to celebrate martin luther king, jr. day my kiddos wrote their own little dream speeches. together we brainstormed some ideas... "...pizza for lunch everyday.", "...that everyone would be included in games on the playground."... some of them were more sincere then others, but this one stopped me in my tracks.
as i was circling around my room visiting with each student about their dreams one student slyly covered up his paper. of course, i'm not letting that slide. so what did this little guy dream up? "i have a dream that my teacher would be on america's next top model." SAY, WHAT!? YEAH. THAT'S RIGHT.
i responded with a "oh, my." and told the little fella that he should come up with some of his own dreams to accomplish-- because that was not one of mine. i wrote a silly comment on his paper and kept walking. (oufta. that was awkward.)
later that week i ran into some of his relatives (mom and grandpa-- both on separate occasions) mom said she thought her little guy was a woot and agreed with him 100%. grandpa (who i never met) stopped in the classroom one afternoon and said, "so, this is the ms. america my grandson has been talking about. i had to come and see for myself. i understand now!" of course, what can you say but thank you... but c'mon. REALLY, GRANDPA.
anywhoo, guess i'm in the wrong field. where can I trade in my teacher books for stilettos?
12.27.2010
{how far to heaven?}
foot. pound. mile. cup. teaspoon. centimeter.
in math my students and i were exploring measurement. why do we have to measure things? how do we measure things? what is human error?
to incorporate the holiday season, we set off across the classroom measuring in gingerbread men. yes, that's right, gingerbread men. students colored and decorated gingerbread men cut outs and began on a list of measuring chairs, desks, book shelves, doors, and walls. i asked each student to measure one additional item of their choice. as students shared their findings, some shared the height of a friend or the length of the white board...
as i asked for any final sharers, one little fella in the front row shot up his hand in excitement.
me: "and what did you measure?"
little fella: "how many gingerbread men do you think it would take to get to heaven? that's what i'm going to measure."
me (all smiles): "oh, and how are you going to measure that?"
little fella (very, very serious): "i guess when i float up to heaven i'll just take it with me and measure while i'm on my way up! gee, that's going to take a lot of gingerbread men."
so adorable. really, where do i get these kids.
in math my students and i were exploring measurement. why do we have to measure things? how do we measure things? what is human error?
to incorporate the holiday season, we set off across the classroom measuring in gingerbread men. yes, that's right, gingerbread men. students colored and decorated gingerbread men cut outs and began on a list of measuring chairs, desks, book shelves, doors, and walls. i asked each student to measure one additional item of their choice. as students shared their findings, some shared the height of a friend or the length of the white board...
as i asked for any final sharers, one little fella in the front row shot up his hand in excitement.
me: "and what did you measure?"
little fella: "how many gingerbread men do you think it would take to get to heaven? that's what i'm going to measure."
me (all smiles): "oh, and how are you going to measure that?"
little fella (very, very serious): "i guess when i float up to heaven i'll just take it with me and measure while i'm on my way up! gee, that's going to take a lot of gingerbread men."
so adorable. really, where do i get these kids.
{kids say the darndest things}
"out of office due to illness."
i frequently keep in contact with several parents in my classroom by e-mail and phone. this is the instant reply i got back from one parent's e-mail after sending an e-mail updating her about how things were going in the classroom... "out of office due to illness."
as her kiddo came in the classroom i asked him if his mom was feeling better, the conversation went a little like this:
kiddo: "kinda. she's been sick for a few days."
me: "oh, does she have the flu?"
kiddo: "no, she has pneumonia and marijuana."
me: "she has marijuana!?! i don't think so..."
kiddo: "yeah. she does. i'm sure she does."
i didn't press him with more questions because i knew he was pretty sure of himself, but i giggled inside.
later that day, i shot his mom another e-mail, telling her the little rumor her angel was spreading. she relied back with a "WWWWwwwwwhHHHHHAHAAAAATTTT!?!!?!?!" and told me that she didn't know if she should be hysterically laughing or horrified. both, i think, would be an appropriate reaction :)
oh, kids. they say the darndest things, even when they don't mean to.
i frequently keep in contact with several parents in my classroom by e-mail and phone. this is the instant reply i got back from one parent's e-mail after sending an e-mail updating her about how things were going in the classroom... "out of office due to illness."
as her kiddo came in the classroom i asked him if his mom was feeling better, the conversation went a little like this:
kiddo: "kinda. she's been sick for a few days."
me: "oh, does she have the flu?"
kiddo: "no, she has pneumonia and marijuana."
me: "she has marijuana!?! i don't think so..."
kiddo: "yeah. she does. i'm sure she does."
i didn't press him with more questions because i knew he was pretty sure of himself, but i giggled inside.
later that day, i shot his mom another e-mail, telling her the little rumor her angel was spreading. she relied back with a "WWWWwwwwwhHHHHHAHAAAAATTTT!?!!?!?!" and told me that she didn't know if she should be hysterically laughing or horrified. both, i think, would be an appropriate reaction :)
oh, kids. they say the darndest things, even when they don't mean to.
{stories from room 3/4}
life would be SO GRAND if everyone just burst out into song and dance periodically. (seriously, how joyful would that be!? answer: COMPLETELY.) well, it just so happens that my dream isn't so far fetched. my cherubs FREQUENTLY BURST out in to song (see previous post!) and BUST out dance moves (yes, ALL in unison!). we're like the miniature high school musical. it's quite remarkable. and i'm not sure how they do it! as their teacher, i ALWAYS want to join in and and create a spectacular dance party (i mean, we're learning about action verbs... i could totally make a lesson out of that... kinestetic learning at its best! it could be SO educational!) however, i resist my urge to throw up my hands and dish out my 'hawk in the sky'... you know, trying to keep my professional appearance. but really... nine year old boys singing taylor swift and bobbing up and down like oomp-loompas... clearly, all the ingredients for a solid dance party.
my kids are gold. although sometimes challenging, sometimes stressful, and sometimes sweaty and stinky, but they are so, so sweet. they make me smile so much.
so here's a story that a mom passed down to me today... precious.
i live across from the grocery store. not exactly across... more like in the relative area. being a small town, several of my students know where my hide out is from 5pm-7am. in fact, a few of the neighboring kiddos have waved me down to say hello or to ask for help with their assignments. lucky for them, they are adorable, and i can't resist.
so on goes the story... one of my little ones was firmly believed that i lived across from the grocery store. what is across from the grocery store? a hotel. when he drove pass the accommodations, he would always point out to his parents, "oh, that's where my teacher lives!"
he's parents were a little skeptical, and during a conference asked how my living situation was. i told them that i loved it! they were somewhat complexed and started to ask me how i cooked things. after i explained that i was living in an apartment, they started to chuckle and said that they had pictured me living in a hotel hovered over a hot pot every night trying to make supper.
oh, these kids are cute. it makes me wonder what other stories have come out of room 3/4...
my kids are gold. although sometimes challenging, sometimes stressful, and sometimes sweaty and stinky, but they are so, so sweet. they make me smile so much.
so here's a story that a mom passed down to me today... precious.
i live across from the grocery store. not exactly across... more like in the relative area. being a small town, several of my students know where my hide out is from 5pm-7am. in fact, a few of the neighboring kiddos have waved me down to say hello or to ask for help with their assignments. lucky for them, they are adorable, and i can't resist.
so on goes the story... one of my little ones was firmly believed that i lived across from the grocery store. what is across from the grocery store? a hotel. when he drove pass the accommodations, he would always point out to his parents, "oh, that's where my teacher lives!"
he's parents were a little skeptical, and during a conference asked how my living situation was. i told them that i loved it! they were somewhat complexed and started to ask me how i cooked things. after i explained that i was living in an apartment, they started to chuckle and said that they had pictured me living in a hotel hovered over a hot pot every night trying to make supper.
oh, these kids are cute. it makes me wonder what other stories have come out of room 3/4...
{when you're happy and you know it, clap your hands}
what do you do when fifteen children simultaneously burst out in song? now, this is something i should be used to... i mean, i've worked at a summer camp for four years and i am known to hum a little "great big moose", "boy and a girl in a little canoe" or "your mama don't where no socks" from time to time. but this was nothing like i've ever experienced! strange, bizarre, beautiful, and fabulousness all at the same time :)
as i was giving my children the run down of the day's schedule, i was explaining this prayer card i was going to pass out that had different bible verses to look up when you are ..."sad or if you are happy..." that's when the kids jumped in... "AND YOU KNOW IT CLAP YOUR HANDS!" they continued with this rendition for several, what seemed like minutes! while i, stunned and complexed waved my arms to try to quiet them down but was so struck with the joyfulness that i couldn't help but smile, laugh... and well... clap! yes, i'd have to say that i'm happy and i know it.
as i was giving my children the run down of the day's schedule, i was explaining this prayer card i was going to pass out that had different bible verses to look up when you are ..."sad or if you are happy..." that's when the kids jumped in... "AND YOU KNOW IT CLAP YOUR HANDS!" they continued with this rendition for several, what seemed like minutes! while i, stunned and complexed waved my arms to try to quiet them down but was so struck with the joyfulness that i couldn't help but smile, laugh... and well... clap! yes, i'd have to say that i'm happy and i know it.
10.13.2010
{pants on fire}
so, i may have fibbed a little to my small friends... (i know what you're thinking... and who works at a catholic school?) but before you start shaking your head and giving me the "tisk, tisk. shame on you" face, let me just say, it was ALL for the sake of learning!
here's my story: i had planned a FABULOUS, if i do say so myself, lesson on cause and effect. it was complete with an excellent read aloud picture book that supported the cause (and effect... ha!), partner problem solving activities, higher order thinking questions, and included some rockin' guided learning modeling too. FABULOUS. as i introduced the lesson i needed something epic that my small friends could totally relate to and that would stick to the sole of their shoes. answer: puppies. no kid can resist puppies.
WALLAH! so came the fib: "this weekend when i was visiting my best friend i left my shoes out by the front door and her puppy chewed up my shoes. beCAUSE i left my shoes out the puppy chewed them up. cause and effect, anyone?" you should have seen those hands shoot up. (insert angel choir here.) teacher's dream. the munchkins nailed it. before we could move on however, the story (of my best friend who does NOT have a dog) started to unravel.
lovely child number one, "oh, so is that why you are wearing different shoes today?" (what? boy friend, you've memorized my shoe collection?)
yours truly: "oh, no... he chewed up my tennis shoes." i busted out, trying to move on.
lovely child number two, "oh no! not your nice tennis shoes that you wore for the marathon!?" (dude. why are these children paying attention to my feet?)
yours truly: "hum... no, it was an older pair." (okay... are we finished?!)
third lovely child, "what kind of dog was it?"
(okay... i can't stop now!!) "she just got it. it's an adorable black lab."
all of the children at once: "oh... one time our dog..."
hum. you're probably thinking-- why didn't you just tell the truth? they probably would have still grasped the concept and you could have just moved on with the lesson. that's where you are wrong. it's all about the magic, people. to them, it was real-- they made a connection-- they got it (and came up with hundreds of other cause and effect examples that included their pets, i might add)! i bet if you ask any of my kiddos for an example of cause and effect they'll bring you back to the scene of that gosh darn cute black lab that chewed on my old pair of tennis shoes. it's all in the presentation that learning occurs, people.
as for this liar, liar... i suppose it's a good thing my class is heading to confession tomorrow... because my pants are on fire.
here's my story: i had planned a FABULOUS, if i do say so myself, lesson on cause and effect. it was complete with an excellent read aloud picture book that supported the cause (and effect... ha!), partner problem solving activities, higher order thinking questions, and included some rockin' guided learning modeling too. FABULOUS. as i introduced the lesson i needed something epic that my small friends could totally relate to and that would stick to the sole of their shoes. answer: puppies. no kid can resist puppies.
WALLAH! so came the fib: "this weekend when i was visiting my best friend i left my shoes out by the front door and her puppy chewed up my shoes. beCAUSE i left my shoes out the puppy chewed them up. cause and effect, anyone?" you should have seen those hands shoot up. (insert angel choir here.) teacher's dream. the munchkins nailed it. before we could move on however, the story (of my best friend who does NOT have a dog) started to unravel.
lovely child number one, "oh, so is that why you are wearing different shoes today?" (what? boy friend, you've memorized my shoe collection?)
yours truly: "oh, no... he chewed up my tennis shoes." i busted out, trying to move on.
lovely child number two, "oh no! not your nice tennis shoes that you wore for the marathon!?" (dude. why are these children paying attention to my feet?)
yours truly: "hum... no, it was an older pair." (okay... are we finished?!)
third lovely child, "what kind of dog was it?"
(okay... i can't stop now!!) "she just got it. it's an adorable black lab."
all of the children at once: "oh... one time our dog..."
hum. you're probably thinking-- why didn't you just tell the truth? they probably would have still grasped the concept and you could have just moved on with the lesson. that's where you are wrong. it's all about the magic, people. to them, it was real-- they made a connection-- they got it (and came up with hundreds of other cause and effect examples that included their pets, i might add)! i bet if you ask any of my kiddos for an example of cause and effect they'll bring you back to the scene of that gosh darn cute black lab that chewed on my old pair of tennis shoes. it's all in the presentation that learning occurs, people.
as for this liar, liar... i suppose it's a good thing my class is heading to confession tomorrow... because my pants are on fire.
10.01.2010
{so... you want me to run?}
today was the best. day. ever. EVER. it was our school marathon day where my little athletes and i set out for a day of walking, running, skipping, and... well, complaining of feet aches. as we ventured out to the camping area out of town, i was a little skeptical of how i would survive my kiddos would keep up. but it was WONDERFUL. not only did i get to enjoy the beautiful fall weather, but i got to participate in hilarious kid discussions including puppy pimples (i don't even know..), retirement, and halloween decorations, AND i witnessed my fourth grade boys singing and dancing to taylor swift, children practicing math facts-- willingly!, and kiddos with hot coco mustaches (some were more like beards!) my 15 kiddos and i reached a stellar combined miles of 205. SUCH ROCK STARS. i've never seen my crew work so hard. i am SO proud.
oh, and i didn't even get to the BEST PART-- i got to wear sweat pants to work! (YAHOO!)
oh, and i didn't even get to the BEST PART-- i got to wear sweat pants to work! (YAHOO!)
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