~a letter to the children~
This morning is the first day of school for the children of Ponca City Public Schools, and this is my very first year to be a teacher there. My new classroom is a 5th grade one and a position I have never held in four decades of being a teacher. It will be as new for me as it is for my students. Later on this morning after we have settled in, I plan to share this blogpost with them because it is written for them. From time to time throughout the year, I will share my blog with the class as we progress through the standards found in the writing section of our language arts curriculum. I want them to know that the art of writing is fun and not a chore to be done. You know, to even walk in that front door this morning as a veteran and nearly 64-year old teacher is an honor, blessing, and privilege that is not afforded to all. I hope my students will all know how much I love them and care about what happens to them in this life.
And they will hear it in "a letter to the children".
Dear boys and girls,
It's early in the morning, in fact it's "3:30 in the morning early " as I write these words to you. I couldn't sleep and that doesn't surprise me one bit! Last night when I laid my head on the pillow at bedtime it was you all who were on my mind. When I woke up this morning, you were still there! I imagine that you are all tucked in bed yet and dreaming good dreams of the day that lies ahead of us. Soon enough we will all be together at school and our first day of fifth grade shall begin.
I can't wait!
There is so much to learn in school these days and fifth grade is no exception. The things that I learned as a fifth grade girl back in 1966 are totally different from the things that you will learn this year in the 2019-2020 school year. I'm amazed at how quickly we progress along the way. 3 state assessments await us in math, reading, and science plus so many other things that you need to know before you go on to the next stop in life at the middle school. The last day of school seems so far away on the first one, but trust me it never seems to take very long. We'll be working very hard this year to get to where we need to be. Mistakes will be made by all of us and you might even find your teacher at the top of the "I made a mistake today!" list. Yet that is ok because we will be growing and changing as each hour passes by.
Each of us. All of us.
The Oklahoma Academic Standards are set forth so that children will learn what is deemed necessary for them to know at each grade level. I have been studying them all summer and will continue to do so as our school year goes along. I know of their importance and I've aligned what I do each day to them all. I want you to be prepared and I take that part of my job with the utmost of seriousness. Yet even in all of this, the most important things that I teach you will never be found in a teacher's guide or scrawled into my lesson plan book. You will hear me speak of them many times during the day, lessons that determine who we are in life, the kind of person that we all become.
They are the called the lessons of life.
I want you boys and girls to be a part of a 5th grade class that everyone at our school was sad to see go at year's end. It is the kind of leader that I yearn for you to be and I hope that desire of leadership is in your hearts as well. I want you to practice kindness to one another and to anyone you meet. I want you to understand the value of being honest and using integrity in everything you do, both in and out of school. I want you to all learn to stick together, no matter what. I am older now and in my final years of being a teacher. I won't always be there for you in the years to come. All you will have is one another. As of today you are all members of a classroom community of learners and I am so proud to be your teacher.
One of the first things we will do this morning is to talk about the idea of being a classroom community. We will place individual rocks into the classroom community rock jar, just like many of my former students have done as well. The character traits and the ideas that are listed on the bulletin board are there for a reason. They shall be a daily reminder of what I consider the most important of things for me to teach and model for you. My hope is that the same reminder shall be instilled in you also. You will hear me say countless times in the next 9 months that these character traits and ways of living are more important than anything on the standards list. There is a reason for my saying that, for what good is it to be the most awesome reader or the greatest mathematician if your heart is not kind and good?
You will learn many things about me and about one another as the year goes by. I want your fifth grade experience to be the very best year you ever had. It is soon to begin! See you in just a few short hours more.
Love,
Mrs. Renfro
And they will hear it in "a letter to the children".
Dear boys and girls,
It's early in the morning, in fact it's "3:30 in the morning early " as I write these words to you. I couldn't sleep and that doesn't surprise me one bit! Last night when I laid my head on the pillow at bedtime it was you all who were on my mind. When I woke up this morning, you were still there! I imagine that you are all tucked in bed yet and dreaming good dreams of the day that lies ahead of us. Soon enough we will all be together at school and our first day of fifth grade shall begin.
I can't wait!
There is so much to learn in school these days and fifth grade is no exception. The things that I learned as a fifth grade girl back in 1966 are totally different from the things that you will learn this year in the 2019-2020 school year. I'm amazed at how quickly we progress along the way. 3 state assessments await us in math, reading, and science plus so many other things that you need to know before you go on to the next stop in life at the middle school. The last day of school seems so far away on the first one, but trust me it never seems to take very long. We'll be working very hard this year to get to where we need to be. Mistakes will be made by all of us and you might even find your teacher at the top of the "I made a mistake today!" list. Yet that is ok because we will be growing and changing as each hour passes by.
Each of us. All of us.
The Oklahoma Academic Standards are set forth so that children will learn what is deemed necessary for them to know at each grade level. I have been studying them all summer and will continue to do so as our school year goes along. I know of their importance and I've aligned what I do each day to them all. I want you to be prepared and I take that part of my job with the utmost of seriousness. Yet even in all of this, the most important things that I teach you will never be found in a teacher's guide or scrawled into my lesson plan book. You will hear me speak of them many times during the day, lessons that determine who we are in life, the kind of person that we all become.
They are the called the lessons of life.
I want you boys and girls to be a part of a 5th grade class that everyone at our school was sad to see go at year's end. It is the kind of leader that I yearn for you to be and I hope that desire of leadership is in your hearts as well. I want you to practice kindness to one another and to anyone you meet. I want you to understand the value of being honest and using integrity in everything you do, both in and out of school. I want you to all learn to stick together, no matter what. I am older now and in my final years of being a teacher. I won't always be there for you in the years to come. All you will have is one another. As of today you are all members of a classroom community of learners and I am so proud to be your teacher.
One of the first things we will do this morning is to talk about the idea of being a classroom community. We will place individual rocks into the classroom community rock jar, just like many of my former students have done as well. The character traits and the ideas that are listed on the bulletin board are there for a reason. They shall be a daily reminder of what I consider the most important of things for me to teach and model for you. My hope is that the same reminder shall be instilled in you also. You will hear me say countless times in the next 9 months that these character traits and ways of living are more important than anything on the standards list. There is a reason for my saying that, for what good is it to be the most awesome reader or the greatest mathematician if your heart is not kind and good?
You will learn many things about me and about one another as the year goes by. I want your fifth grade experience to be the very best year you ever had. It is soon to begin! See you in just a few short hours more.
Love,
Mrs. Renfro
As of today, we are one classroom community of learners.
The words that are written on this board will play an important part of who we are each day and who we shall be in the years to come.
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