I know I haven't updated everyone in a few days, but that was because not much was happening until today.
Friday, I was on campus all morning for our large group seminar, in which the education department just managed to make everyone angry and then tell us to go teach. So, I had lunch and then off I went to the elementary school in time to read to them after lunch. I taught a math and a phonics lesson that afternoon, and then they went to Gym. Mrs. Miller could tell I was really stressed about all of the lesson plans and everything, so she sent me home about 10 minutes early. It just was one of those days!
Monday, the students had the day off but I had to attend an all day Professional Development meeting. I was sick with a head cold all weekend, and still felt pretty miserable that day. I made the mistake of taking PM medicine Sunday night, and my alarm went off for an hour before I even heard it. So, needless to say, I was really rushed. I had 30 min. to shower, get myself ready, make my lunch, and get out the door. Believe it or not, I did it and arrived with a few minutes to spare. The meeting was divided up by grade levels, but we met with all 2nd grade teachers in the district. It was nice to meet other teachers and see the professional side of things. However, both 2nd grade teachers from my building were sick and didn't go, so I was the only person from Dieck in the room. It was a little awkward at first, especially because they were discussing things that I couldn't contribute to, but I made myself comfortable. I felt bad about not contributing, but I personally learned a lot about what my future is going to look like!
Today we were back to the routine. They came in and completed their morning work as they are supposed to do. Then, we started sharing. Lots of students went to the Shrine Circus this past weekend, and loved it. They all had interesting things to share. Until we got to one student. His story during sharing time was this:
"This weekend, I went to the mall and went bungee jumping, and you have to put this harness thing around your belly and it goes around your legs. Wanna know what I screamed when I was in the air? 'This hurts my nuts!'". Clearly, this is extremely inappropriate. So, I jumped right on it and said "Oh, I really think that is something inappropriate to say in school. Next time please re-think your word choices." And we moved on. The other kids didn't really react; some of the boys snickered, and the girls didn't understand why it was inappropriate. He was talked to in private after the fact, because apparently this isn't the first time he's acted this way. Once we moved on from that discussion, another student proceeds to tell everyone that he watched a movie this weekend that was a true story and was about how the world is going to end in 2012. The rest of the students were freaked out, and looked to me to explain this to them. So, I told them that the Mayans were a group of people that lived in Mexico hundreds and hundreds of years ago, and sometimes they would create theories or make predictions about things in the future. To them, the year 2012 was a looonng way away, so they predicted the world would end that year. There isn't any proof, and I told them that I was sure that wasn't going to happen. They were still a little skeptical, so then I told them that a lot of people thought that would happen in the year 2000 too, but we're still here and everything is fine. I told them this thinking it would ease their little minds, but instead they wanted to know why everyone thought the world would end in the year 2000 and why it didn't. Mind you, this was in the first hour of the day.
I began teaching Writer's Workshop today, which means I am now teaching all subjects =) I am going to sort of re-vamp the Writer's Workshop in the classroom; I made it my own project for myself. It was the area I could see myself doing the most good, so I figured I'd try it while I had the chance. I began by introducing them to "peer editing" so they now have writing partners who will give them helpful suggestions. I explained that they shouldn't only help with grammar and punctuation, but they should also give each other suggestions on how to make the story better. So, they could suggest details to add to the stories or a better beginning thats more catchy, or any sort of content suggestion. They worked with their partners for about 35 minutes today, and I was floored by the growth I witnessed. One student loves to write, but he writes really fast because he has so much he wants to say. His partner suggested that he takes his time when he is writing so everyone will be able to read it. So, he took it upon himself to happily re-write his story on a different sheet of paper. I was amazed. I walked up to his desk and gasped because I couldn't believe his handwriting and neatness! I was very proud at that moment. Eventually, once they have the peer editing down, they will begin to self edit. I will also introduce "teacher conferences" which will include me creating a sign up sheet for students who feel they're ready to meet with me regarding one of their stories, and I'll meet with one or two students a day. Lastly, I will be implementing Author's chair. Students will not have to be completely finished with their story to share it with the class; they may also choose to share if they need help figuring out what to add. After they've read their story, their classmates will give them "Two Stars and a Wish". In other words, 2 people will tell the author 1 thing they liked about the story, and a 3rd person will tell the author something they wish would've been included in the story. I'm very excited about it, and cannot wait to see how it progresses in the classroom.
Even though that only describes my morning, I think that's about it for today. Hopefully tomorrow's sharing will go a little bit better, and I'll have an easy going day! =)
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