. Or put your email in the form and I’ll make sure to keep you in the loop.

Classroom Management Training

Another training I attended last year was a Responsive Classroom workshop. I’ve blogged before about Responsive Classroom. To my mind, it is the most widely-used, clearly-articulated classroom management approach that aligns with Waldorf ideals. I’m a huge fan.

I’ve attended a few Responsive Classroom workshops over the years and I’ve come away from each one of them completely inspired. And I love that each course I’ve attended had about 200 other attendees! It’s so great to see so many people working and thinking consciously about how they work with children.

I can’t recommend it enough. You can find out more information about Responsive Classroom workshops by checking out the Center for Responsive Schools website.

What kind of professional development are you doing this summer? Any one of the above would be a great option if you’re in a pinch and need to sign up quickly. But I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about being super-deliberate with my training decisions.

I really recommend sitting down and taking a close look at your teaching this year before deciding. What were your big goals? How close did you come to accomplishing them? What was something you really struggled with this year?

Be really honest with yourself and sit down and journal about it. Let the thoughts flow and really try to identify those challenges — even the ones you don’t want to admit to. Recognizing those difficulties is the first step towards finding solutions and ultimately growing in your profession.

Which is what being a Waldorf teacher is all about, isn’t it?

If you’d like some guidance in identifying those challenges, my spring program might be just the thing for you. Professional development is just one topic that we’ll cover, as we try to keep all the balls in the air this spring. I’d love to work with you, so click through to get more information.