RM Bacon Weekly: December 11

Bears,

I hope everyone enjoyed the rare early-December snowfall. Does this mean we are in for a cold, snowy winter? I hope so, but time will tell. Summer weather lovers, you already had your turn!

From what I can tell listening to various meteorologists, this snow storm in particular was difficult to forecast. It looks like some of us didn't get as much as the experts thought, while in Pennsylvania, some areas got more than expected. While I'm not a weather expert (just a fan), there seems to be a bit of science and art involved in predicting the unpredictable. And that's basically what weather forecasting seems to be - trained professionals taking their best shots at pinning down what nature will do with the tools they have available, and then adding their own two cents on top. More accurately, weather people are charged with pinning down exactly what nature will do. That cannot be easy. Sometimes they get it right; other times, nature does its thing. One forecaster initially said this wouldn't be a big snow event for us, then all the predictions started coming in for higher amounts. Reluctantly (at least it seemed that way to me), he raised his own forecast amounts, and even though the computer models and others were calling for more than initially thought, I didn't get the sense he was on board with the higher forecast. The science said one thing; his instincts told him something else. When it was over, we didn't get anywhere near the higher amounts, and this meteorologist said something like, "I should have stuck to my gut on this one." His original impressions of not much accumulation turned out to be accurate.

I say all that to say this - sometimes, we need to go with our gut feelings on things. Education has a few things in common with the weather. We can make plans and "forecast" how we think an assignment will go, how a particular lesson will look in the classroom, how quickly our students will master a new concept and what that mastery will look like, and so on. Sometimes, we get it pretty close. Sometimes, it's a blown forecast. Ultimately, teachers know their students. There is a lot of great science to support how and why certain things work the way they do in terms of learning, achievement, engagement, etc. And while all that is great (and it is), sometimes it comes down to a gut call - a feeling that teachers get when it comes to their own learners. It's a blending of the science and art of teaching, and this is what makes teaching so wonderful yet so challenging.

Teachers, use good methodology. Use techniques that are proven to work. Stay current on trends in education. We have incredible amounts of research available at our fingertips. Take advantage of what's out there. Use every tool at your disposal. But listen to your gut feelings. Make those things work for you and your learners. I believe we all have those instincts for a reason. Don't ignore them. And if we blow a forecast? Adjust. Figure out where it went sideways and compensate. Move on and learn from the experience. And sometimes, simply know that factors you couldn't have predicted resulted in outcomes you didn't foresee. What's equally as important as the outcome is what we learn during the process. And remember - no setback is permanent unless we chose to keep it that way. Don't let an inaccurate "forecast" of how you thought a lesson would go prevent you from being creative. Keep pushing yourselves and your students. Keeping being the best you can be for their sake. And keep listening in your instincts.

Announcements

Mrs. Muhlbaier receiving her mini grant at
last week's board meeting.

This past week, five of our staff members were awarded mini grants to fund project proposals -- Mrs. Muhlbaier, Mrs. Gant, Mrs. Gandy, Mrs. DeVita, and Mrs. Blithe. Congrats to you all, and thank you for putting together projects that will help our students excel in areas such as mathematics, science, engineering, coding, and the like. Well done!

During Thursday's staff meeting, we'll be breaking into our committees. More information will be forthcoming on this. Also on Thursday, members of the CSI 3 team (formerly called RAC 7) will be doing walkthroughs in several classrooms.

Parents, Thursday night will be our Trim-a-Tree event in the Bacon gym. Please join us for hot chocolate and cookies, and we'll have everything you need to make a few ornaments for your tree. It will run from 6 - 7:30.

On Friday, we'll have our final PBIS Pep Rally of 2017. We have a few surprises in store for our students. This will be a pm assembly.

Also on Friday, we'll have our Bacon Night Out staff holiday dinner. See Mrs. Polof by Wednesday if you plan to attend. Thanks to all who already signed up. A lot of us will be there, and it should be a fun night!

The Week Ahead

Monday (12/11): C Day - Lesson plans due

Tuesday (12/12): D day - Learning Management System meeting (1 pm at Culver), LTM meeting (2 pm at Culver) -- both Mike only

Wednesday (12/13): E day - I&RS (morning), Workout Wednesday

Thursday (12/14): A day - Staff meeting (8 am in the library), CSI 3 (formerly RAC team 7) visit to Bacon, Trim-a-Tree (6 - 7:30 pm at Bacon)

Friday (12/15): B day - Ugly Sweater Day!, PBIS Pep Rally (2 pm), Bacon Night Out!

Upcoming December Dates:

12/22: pajama day, 1:45 dismissal

12/23 - 1/1: Winter break (school resumes 1/2/18)

Pictures from around the School and beyond