~don't lose sight of the reason~
The calendar on the wall reflects the fact that we are now less than two weeks away from Christmas. School will dismiss here for the holidays at the end of the day on the 20th, and each of us will get the chance to stay home and enjoy time with our families for a while. It will be a welcomed relief for all. Between sickness going around and a multitude of things that daily present themselves to do, one thing is for certain.
We have been busy.
I've nearly made it through my first semester of being a fifth grade teacher, a position I had never done before in 40 years of being an educator. I have survived 5th grade math by trying always to be one step ahead of the kids. Mostly that works. I have made mistakes aplenty and in retrospect I am thankful that I did. One of the life lessons I always like to teach kids is that even grownups make mistakes and continually have room for improvement.
It keeps me humble.
It has been a joy to teach writing to the kids and I only wish we had more time to do so. They are eager to write, especially during our independent free write time during the week. Their imaginations are well intact and they use them to the fullest. At present we are practicing our keyboarding skills as we prepare for the state test that is coming up in late April. Part of the language arts section of the assessment is spent on writing in response to a passage. Right now one of the most enjoyable parts of our day is when we get to use a typing program that teaches the kids where their fingers go on the keys and how to build up speed and accuracy. Each day they turn that practice into a paragraph that answers a prompt. The looks on their faces are priceless as they eagerly call out to me to come over and look at their scores as they finish each section.
The day goes by so fast and when it is over I rarely feel like we got to everything that I wanted to. I need at least another 90 minutes each day to really make everything happen that I would like to. It is surely not for lack of trying because there is seldom if EVER a moment in which we are sitting idly by.
I am really happy that we have had the time for 5 "Moose on the Loose" to visit our classroom as well as the homes of many of our students. We even have two moose on the loose who are fraternal twins. Those two, Opal and Ofelia, are out scurrying around the country visiting the homes of our Kansas writing buddies. Their journey began in Hutchinson, Kansas with my little sister Cindy and her husband Ken. From there they went to St. John, Kansas to visit another dear "Cindy" who has been my friend for over 50 years now. They were transported via the mail to the home of another classroom writing buddy named Leroy who now lives in the state of Washington. Leroy and I have known each other for just about a half century as well. Tomorrow those two moose on the loose will be on their way to Yuma, Arizona to yet another "LeRoy" and his wife Anne who are writing buddies to kids in my class too. This is only the beginning for these two characters who still have many miles to travel before they see everyone they need to. I'm thankful to all who are helping us with this quest to build an even greater sense of community in our classroom and we hope to provide many happy memories for kids and adults alike.
It's 3:58 a.m. and time to get going. I always like to be at school by 5:30 if I can. The extra two hours of quiet and time for preparation is a must for me. Some of my best thinking and planning comes from the aloneness that particular hour of the day brings. We have a big plate of things to do this day and with luck we will at least get most of them done.
I get asked from time to time if I have any good advice for teachers, especially those who are just beginning in the field of education. I have offered some over the years and perhaps the greatest one would be this.
~Don't lose sight of the reason why you get up each morning and show up to work in the first place. When things get busy and hectic, as they do during the Christmas season, slow down and narrow your focus. If you narrow it enough, you will see that the real reason probably isn't going to be that state standard in reading or math that is on the board. It's not whether your class is sitting in a perfectly straight and quiet line during assembly time or whether or not you go down the hallway in a precise and uniform manner.
The real reason we show up each day is a whole lot more valuable. a whole lot more meaningful, and a whole lot more precious than that.
We have been busy.
I've nearly made it through my first semester of being a fifth grade teacher, a position I had never done before in 40 years of being an educator. I have survived 5th grade math by trying always to be one step ahead of the kids. Mostly that works. I have made mistakes aplenty and in retrospect I am thankful that I did. One of the life lessons I always like to teach kids is that even grownups make mistakes and continually have room for improvement.
It keeps me humble.
It has been a joy to teach writing to the kids and I only wish we had more time to do so. They are eager to write, especially during our independent free write time during the week. Their imaginations are well intact and they use them to the fullest. At present we are practicing our keyboarding skills as we prepare for the state test that is coming up in late April. Part of the language arts section of the assessment is spent on writing in response to a passage. Right now one of the most enjoyable parts of our day is when we get to use a typing program that teaches the kids where their fingers go on the keys and how to build up speed and accuracy. Each day they turn that practice into a paragraph that answers a prompt. The looks on their faces are priceless as they eagerly call out to me to come over and look at their scores as they finish each section.
The day goes by so fast and when it is over I rarely feel like we got to everything that I wanted to. I need at least another 90 minutes each day to really make everything happen that I would like to. It is surely not for lack of trying because there is seldom if EVER a moment in which we are sitting idly by.
I am really happy that we have had the time for 5 "Moose on the Loose" to visit our classroom as well as the homes of many of our students. We even have two moose on the loose who are fraternal twins. Those two, Opal and Ofelia, are out scurrying around the country visiting the homes of our Kansas writing buddies. Their journey began in Hutchinson, Kansas with my little sister Cindy and her husband Ken. From there they went to St. John, Kansas to visit another dear "Cindy" who has been my friend for over 50 years now. They were transported via the mail to the home of another classroom writing buddy named Leroy who now lives in the state of Washington. Leroy and I have known each other for just about a half century as well. Tomorrow those two moose on the loose will be on their way to Yuma, Arizona to yet another "LeRoy" and his wife Anne who are writing buddies to kids in my class too. This is only the beginning for these two characters who still have many miles to travel before they see everyone they need to. I'm thankful to all who are helping us with this quest to build an even greater sense of community in our classroom and we hope to provide many happy memories for kids and adults alike.
It's 3:58 a.m. and time to get going. I always like to be at school by 5:30 if I can. The extra two hours of quiet and time for preparation is a must for me. Some of my best thinking and planning comes from the aloneness that particular hour of the day brings. We have a big plate of things to do this day and with luck we will at least get most of them done.
I get asked from time to time if I have any good advice for teachers, especially those who are just beginning in the field of education. I have offered some over the years and perhaps the greatest one would be this.
~Don't lose sight of the reason why you get up each morning and show up to work in the first place. When things get busy and hectic, as they do during the Christmas season, slow down and narrow your focus. If you narrow it enough, you will see that the real reason probably isn't going to be that state standard in reading or math that is on the board. It's not whether your class is sitting in a perfectly straight and quiet line during assembly time or whether or not you go down the hallway in a precise and uniform manner.
The real reason we show up each day is a whole lot more valuable. a whole lot more meaningful, and a whole lot more precious than that.
I love these two teachers with all of my heart. Their momma was the teacher who taught me how to be the teacher I am today. My two nieces Brandy and Mandy are carrying on the tradition for the next generation of educators in our family.
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