Dear IICSN Parents,
Welcome aboard to a new and exciting school year for your child and also for you. I'm Mr. Scotti and I will be your child's Social Studies teacher this year. For those students returning after summer vacation, it's great to have you back. If this is your first year at Innovations, I'm positive you'll be glad it's your school.
A little about myself. I count myself fortunate to be teaching at this unique and diversive school. I went into teaching after a rewarding and distinguished naval career, and Nevada State College, School of Education, is the source of my training. There is no greater reward than making a difference in young people's lives, no matter if it's achieved in the elementary school classroom or in the defense of our wonderful country.
This year in our classroom, the 5th grade students will be studying American History, from the time of ancient Americans, to modern day America. In 6th grade, the curriculum is all about World Geography, learning not only the specific countries, but also about their cultures and people.
I operate a very open classroom. Open for discussion on all topics between the students and me, and also open to communication between parents or guardians and myself. On the very first day of school, the children will learn about me and our r classroom rules. The children will have multiple opportunities to contribute on things we do in the class, but I'll always have 51% of the vote!
A successful school year depends on the strength of our Commitment Triangle. Three equal sides on this triangle: a committed TEACHER, a committed STUDENT, and a committed PARENT. I encourage you to contact me with any concerns or ideas. In addition to contacting me through the school phone number, please feel free to use email at anytime and I will reply as soon as I can.
Don't forget, Innovations International Open House where I hope to meet many of you!
Sincerely,
L.V. Scotti
After academic success of my students, successful management of the classroom is the next highest priority of a teacher. You may be the most knowledgeable educator in the world, but if you do not have control of the classroom, you cannot use that knowledge. The key to successful management is cooperation from the students with the teacher, and with each other. A cooperative classroom is my goal.
When maintaining control of the classroom, I lean towards the theory of Assertive Discipline proposed by Lee and Marlene Canter, where positive reinforcement or a reward should follow positive behavior. And on the flip side, unpleasant consequences should follow negative behavior. I also adhere to some of Rudolf Dreikurs' theory of Democratic Teaching and provide a collaborative learning community where teachers and students work toward common goals. This is when some of that cooperation I mentioned earlier takes place. I also borrow from Linda Albert's theory of Cooperative Discipline where I try to influence the behavior of individual students using the three C's: connecting to the teacher and other students, contributing to the class, and feeling capable of successful behavior and academic work.
The setting of my classroom is teamwork. By working together we can accomplish so much more than working as individuals. And working against each other accomplishes nothing. We are a team. Of course, cooperation and teamwork go hand in hand. Though I am the leader of this team, the students' role as team players is just as important. Our goal is for everyone to put forward their best effort.
Students have the opportunity to earn extra credit every day with Current Events. This assignment must be done at home. All they have to do is either watch the News on TV or read the newspaper. Find a story that peaks their interest and write about it. Their writing should be at least a paragraph and include all the facts of the story and a closing opinion. Content can be anything from local news, national news, world news, to the world of sports, entertainment, politics, or weather. Simply anything in the news as long as it is current. That's why we call it Current Events! I believe it is very important for students to know what is going on in our city, state, country, and the world. This is what most of Social Studies is all about.
Sincerely,
Mr. Scotti
1600 E. Oakey Blvd.
