End of the Year Reflections.

Well, in many ways the experiment worked wonderfully and in others it didn't!

I would say that 90% of my students left the 5th grade more responsible for their learning and their behavior.Unfortunately, that means some didn't. One in particular stands out and unfortunately all the other students would agree. The problem of creating and maintaining a personal responsibility classroom is that there is no guarantee of complete buy in by the students or their parents. This student didn't buy in because his parents didn't. However, this post is not about him.

Rather it is a reflection. I can look back and see the good that came out of this class. I know many of them walked out the door on the last day feeling like they were responsible for the grades on their report card and for turning around behaviors. They walked out taller, not just literally, than when they came in back in August.

I can look back at the choices I made to help instill a sense of responsibility in them. I can think of ways to take that to the next level and ways to do it more effectively. I can also look back at the things that I thought would work, but didn't. I can either scrap them or revamp them for next year. I know that I need to be better prepared in some areas and that others can continue as they are.

Overall, I am very pleased with the results of the year, and I look forward to creating an even more personal responsibility classroom next year!