A Different Classroom- by K.McCutcheon

  July 6, 2024 PIVOT!!!  Man, this word could be no truer in this moment than in any other moment of my life. I'm excited for year 35! There is so much change happening right now.            Some change comes with peace.            Some change comes with fear and lost of the great unknown.            Some change comes with excitement.            Some change comes with letting go.      I'm truly in a season in which I believe I am letting go of what I've always known and letting God take the lead. I could sit here and tell you ALL the times God has stepped in for the past 12 months, but instead... I'm going to let you watch the magic unfolfd. I'm excited for this coming year.  Let's begin with "The Road Trip!"  July 8, 2024     We traveled from Florida to Georgia. It was about a 5 hour drive. We stayed wi...

  September 24, 2023 Writing…  It is crazy to me how many people think writing is a subject. Yes, I said it. People think writing is a subject. When students work in reading, do they write? When students work in math, do they write? When students work in science and social studies, do they write? When students pass a note in class, do their homework, and so on, do they write? The answer is obvious, YES!  Writing is more than a subject. It is a foundation to everything we do. In life, we have a process. We learn to think. Then, we learn to talk and say what we are thinking. Finally, we learn how to read what others are thinking and saying… or we learn how to write what we are thinking and saying. It’s natural. It’s human nature. Why then are there teachers who confine writing to a subject?  Yes, we need to teach writing. Yes, we need to practice writing. BUT, writing is way more than a subject. It is the one thing we need to record our thoughts and share them with oth...

September 10, 2023  What does your classroom sound like?  For some, this seems like an odd question. For me, this is one of my favorite things to talk about. As humans, we have a natural desire to talk and share ideas. It’s what we do. Children are humans and no different. It’s not natural to have a quiet classroom. There should be noise and sound. The sound should be productive sounds of learning and discovery, but silent should be more rare than the norm.  In my classroom, I accomplish this in a couple of ways… One way is my “no raise hands” rule. My students are not suppose to raise their hand to answer questions or for permission to talk. Instead of raising hands, I encourage students to talk to their peers, answer the question as a whole, or shout out answers when prompted. This sounds messy, but it’s actually more effective than raising hands. It requires 100% participation and engagement. Students are no longer sitting there focused on remembering what they have t...

  August 23, 2023 The Art of Exploration Last Friday, my students had an opportunity to experience their own phenomena. In science, I led them with a time lapsed video of melted crayons. Their job in science is to “Notice and Wonder.” We had a class discussion and agreed on what we noticed in our video.  Notice: The crayons were melting.  Then, we continued our discussion with what wonders we had. How fast did they melt? Was it messy when they melted? What caused them to melt? What if one crayon was melted one way, and another crayon melted differently, would it change anything? It was a great discussion! Finally, we landed on one wonder.  Wonder: How did the crayons melt? At this point, the students were eager to find their answers. They created a list of supplies they would need to test and find answers to their questions. The science experiment began. It was absolutely amazing to watch them work in partners to determine how they would prepare their crayons for mel...

  August 19, 2023 The Start of a New Chapter This year will be filled with so many new beginnings. Hi! I’m Kim. Many know me as Mrs. McCutcheon. I’m a teacher, learner, and aspiring leader. In June, my family relocated to Florida. I started my career in Tennessee, spent three years in Georgia, and now, here I am in Florida. The word NEW could not ring any louder than it does right now. New state. New district. New school. New principal. New grade. New team. New EVERYTHING!!!! And yet, I could not be more excited for what’s ahead.  I’m excited to learn about a new state. I’m excited to learn about a new district. I’m excited to learn and contribute to my new school, principal, grade, and team.  As I embark on a new journey, my mind is flooded with so many questions. What are the state standards? What curriculum do we use? What are the district or school level expectations? What are the state mandates and laws? How can I be the best version on myself in this setting? Some q...

  June 1, 2023 Wow! It sure has been a long time since my last post… I wish I could update in one long post, but too much has happened to do that. Time to get back to blogging and share my thoughts.  Let’s start with the end of a chapter!  This past year has definitely been a chapter, maybe even a book. It has had all the things. The characters have been forever changed. The setting is a place called home. The story has a climax with problems and solutions. The end is bittersweet and a tale to be told over and over again.  This year has given me hope and strength in new beginnings .  My team has been absolutely amazing. My desire was to create an environment in which we trust and depend on one another. From our team building day in July to daily planning and hallway conversations, this year was amazing because of them. We laughed, cried, and loved through every professional and personal moment. I will forever remember them as my number ones. They left some big s...