Post-Vacation Behaviors Are Bumpy!

We return to school from our break either rested and relaxed or so harried from a crazy schedule that we are thankful for the sanity of a normal routine again. Our students are no different. Some of ours have kept such horrible schedules that they are sleepy by 1:00. Some seem to have developed amnesia about behaviors of independence for Daily 5.

We typically receive one or two new students the first day back from a break, which adds a whole new dimension to the return. Regardless of what is going on or how long the break was (whether a three-day weekend or two weeks off), it’s a perfect time to review the expectations and behaviors required to be independent and achieve one’s goals. A simple refresher can mean the difference between frustrating days for all and a calm and easy transition back to academic life.

Pull down at least one of the Daily 5 I-charts and refresh everyone’s memories by going back through the 10 Steps of Teaching and Learning Independence. Reviewing the expected behaviors recorded earlier in the year, observing peers model correctly, then correctly practicing for as long as class stamina allows will get things off to a great new start.