Thanksgiving!

I am thankful that I have survived this far into the school year and made it to our first "break".

Heres to hoping these days off will allow me to return to school reenergized and ready to take on the next 3 and 1/2 crazy weeks until Christmas!

Class Meeting

Last Friday, I was lucky enough to have my angel of a literacy coach come into my classroom. She taught my class and I how to run a "class meeting" and changed our class forever.

Class Meeting
1. Give a compliment
2. Get a compliment.
3. Apologize.
4. Pass.

Thats it. You can do one of the four. We sat around the perimeter of my gorgeous rug and passed a dried up purple sponge around the circle. (It was the only thing I could find in my room to use as a "talking object.") As each student held the sponge, they made a choice to do one of the above. Some passed, none asked for a compliment, many gave compliments. It was such a positive moment packed with second grade emotion. One girl broke down into tears, complimenting her two best friends for being "some of the best friends she's ever had," another one of my boys got all choked up talking about his best friend too, another said she was sorry that her mom's friend had cancer, and yet another said she was sad that a local teenager had recently died. I almost lost it. How quickly I forget, between cups of coffee and hours of planning, that these kids are 7. And 8. That having a friend to play with everyday at recess can make or break their day. In that moment, some felt so much genuine love for their friends that tears came rolling while just thinking about how happy these people in their lives make them. Wow.

In my dream classroom, I always knew that I wanted it to be positive and safe. A place where expectations are set high and kids try their best. It was at that moment that I realized that most of all, I want my kids to be kind to one another and know/appreciate the value of a compliment. The power of a postive attitude and how far you can get just on that alone. Class meeting. I'm pretty sure I can find 10 minutes in our day where everything stops and we think about the big picture. About life. About one another. Me and my 7 and 8 year olds....

Harry and Sixth

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." ~J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1999, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore

Although I wasn't able to go see Deathly Hallows at the midnight premiere on Thursday (I have a real job now with an early wake up call), I did sneak it in this Saturday. I was not disappointed. After investing so many years into reading the books and watching the movies, I think next year after Part II comes out I will feel a little sadness.. and probably reread them all over again to fill the void. It makes me so happy that these are books that not only I love, but make my students not want to put their books down during AR reading time. Books that we can have lengthy discussions about and relate most class activities back to. These books allow my students to make connections to what they're reading and give them a desire to dive into a book head first. The quote I used above I always relate to my students, but I think it can relate to anyone really. The power of a book never ceases to amaze me. -Sixth

Hello there! Second grade here....

Wowza. I CANNOT believe it is already November 14th. It feels like just yesterday it was the beginning of September and I was feeling like November was light years away (which explains the lack of posts...most of the time I am choosing between sleep and posting/reading/watching tv). I can honestly say that at this point, I am proud of myself. I have made it past the point of survival, and into the stage of reflection. It is wonderful. Most of my thinking now is: "Is this effective?" "How can I make this better?" "Am I ACTUALLY differentiating?" "How can I simplify my planning so that it doesn't take me HOURS?" and....believe it or not..."How can I put parent volunteers to good use?" (which has been a big fear of mine...having parents WATCH me teach!) Even just that I am asking myself these questions is a good thing for me. A few weeks ago, it was more like "Am I doing this right?" or "How do I even teach Science?" I am so psyched that I am now able to reflect and put my energies into making this better, which in turn means I can assume that I have a good foundation, which I do. My classroom is a safe place for kids to come and open their minds to learning. They know that only kinds words are exchanged- that everyone makes mistakes and most are worth forgiving. They try their best and fully understand and respect that "easy" isn't the same to everyone. I show them respect and treat them the way I want them to treat me, themselves, and their peers...and they do! If I were in second grade, I would want to be in my room :)

Today, I am in a good place. I am loving teaching. It is still VERY hard and trying at times, but it feels like within my career of teaching, I have gotten over the first hump and it feels amazing. I have been rereading a favorite book of mine and am fully re-inspired to do good things in my classroom...to go beyond just the textbook and explore some good creative, fun, exciting lessons....lessons that you are supposed to think you can do when you are a first year teacher....lessons that make the veterans think about their overly zealous first year of teaching :)

"Laughter Is The Best Medicine"

If you can't laugh at what the kid's say you can't get through your day.

My favorite "kid quote" of today:

In our vocabulary lesson- introducing our new words of the week.

Me: "Enigma. Enigma is something that is mysterious or hard to explain. Can anyone think of any examples of an enigma?"

Most students: "God" "Why the sky is blue" Where all the dinosaurs went"

One particular student: "Why you wear the same shoes every day"

Thank you for pointing that out. I explained: it's not an enigma- they are just really comfortable!