Notes
Janelle Korb Coaching Meeting 9.21.26
Janelle Korb and I met for her second coaching meeting on Monday, September 21, at 4:15 PM.
Classroom Tour
Prior to this meeting, I asked Janelle to “take me on a tour” of her classroom via video, which she did and that became the focus of the first portion of our meeting. As I watched the video, I was so impressed by welcoming, vibrant feeling that permeates the classroom environment. As you enter her classroom, you notice that all of the students’ names are on the doorway. Janelle explained that designing the nametags is the project for the first day of school. Students are asked to design a nametag that expresses “who they are.” It’s such a welcoming way to enter the room!
Janelle’s room is filled with color, anchor charts and reminders of the learning that is taking place. There are spaces for students to “cool down” if they are having a rough day, as well as individual spaces for student work.
Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of Janelle’s room is her “Wall of Fame.” This includes pictures of each of the classes that she has taught since beginning her career. As we were discussing the wall, Janelle told the story of one of her students who was a behavior student who struggled with reading while in her classroom, and through her encouragement he became a good reader, went on to become a state qualifier in wrestling and eventually came back to the elementary school for his Senior Walk. As Janelle was telling the story, it was obvious just how much she cares for her students.
Janelle also shared work that is happening in “Wit and Wisdom.” They are working with figurative and literal language and integrating language arts and science concepts. Students are learning about the heart—both figuratively and literally. She shared with me the diagrams the students had developed about the heart, and then the 5-point essay they will be writing to share their learning.
Reflection on this week’s readings
We then discussed key take aways from this week’s readings and coursework. Janelle mentioned that she was really impressed with the emphasis on Scarborough’s rope, because this is definitely something that the Olathe district also emphasizes. She explained that in the teacher work room there is even a Scarborough’s Rope made out of table clothes!!
Janelle mentioned that her biggest challenge is being able to identify the name associated with each of the assessments mentioned within the reading, as well as the statistics supporting each. She feels confident in knowing which of the assessments to use if a student is struggling, but just not always the name of it! She also explained that she now is understanding more of the rationale behind the screeners that the Olathe district uses
Focus of Inquiry
As she thinks about the students in her classroom, Janelle had not yet determined a focus of inquiry for the course. She is interested in learning more about dyslexia and applying it not only to the students in her classroom, but also to her family.
At our last meeting, Janelle mentioned 2 students that she was worried about in terms of their desire to learn. In the last 2 weeks, Janelle has identified that one of them is a Special Needs student who just needs more examples to learn a concept. The other is a behavior student who just experiences task avoidance.
There is one student in the classroom that Janelle is genuinely concerned about and is encouraging testing to identify his problems and get him help through special services. This student has huge gaps in his understanding of phonics and though testing is only at the level of identifying vowel sounds. This totally affects his fluency. She is hoping that his identification for special services can be expedited. She has visited with his Mom who is “on board” with the testing.
DREAM GOAL
At this point, Janelle is not ready to identify a goal for this semester’s work. I shared with her the elements of the Dream Goal along with a sample goal.
Next Meeting
Our next meeting will be held on October 1 at 4:15 PM.