I have come to learn quarter one of any school year is a major adjustment period for the AFJUSD community as a whole. Students are entering new grades with new expectations, veteran teachers are welcoming in new faces while assessing skills, and parents are aligning themselves with a new set of teachers whose shared goal is student success.
As for my personal experience, I have enjoyed jumping in feet first to establish myself here in the community as a first year teacher! High school Social Studies wasn’t always the goal but I am falling in love with finding patterns throughout history and having points of reference to think back on when exploring our modern world.
Another focus this quarter has been breaking down the writing process for an argumentative essay and walking through it step by step to ensure quality when writing DBQs (historically based essays). In quarter one we focused primarily on the body paragraphs, thesis statements, and sourcing evidence from historical documents to support student claims.
Looking forward in quarter two I am excited to host several writing workshops for students at their individual skill levels to build up the skills needed to craft well thought out introduction and conclusion paragraphs.
I hope everyone enjoyed their fall break and I look forward to jumping into quarter two!
-Ms. B