What makes a successful year of teaching? When the final bell rings on the last day of school, what should the students know and be able to do? How will those students be different from how they were on the first day of school?
Teachers know that the answers to these questions can be complex. Sure, there are lists of standards that neatly outline what 6th graders should know about math or what biology students should gain from their course. But the process of teaching is about far more than checking standards off a list or "getting through" the curriculum. It's about getting to know students as individuals and as groups; it's about recognizing that Olivia's interest in science fiction lights up her interest in writing or that Mario's skill at assembling (and disassembling) indicates that he prefers hands-on experiments.
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