4 Mistakes Every School Makes
And how to avoid making them in 2019.
The Education space is one of the most rewarding, yet challenging fields out there. It’s a community like no other. Most go into education to make a difference in the life of a child, despite the difficult, long days with sometimes little to no recognition. See how mistakes can be a good thing, and read how to turn them into learning opportunities for your entire school.
1. We try to be experts at everything
We all want to give our students, parents, and colleagues the best because we care. Know and implement your strengths, but don’t shy away from recognizing your weaknesses. Aiming to learn continuously alongside everyone in your school will help propel you forward. Seek to find affordable, effective solutions and resources that can help kill two birds with one stone, especially in areas that aren’t your expertise. While we need to know a lot, we don’t need to know everything. Beetbox is an example of tool that can help teachers be instant experts in niche areas like STEAM or nutrition education.
2. We try to be perfect for our students
It’s fun to dream about having a Pinterest perfect school. But beautifully decorated hallways and sparkly new materials don’t always mean children will be learning and succeeding to the best of their ability. Instead, it’s better to realistically expect that some lesson plans or curriculum just won’t work, and that’s ok. Be flexible. Focus on delivering and providing curricula that can provide flexibility and adaptability. Learning kits like beetbox that include everything can give a classroom the opportunity to tailor make a lesson to the individual student’s needs.
3. We avoid parent contact
Don’t shy away from forming relationships with parents and families. A bond with just a handful of parents can pay off down the road in multiple ways. Parents can help improve the overall atmosphere of your classrooms and school by building a sense of community. Parents can lighten the load of your admin as well by helping with school community projects, volunteering their time, and can even help by continuing learning objectives at home. With the support of parents, a child’s learning is that much more successful, making a school that much more successful. Keep parents in the loop with short and sweet newsletters, and easy to read sign up sheets on classroom doors to help out. Sending home a worksheet with ideas or activities that parent’s can easily complete at home is a good place to start. Beetbox suggests recipes or planting activities to reinforce math, science, and art concepts in a new way that can be more accessible for families than traditional assignments.
4. We assume teachers understand the school’s needs
Teachers are amazing. They’re almost always balancing being an educator with a caregiver. Because of this (and understandably so) a teacher’s sole focus will become the needs of the students. Do teachers have the correct tools and resources needed to meet your school’s overall mission? Be clear on what your goals and needs are the for the school community from day one, and then provide on going support and communication throughout the year. Are the goals measurable? Are they realistic? Are they clearly understood by the teacher? Does the classroom environment lend itself to supporting these needs? If not, it may take a bit of additional effort to individually assess where gaps are happening. However in doing so, you’ll create a strong foundation that sustains everybody’s needs.
Looking to bring solutions to your own school in 2019? Need stronger science curricula? More teacher friendly STEAM options? Nutrition education? Increased sensory and hands on learning? Let beetbox figure out the best way forward. We can help you assess your curriculum and resource needs, just click here.
