Friday, 12/20/13: The last day of 2013!!!!

His note: OMG!!! I'm soooooo excited!! Let's parrrrrrttttttaaaaayyyy!!!!

Buddy came to school ready to party!! I had to remind him, along with the kids, that we had a long to-do list before the fun came (gotta manage the responsibilities before you get the prize----as I always tell the kids, so that little elf had to learn that lesson too). We managed the work, quiz, test, cleaning out of lockers and desks, celebrating a birthday and then FINALLY it was time to rock this house! Thank you so so SO much to our room moms who made the party so special, not to mention all who contributed goodie bags and treats for the kids to take home. It's an insane time of year and many of you added to your list of things: 2ND GRADE ROOM PARTY. You all are nothing short of amazing. On behalf of all of the kids and myself--thank you!!

On the "business" side: I feel it is my duty to remind you of the importance of having the kids read, write and practice math facts (and regrouping) all through break. I hope to see them come back to school in 2014 raring to go!!!

On a personal note, however, I want to wish you the world's greatest holiday season! I hope your break is relaxing and fun and chock full of memories!!

My love to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, 12/19/13

After school today someone asked if I was tired. I'm not at all tired, but apparently my outer self does not match my inner self. This person is newer to the world of a primary school in the mere hours before winter break, so I chalked it up to that. Actually, I'm proud to say, on the contrary, I'm super on top of things this year. I've always been one of those people who works waaayyy better and more creatively under pressure, so this whole losing a week because Thanksgiving came so late this year has apparently worked in my favor. I mean, my exterior might seem to argue that (my hair is so frizzed today, I'm not sure how I fit through the doors!!), but inside, I'm coooollll!!! ;)

Today the Franzen chorus came caroling to Benson!! I died!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My little ones are soooo big. I took my shoes off and could look eye-to-eye with some of them. Oh how I miss those faces! If I haven't mentioned, or you haven't figured my out yet, I grow just slightly attached to my little honeys, so seeing them just makes my heart grow 3 sizes!! (I'm wearing a Grinch shirt today--not because I'm grouchy, just because I ADORE that character!! But, hence the reference....)

Today I'm attaching 2 pics of Buddy. I almost left tonight without remembering to get his snapshot. I turned the lights off for one of them. Enjoy!

 

Do you see him? He's under the tree. His note says: What a gift you have!! Me!!!!!!! Christmas is so close so be extra good today!

What on earth are we going to do after Buddy has returned to the North Pole? He's been my 24th student for so long, I just might miss the little fella!

Well, that's it for today.

Mitchell Out!

Wednesday, 12/18/13

Holy Smokes, it's the 18th! It's starting to hit that Christmas is next week.

Today I read the kids The Polar Express. I love that book so much! It's a bit harder to read since they put out the movie. The kids think that they "left things out" of the book. I get a bit defensive inside and have to reassure the kids that the book is the real deal, the movie is a remake so they had to add stuff to fill in the time. Nonetheless, I still get choked up and work hard to hide it at the end of the book every time I read it. Then, if you can believe it, the kids found bells hanging in their lockers at dismissal time!! Luckily, everyone, myself included could hear their lovely jingle sound!! It was a pretty powerful moment for me to observe. Very touching! <3

Check out Buddy today. His smartest move yet (he's in the candy basket, but read the caption to see what he thinks it is):

His note: I've discovered the world's greatest bathtub!! I'm never leaving!

Tuesday, 12/17/13

Today was a pretty great day. There was lots of scurry around our little room, but in an organized and productive manner. So far, knock on wood, the kids aren't TOO bonkers with the impending break and holiday. I've begun reading them holiday books and giving holiday assignments and homework, but they're doing a great job of holding it together. Buddy, on the other hand, continues his sass-attack. Today he decided to air his discontent with not being able to lead The Pledge of Allegiance on the PA system the way the 2nd graders get to. The good news is that the kids are always aware of him and make sure to remind each other (and me) that he is reporting back to Santa, so maybe it's Buddy who's keeping things in line this close to break. =)  He sure looks cute with the flag though, doesn't he?? Good thing his outfit matches. LOL!

Today's note: When do I get to say The Pledge?

Monday, 12/16/13

Howdy Chicago Bears! Nice of you to come back to the party! Let's continue this winning streak and hope that the Lions have an off night tonight.

We are in final countdown mode in our classroom. Today is our last Monday of 2013 together. We are finishing up many projects and lessons before calling it a wrap for 2 weeks.

Guess who seems to have had a little bit too much fun this weekend!! He's such a stinker!!!

His note: What a weekend!! I love Christmas parties!! (ask Ms. Mitchell about her party....) 

Apparently Buddy is the life of the party! Where's the lampshade??

As I write this, I can't even see out the windows. Snowstorm number one zillion. Apparently Mother Nature saved up all of this snow from the past few years and is dropping it now every few days. Yikes! I'm thankful I only live a few miles away. (now I'm thinking about going home......to explain this awkward transition: )
I'm excited to go home to catch up on Psych: The Musical. Do any of you watch Psych? It's sooooo funny! There are many obsure 80's references, which I love! I HIGHLY recommend it. It's on the USA Network. The new season starts in January. This musical episodes was just a little Christmas gift. Oh---just to prove what a fun show it is--there's a pineapple hidden in every episode. Sometimes it's very obvious and other times it's impossible to find, but fun to look for. Seriously, you should be watching it. Good, clean fun!!

That's it for tonight. I'm off to go walking in a winter wonderland..... (After I wrote this, I plugged in my iPod, guess what song was on? You got it----don't you love life's fun little coincidences??)

Thursday 12/12 and Friday the 13th, 2013

Note: I thought I'd published Thursday's post last night before I left. I guess in all of my excitement, I just X'd out and didn't post. I'm so sorry----so here's a 2fer!!

Thursday:

Tonight is the big night! The 2nd grade winter program! I can't wait! We had rehearsal today, and the kids did such a great job. This year we have both a new art teacher and a new music teacher, so those two ladies came together and created a fresh new experience for the kids (and for a certain teacher who will be watching her 19th show tonight). I have had the privilege of working with the kids who have speaking parts, so I know how far they've come since they first received their scripts. I am so proud of them. They are exceptional this year. And then there are my little elves (my class plays the part of the elves, feels appropriate with all we've had going on with Buddy, I'm sure he's extra proud! Notice the music when MY class of elves is introduced---it's SOOOO perfect for us!!). You'll want to be sure to bring extra tissue. I was thankful I had some at rehearsal. They will make you laugh, they will make you tear up and above all, they will make you proud. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's Buddy today-------he thought he could join us for our rehearsal! Crazy Elf!!

His note: I'm ready!!! Which way to Peacock??

FRIDAY:

How amazing was that show last night? When we do our dress rehearsal, the risers, stage and backdrops thingees are up, but there are no decorations whatsoever, so it was as new and beautiful to me as it is to you. Then, when we came into school this morning--here's what we saw:

The note: I snuck in last night. You guys were good elves. You made all of us North Pole elves very happy!

Buddy apparently got out of there with a program from the show. I'm not sure how--I've never once in my career gotten a program, they're always gone by the time I get upstairs. I guess that's one of the bonuses of being a magic little creature. The kids are starting to question Buddy's legitimacy. They think I'm writing the notes. First of all, (as I've told them), I'm already here until 5:00 every night----as if I need more work to do? Nope!! Plus, if I were at all involved with him, wouldn't I do things to make my life easier?? Today he's leaning up against a container of markers that I use all the time. It was the first thing I saw this morning and I was instantly annoyed because I knew I wouldn't be able to risk touching him by grabbing a marker. Nope--not me, I'm afraid. Just the magic of a little elf. After I was complaining a bit about him, I was reminded that he delivers news back to Santa each night. I want the stuff on my Christmas list, so I wised up and closed up my complaining mouth! I'm hoping that Buddy has a short memory!

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm having a little Christmas gathering at my house tomorrow, so I've got to wrap things up here so I can home to start perfecting some recipes!!!

Wednesday, 12/11/13

I thought you might like to see our classroom tree. Today one of the sweet little kiddies brought me in the golden sparkly reindeer you see at the top of the tree. I think it completed the look, don't you. Next time, I'll take a pic of it with the lights off so you can see it in all of its lit-up glory! I love it!! There are a lot of memories hanging on that little tree!! <3

And here's our little bugger today. He said: I'll bet you can't find me. Okay, I'll give you a hint: I'm Thing One. He looks cute there, though, don't you think???

Tuesday, 12/10/13

How about that W.I.N. last night!!!!!!!!!!! Wowzers!!!!!!!!! Where has that offense been all season?? But if they're getting hot at the right time, then it's not time to count us out! Woooo Hoooo Bears!!!!!!!!

Today we began a new chapter in math. We jumped right into the fire getting prepped for regrouping in addition (or, as you and I called it back in the day..."carrying the one"). I learned early on in my career that the kids can get a bit, how shall we say........argumentative......over this concept (and "borrowing" too). The parents, of course, know how to do the math, but when working with the kids, some have been subjected to hearing them say, "That's not how Ms. Mitchell does it!!!" So, just in case you need some back-up if this were to occur in your home, I started laying the groundwork today that regardless of what a parent, a teacher, the Smartboard, etc might call it----the math is all the same. I ALWAYS say the phrase "math is math," so please feel free to use it to prove the point that whether it's termed "carrying" or "regrouping," math is math--and the end result is all the same thing. =)

Check out the little guy today:

His note says, "Giddie Up!! Ride 'em Reindeer!!!"

Monday, 12/9/13

S'elf'ie--Buddy explained that he had to push the button with his foot because his hands are connected to each other. 

I was not at school on Friday so I wasn't sure where, if anywhere, Buddy had moved to. Well, I came in this morning and found that Buddy had taken a s'elf'ie and emailed it to me. He found it wildly funny that the world ELF is in sELFie. He also told me what his note to the kids said: Ms. Mitchell told me to be in charge of the time while she is gone. This isn't exactly true! After gathering all of my materials for the sub and getting the room all ready for Friday, I mentioned to Buddy to watch the kids for me while I was gone. Apparently, he took it upon himself to grab to timer and tell the kids that I had put him in charge. He's a gutsy little fella, I'll give him that!!

And...here he is today....

The note says: "I seeeeeeeee you......"  Wicked sense of humor, don't you think???

And before I let you go for the night, let me say, in tonight's do-or-die situation: GOOOOOOOOOOO BBBBBBBBEEEAAAAARRRRRSSSSSS!!!! Those Cowboys can't handle REAL weather, so this should be a cake-walk! Let's do this!!! 

P.S. Do you know that The Sing Off starts tonight? I showed the kids one of my favorite clips from the show---it was a few years ago when one of the groups did the song from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. (If you're unfamiliar with the show, it's all acapella groups, so it's super cool for the kids to see how the people make the music without using any instrucments other than their voices) Anyhow, I'd thought that it had been cancelled awhile back, but I guess it's back for 2 weeks or something. I'm not 100% sure, I'm just so thankful that this creative, positive, family-friendly show still has some legs. So, check it out!! It's awesome! 

Thursday, 12/5/13

This afternoon, the drama students from Lake Park came to Benson to put on a play they'd written about mixed-up fairy tales. It was very cute and the kids seemed to really enjoy it! I hope they tell you all about it!

And in elf news.....

Today Buddy was hiding behind my plant......

his note: "I'm an elf in the jungle!!"

Wednesday, 12/4/13

Here's how we found Buddy today. In case you can't tell, he's hanging from the ceiling. His note reads: One of you kiddies gave me this great idea yesterday!! Thank you Dominic! I hear EVERYTHING!!! LOL LOL

That Buddy, he's quite the trickster!!!!!!!!! I hope you're hearing all about his shenanigans at school. ;)

Tuesday, 12/3/13

Apparently Buddy has made a friend:

The note says: Always Share (especially with nice girls!!) LOL!! Apparently Buddy is a player. 

We had the BEST lesson in math today. Oh man, it was the kind of lesson I wish you could have seen. It was a problem-solving lesson (so you already know I'll love it), but then my kids; my brilliant, intelligent, amazing kids took other lessons that I've been teaching them and put them to use in this lesson and my heart grew three sizes (a Grinch reference, for those of you who may not know). To begin with, the math company's website would not open in Chrome. I tried 3 times. As I started to lose heart, I told the kids that sometimes when we try and try and try and continue to have difficulties, then we have to think about solving our problems differently. I then tried to open in in Explorer, and low-and-behold: success!! Thank goodness!! I needed to drive that lesson home. ;) Later on, during the lesson, my little out-of-the-box thinkers came up with some thoughts that the math series did not even address. OMG---how much more could I love them???? And now, while I'm writing this 6 hours after having taught the lesson, I can't remember some of the things I heard them say. All of the things which made me think, "I have to blog about this lesson and how the kids are thinking so differently about math," have completely left my brain, so you'll just have to take my word for it that your kids are starting to develop the most amazing critical thinking. I'm seriously bursting with pride!!!

On that note--have a great night!!

Monday, 12/2/13

Hi! I hope you all had a restful and thankful holiday week!!! I had a wonderful time with my family. I even have a little story to give you some insight into my kookie parents (which I often think clarifies my kookiness!!). On Friday morning I walked into their living room to the sound of both of them singing "Happy Birthday." The thing about this is, my birthday was the end of August, and yet, I didn't think twice about them singing. I figured they'd hatched some crazy plot to be funny as I was coming down the stairs. It didn't even cross my mind that it could be birthday related, but low-and-behold, it was. Way back when, I had told them that I was in need of a new computer at home so they decided that it was going to be my birthday present, but I never got back to them about what kind I wanted, the features I needed, etc. This drove them crazy, but since I wasn't in any hurry, I figured why bug them. Apparently, my dad ran out super early on Black Friday and picked up the last of the big sale computers for me. It was wrapped and ready to go by the time I woke up. Isn't that hilarious? They are too much!!  I should clarify that Black Friday where they live is nothing like Black Friday here, so while I'm sure it was busy, it wasn't the fighting crowds and dodging determined elbows like it is here. The computer has Windows 8, so I had a toy to play with the rest of the weekend. My dad is an engineer, so while I didn't inherit his big, big brain, I did inherit his love of technology and desire to explore new toys. I leave no stone unturned when it comes to a new gadget. =)  I even used my new computer to edit this week's Weekly Note. I'd highlighted the section I needed to double-check, and now, in transferring it back to my school computer, I can't seem to get rid of the highlight. I've tried every trick in the book, and finally had to concede that I don't have the time, so I need to simply beg forgiveness for the messiness. LOL! Never a dull moment!


Look who came to join us today:

Meet Buddy....the newest addition to our classroom

When I left my classroom to go and greet the kids before school, there were no additional family members lingering around.When we came in and got to work, the kids noticed this little fella 'hangin' out' on the Smartboard. He had a note attached to him, so I had to very slickly slide it out from his arms (the kids warned me that I could not touch him, which made this note-retrieval operation very sticky). We read the note and discovered that this little guy had come to watch our class from the North Pole. Apparently Santa will bug him for intel on our class, so he has to report back each night on the kind things we are doing to help each other. It also said that we needed to give him a name before his return to the North Pole tonight, so after some heavily contested voting, Buddy was the decided name. The kids gave me tons of info on him and warned me to watch out. I was nervous that he'd fall off of the Smartboard when I went to raise or lower it, so I asked if I could move him with my pointer, but they said no way. It's been a tense day of hoping for the little guy's safety, but they've assured me that he'll be in a different spot in the morning. Oh, I was also warned to be careful because he's very mischeiverious (their word, not mine--impressive, right??). Just what I need---one more mischievous character floating around this classroom!!! Stay tuned for future activity. ;)

Thursday, 11/22/13

I have a small window of time between my first conference and then the string that will take me to the end of my evening. What a great experience conferences is. I get a little bit of time with the parents of the kids that I hang out with every single day. Just when I think that I know the kids pretty darn well, I meet their parents and find out a little bit more about them. I've said it before---parent/teacher conference days are loooonnnggg but they are so incredibly worth it! I really do enjoy that brief time when I get to see the kids and their parents and we all sit around a table talking about their education: the good, the bad, the uncomfortable and the celebrated. It's pretty priceless!

Well, that's what was on my mind tonight. I need to go give myself a final swipe of lipgloss to get me through the next few hours. =)  Thank goodness tomorrow's Friday!! 

Tuesday, 11/19/13

What a weekend! "Wicked" rocked! I am truly like a little kid when I see it. I have a smile from ear to ear, and I also shed a tear or two (or a jillion) throughout the show. I just get a little overwhelmed by the acting, the music, the beautiful theater, being downtown---it's all amazing!! Then there was Sunday. When I was teaching the kids about urban/suburban/rural communities recently, I told them about where my best friend lives down in central Illinois. She grew up in a small farm town of 2,000 people--no McDonalds or Target for as far as the eye can see---not even a stoplight in the entire town! She now lives right outside of the town in the middle of a cornfield, so anytime I hear of storms down there, I tend to get a bit uneasy. I happened to be driving home from a post-church shopping trip when the insane wind and sideways rain hit here. I was terrified, to put it mildly and had a long, out loud conversation with my maker asking Him to guide me home safely, which He did! Once I'd stopped shaking from that experience, I sat down for the game, which of course was preempted by the weather reports. At 12:01, I texted my BFF when I heard the name of the town she grew up in, the town she lives in now and two others on the news. I then did not move a single muscle until 12:46 when I finally heard back from her. Meantime, the news about Washington came out--a name which I recognized because she'd taken me there for some shopping (see how it always gets me into trouble??) so I knew all of that destruction wasn't too too far from her. Yikes! What a day! By God's grace, her home and all her family's homes are safe. They have no water or electricity, but all are safe. Her brother-in-law's sister's home however, which is in the town she grew up in, was leveled, as was a home down the road from her. Scary, scary, scary how closely it touched! I'm sorry to prattle on to you-----frequently I find writing to be quite therapeutic (if you haven't noticed-haha!), so I think I had to get all of this out of me. I'm so grateful that they are all safe and sound, but from what I can tell, the emotional piece of all that they've been through is starting to take a toll. What I wouldn't give to be down there to help out. I wish I could think of something we could do from here......hopefully something will come to mind.

In the meantime, I was out at a meeting all day yesterday. I was very happy to come back today to good news from both the sub's note and from Ms. Edwards' report. Not too surprisingly, the kids brought up the tornadoes at some point during the day today. I was thankful that we'd recently talked about our tornado drills, and I'd assured the kids that most frequently what we have around here are strong winds, but rarely an actual tornado. To be honest, I'd forgotten that conversation until one of my darling little girls told me that I'd been right, we didn't get tornadoes, just strong winds. Phew!! Thank goodness one little mind could be at ease!! I never ever ever want the kids to have to think about their safety or have any worries when they are at school.

Okay--enough therapy for one night. Today the kids did some writing about what they are thankful for and I'm dying to read it!! They did an UH-MAY-ZING project (and by amazing I mean cute and funny) project yesterday, so when I have my act together, I'll get their writing attached to the project and send it home for your Thanksgiving decorations. You can thank my later... LOL!!!! Trust me, it's a good one!

Friday, 11/15/13

Happy Friday!!! Thank you so much to everyone who attended our parent/teacher/student conferences last night. Those nights make for a loooonnnnggg day (interesting sentence, but you get me, right?), but it is so worth it when I get to spend such quality time talking about my amazing students! I made it through most of today not feeling the effects of yesterday---it hit me at about 2:00, but I've got my blog and some more work to accomplish before my stinging eyes and I can head home and crash on the couch. I lead such a wild life, don't I??? But, that being said, I will share with you that tomorrow I am heading downtown to see one of my very favorite shows, "Wicked"!!! I'm sooooo excited! Tomorrow will be my 10th time seeing it!! And it's "Wicked"'s 10-year anniversary!! And I'll be sitting in the 10th row!! So, now you see why I need to get home and get rested up. =)

Before I sign off, I have to just share with you that today we had our first full rehearsal of the 2nd graders' winter music program. It is CUTE WITH A CAPITAL Q!!!!!!!!!!! (if that doesn't make sense...think of how the word cute sounds in the beginning, not how it's actually spelled LOL)  The kids were patient and darling while our music teacher worked out the little arranging details that the first practice comes with. Oh my gosh, I just can't wait to see the whole show when it's all put together. It's going to be killer!! Watch out "Wicked," you have competition for my heart!!

Lastly-----let's get this going this weekend: GOOOOOOO BBBBBBBEEEAAAAARRRRRRSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS---Ask your child about the new game we learned in math today. It was called Thanksgiving Bump and it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, 11/12/13

There are some people who are number people, and there are some who are not. I fall in the "number people" category. Mind you, this does not mean that I am a MATH person---no no no! I mean, I'm not the world's worst~ I love logic, so where it can be applied (like algebra), I love it. Where it cannot be applied....(like in geometry with all of its proofs....ugh...I shutter to remember....) I don't love it. Now, all of you geometry lovers, no hate mail please. I'm sure that in some fashion, in some bizzarro world, some people would say that geometry and its proofs are logic-driven, but after all of my years on earth, I'm going to choose to ignore such rubbish. ;)

So, why am I drudging up these painful memories of high-school math you ask? I do so to point out that today is one of those days which we number people totally (and geekily) dig: 11-12-13. And since there's only one more to come in this century, I am cherishing it all the more. So there it is: I've exposed the uber-nerd inside of me. Not to worry, I'm certain that if you give it a minute, my inner uber-dork will surface and all of the universe will be restored!

On an unrelated topic: A note to anyone who reads my posts early after I've published them. Many days by the time I'm sitting down to collect my thoughts and debrief my day (aka conduct my own form of therapeutic writing), my eyes are quite weary, not to mention my brain. I point this out in hopes that you all will cut me some slack in both my composition of thoughts and the grammatical rules which I often break while composing. Occasionally in the evenings I'll go back and reread what I've written. Often I find many mistakes and do my best to fix them up, all the while hoping that my readers have not yet checked in on me and discovered my lack of proofreading skills (I write as I'm proofreading this for the third time!). Last night, I wasn't at all happy with the randomness of my writing, so I went in and did a mini-overhaul. I point all of this out, simply to let you know that if there are errors or thoughts which appear cuckoo for cocopuffs....well, now you know why. It has nothing to do with my inner cuckoo, just my brain's feeble attempt at slowing down!! =) On that note.....enjoy the evening!

Monday, 11/11/13

Happy Veterans' Day!!! What an amazing day we have to think about, honor and show our gratitude to some of the most important people in our country, our veterans! Today we had an assembly where our local veterans came to speak to the kids about their service. From the minute they entered the gym presenting the flag, my eyes welled up. I can't help but think of my grandfather who was a WWII vet. My family is originally from upstate New York, so I didn't have the privilege of growing up with my extended family. We would visit every couple of years and when I was on my own, I went out to see everyone as often possible. It was in those last few years of my grandfather's life when I finally wised up enough to ask him about his service and write down every word that came out of his mouth. I cherish those memories and notes. Upon his passing, I was sure to take his military uniform home with me. Seeing those "grandpas" come into our school each Veterans' Day always gives me a moment to feel my grandfather's presence and honor his memory.

As I reflect on the service the veterans have given, I can't begin to imagine the impact that seeing combat takes on one's life. I can't imagine that they can possibly come home as the same people who left, but I will be forever grateful and humbled by those who, at some point in their lives , saw it beneficial to put others before themselves.

Below is a picture from today. Such sweet and beautiful men. They had fun chiding each other based on the various branches of the military they served. It was so cute! Toward the end of the assembly, they thanked us for having them come to school, and then we heard one little voice say, "Thank you." That opened the gates for many, many more little voices to call out their thanks and, well, forget it----holding back the tears was a lost cause at that point. It was a touching end to a special event at school.

God bless our veterans and those who currently serve, as well as their patient and loving families! 

Friday, 11/8/13

For as long as I can remember, I've stared into the night sky, almost as though hypnotized by it. Add to that, my dad is very into physics, so my whole life he's been telling me of the newest discoveries going on out there in that land of beautiful mystery. So when I started teaching second graders about the constellations, it felt like destiny. It is for this reason, and this reason alone that I can get on board with the whole daylight-savings shenanigans and it getting dark so early. And now that it is officially nighttime by the time I leave work, I find myself thinking of my students and their parents very frequently. The moon for the past few nights has been extremely cool and each night I've thought, ooooohhhhh, I wonder if the kids have seen this tonight!!?? If you happen to be outside at night over the next week or so, please take a moment with your child to enjoy the beauty of the night sky and the changing moon phases. If you look closely, you can easily see the entire moon, even the dark parts, and if you can wrap your brain around it, it's highly cool to think about the fact that the part we're seeing is all because of the sunlight that is being reflected down to us. Additionally, there are some great constellations which are easily seen this time of year. Cassiopeia is one and Orion is another. Both of which the kids learned about at length in the Starlab. If you're familiar with the night sky, I know that I often see Pleiades, the seven sisters, this time of year as well, however they're a bit harder to find (if you're a Jimmy Buffett fan, I wonder if you're singing one of his songs right now along with me.....)

So, go stare at the stars and moon with your family, and while you're looking, please visualize a BEARS VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend! 

Tuesday, 11/5/13

Oh gosh, the kids sure came in talking about that Bears game last night!! I was at the IPTO meeting for the beginning of the game, and when I got home THEY WERE WINNING!!!!!!!!! I was beyond shocked (not that I doubted, but those smelly Packers are so darn good. Humph!). So------because I couldn't be a jinx, I immediately changed the channel. I was dying to watch the game and see how things had been going, but when you have a smidge of superstitious tendencies, well, you stop at nothing to help your team win. So, I "sacrificed" with a little Adam Levine eye candy and flipped occasionally and quickly for a score update----then finally saw the final score and could breathe again!!!!!!!!!!!! Happiness across the land!!!!!!!!!!!!! Check out our classroom graph: It's starting to look more and more beautiful, huh?

Today in writing there was one of those lessons that I wish so badly you could see. Your kids are just amazing and are growing exponentially before my very eyes. Let me premise my story by giving some insight--I've never been one to talk "baby talk" or "little kid talk" to my students. I talk to them using my normal vocabulary that I'd use talking to anyone. Sometimes I have to explain a word or two, but the reason that I bring all of this up is that I'm always impressed when I see the kids start to rise to the occasion and start using bigger vocabulary themselves---AND THAT HAPPENED TODAY! Okay, so my excitement is not so much over the vocabulary itself, but rather how one student expressed himself in an interesting set of circumstances. Let me set the scene: We were doing a writing lesson on "bold beginnings." The page we were looking at gave 2 choices of beginning sentences: one that was deemed bold and another which was not. We went down the line, one by one, for all four sets following the same formula: I'd ask the kids to decide which of the two they though was the bolder, then the students who chose choice A were to defend their answer and those who chose B were to defend theirs. When we got to the fourth set, only one child chose A, while everyone else chose B. As we went into our dialog, the one student defended his answer and a few who chose the other defended theirs. Then something amazing happened----one of the kids (who'd chosen choice B) began to explain why it was "okay" that the initial child (who'd chosen A) made his choice. With all of my heart I wish I could have recorded how he stated his feelings, it was so eloquent and "grown up." It was something to the effect of, "I understand why XXX made his choice and he was right to tell use his opinion." That's not really how he said it, but it was something along those lines and it was UH-MAY-ZING! It made my teacher heart melt as well as beam with pride. I can never say enough about this age level and how, given the opportunity, the kids have the capacity to exceed any and all "little kid" expectations. They may be miniature-sized humans and have little, unsoiled minds, but their brains are GIGANTIC and growing every second. My mind was blown today, and I can't wait for it to happen over and over and over between and now and June!!

Friday, 11/1/13

Happy November! One of my favortie things to do is turning over the calendar to a new page. Throughout each month, the llittle boxes get sooo booked up, by the end of hte month the calendar looks like it's been trhough a war. Then I turn to the new month and, while it has some things writtne down, it still looks so calm and pleasant. And November is especially lucky because it has Thanksgiving written on its page!!

Today went surprisingly well. The day after Halloween always goes one of two ways: the kids are super sugared up and still hyper from the holiday or they're on their sugar crash and feeling mellow. Today was a bit of a ride down the middle of the two. The kids came in wanting to talk a lot about last night, which is great, but then were able to focus and get down to business. I, on the other hand, am having one of those "I'm hanging on until 3:20" days. I cashed out early on the couch last night--the kind of sleep where you wake up and can't figure out where you are or why you're there. Then I decided to stop fighting it and just go to bed, and of course, then couldn't fall back to sleep.

On top of everything, today is report card day!! I always give the kids a little chit-chat on report card day to remind them of a few things. First being: report cards are important, but at this point, we are in a new quarter. I ask the kids to talk over their report cards with their parents and make some decisions: what they liked and hope to maintain and perhaps, what they'd like to improve upon. Even a student with the highest marks possible needs to work to maintain them and everyone should always always work toward improvements. Secondly: report cards are private; they are between the kids, their parents and me. I tell the kids that they are not to open their report cards unless they are with their parents, even if a babysitter, someone on the bus, a play date's parent, etc ask to see it. I tell them that I've given them the rule that they are not to open it until the are with their parents. At that point, if their parents want to share the news, that is their business, but kids should not be letting others look. Finally-we discuss the importance of not bragging. We talk about pride vs. bragging and that it is very special and important to feel proud of one's accomplishments, but not to the harm or hurt of others. The kids responded very well to our conversation, and I'm certain that they will handle themselves with the good character and grace that I've grown accustomed to witnessing every day in my classroom.

Have a wonderful weekend! Mitchell out....

Thursday, 10/31/13

Halloween! What a day in a primary school! The walls are buzzing and vibrating before the kids are even on the property, and once they arrive, even on a rainy day, there is excitement everywhere you look. In our classroom the day is all-Halloween, all-day! The morning consists of Pumpkin Math. That's right all morning long we do math (and science) using a pumpkin. We feel, smell and listen to it. We predict its weight and weigh it. We predict if it will float or sink and then find out (if your child hasn't told you already, please ask about this, it's so cool to hear them teach what they've learned). We predict the circumference, then find out who predicted too short, too long or just right. Then we guess the number of seeds and scoop them out to see if anyone's guess was close. We then put a tea light in the pumpkin after predicting what will happen. What do you think happened? Did the pumpkin blow up, did the inside shrivel up, did the candle go out or did the top pop off? Ask your child, then ask WHY the result was as it was. Finally the kids graphed how they'd like to see the face carved and with 10 minutes left in the morning, our pumpkin became a Jack-o-Lantern. While I was carving with the kids sitting all around me, these were two of the comments I heard, "Is this real life right now????" and "I never thought I'd see my teacher carving a pumpkin!" And there you go folks: why I do this job, even on the days when the stress brings my shoulders to my earlobes, even on the days when I'd rather cry than talk, and even on the days that I feel like I blow my lessons------there are days like today and without a doubt none, NONE of that other junk matters. I would not want to be anywhere else on this planet than in this classroom listening to my favorite little seven/eight year olds.

Then the afternoon came around. The kids changed into their costumes, the hallways were lined with family members and we all paraded through the building. It's so amazing to work in a community where so many parents come out to support their children. What a blessing!! Because of the rain of course, we paraded inside. At one point during the parade, the kids walking in the front with me and I noticed that we seemed to be going in circles over and over, so we broke away and headed back to our classroom where some amazing moms were putting together a rockin party for the kids. I can't thank them enough. The party was well paced and kept the kids engaged. I know first-hand that planning and executing those parties is not an easy feat, so I can't praise them enough for what they pulled off. On top of it all, many of our parents also send it treats for the kids to take home in their goodie bags. It was day of memories, that's for darn sure. Check out these cuties:

Oh, did I fail to mention something------------- MY RED SOX WON THE SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, on top of it all, I'm a bit bleary eyed today, but it was soooo worth it. And as soon as that happened, my costume changed. As much as I'd rather post pics of the cute kids, I feel that I should share my costume with you since you've been on this ride with me since the play-offs, so don't laugh too hard, but check out the 'selfie' below. For the final out of the game, I was able to be on the phone with my dad, the person who initially instilled a love for the Sox in me. He grew up in upstate New York and would take his little transistor radio into the bathroom to listen to the games because that was the only room in the house where the reception would pick up the Boston station. So, needless to say, being on the phone with him and hearing his joy over his team taking the series at home was a priceless moment. Here you go, my Halloween tribute to my team:

Not the greatest pic, but you get the idea. I didn't capture my Boston Stong t-shirt as well, but I had to represent!! 

I'm off to finish up my stuff here and head on home. I hope you all have a great Halloween!!

Monday, 10/28/13

Apparently I carry stress in my shoulders and the back of my neck because what I wouldn't give for a massage right now! I didn't even think that today was extraordinarily stressful, but man oh man!! For that reason, I'm going to keep this brief. I hope you don't mind... ;)

I hope you all were able to do something special with the long weekend. The weather was crisp, but so lovely. As long as the sun in shining, I'm a happy girl. I went out and bought a few new candles at Bath and Body Works (don't they have the world's best candles???) and burned them all weekend. Yum Yum!! It will surprise no one that the one burned was called PUMPKIN CUPCAKE. I seriously think I may need an intervention to help with my pumpkin obsession! LOL!! See, even with a pain in the neck I can crack a little joke.

So the Red Sox took me on an emotional roller coaster this weekend. Here's what was so sweet-that I came in this morning and several of the kids commented on the games. How cute are they???? I'm recruiting little New Englanders apparently. =)

Speaking of the kids---while I don't enjoy having before-school supervision on Mondays most weeks, I find that on the weeks when we've missed the Friday before, the reunion that I have the with kids is very special. I received many many hugs while waiting for the bell to ring. It was fun to have some of that non-structured time to catch up and chat. I sure do love my kids!!!

Okay-I said I was going to keep it brief and now I've done nothing but prattle on. For those of you in my age range, did you happen to catch the TLC movie that was on VH1 this weekend? If you did--didn't it make you miss the 90's?? I LOVED that decade!! The baggy flannels, the denim overalls, the empowering messages, it was awesome! So, I'm going to hit publish, get the TLC pumpin on my ipod, get this joint cleaned up and head on home to see the Sox win this game tonight so they can bring it back to Boston and take the Series!!!

Enjoy the evening!

Thursday, 10/24/13

Well, our week of Starlabbing has come to a close. It was such a great experience! The kids were so attentive and delightful to bring in. It's a relatively small and echoey environment, so bringing 23 seven/eight-year olds into it can be tasking at times, but I must say I enjoyed every single day that we were in there together. I could feel the excitement from the kids as they learned about the various cultures and their interpretations of the constellations. Each day I would start our experience with the star field--no pictures, just what the night sky would look like if we didn't have all of the light pollution from Chicago. Today I also ended our time showing that cylinder, meanwhile asking the kids to imagine that we were in a wide-open field somewhere warm, lying on blankets and looking up into the night sky wondering what all was going on in the gigantic universe. It was a pretty cool way to end our time with Starlab. I hope that you've heard some great stories--and if you've only imagined what it looks like, here's a snapshot to help:

I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend. I'm looking forward to starting a fresh new quarter next week. New beginnings, new goals, a freshly clean tablet to fill up. Until then.....have a great weekend and GOOOOOO BBBBOOOOOOSSSSOOOOOXXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, 10/21/13

Did any of you watch that Red Sox playoff game? It was amazing!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited that there's going to be a St. Louis/Boston rematch, and I am certain that the outcome will be exactly the same as in 2007! So exciting. Oh, and as it turns out, those parents who I was told were in Boston, were not. We have an old saying in my profession: You believe half of what you hear at home (about school), and I'll believe half of what I hear at school (about home). When will I learn? Nonetheless, I still pretended like I was in Boston for that game and I send some serious SERIOUS juju as Victorino came to the plate with the bases loaded. I pointed out to him that his name has VICTORY right there in it (I mean, close enough!)--and then KAPOW! GRAND SLAM!!! Boston was victorious and I am sooo excited for the Series now!!

And then there was the Bears' game. Great game---tons of back and forth. And that's all I'm going to say about that....

As I mentioned in my weekly note, this Thursday is the last day of first quarter. Can you believe how fast that went? Wasn't it just a minute ago that we were all standing outside sweating bullets on the first day of school? And now they're saying there might be sn*w tomorrow (I can't bear to see the actual word yet!). Report cards will come home on Friday, November 1st.

Oh gosh, I just looked at the clock. I've gotta run. How does the time fly by after school? Hasta manana!

P.S. Please be sure to ask about Starlab. I took the kids in for the first time today. They were AWESOME!

Friday, 10/18/13

Happy Friday!!

What a week it has been! These short weeks are always killer. I wouldn't trade them for the world, but it's a sprint trying to get all of the knowledge packed in. Good thing I have a class of such geniuses!!

Today Ms. Edwards is out so we have a sub. It's always so interesting (and a smidge nerve wracking) seeing my class and how it's run through fresh eyes. The good news is--our class got nothing but compliments. Our sub saw first-hand how well the kids communicate with each other, treat each other kindly, support one another and learn together. I'm so thankful that they've already put into practice all of my favorite things in the world!!! I'm so very proud of them!

Before I do my weekend shout out to our local team--I need to also send good juju to Boston. My parents grew up in upstate New York, and my dad has been a lifelong Boston fan. Really any team that is from Boston, but particularly and die-heartedly (???) the Red Sox, so I grew up going to White Sox games when the Red Sox were in town and adopting my dad's love for the Green Monster and all things Boston. Nothing, absolutely nothing, gave me greater joy than when they finally won the Series for the first time (in forever) many years ago knowing that my dad got to see it happen. Then they won again a few years later, and now tomorrow......game 6 of the play-offs.... One more win and they go to the big show~ Come on Boston! You got this! GOOOOOOO SOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!  And, on top of that whole scene, one of the kids told me today that his parents are in Boston right now. (The kids knew nothing of my BoSox affinity other than the hat that I keep in my classroom) I asked if they went out for the game. He said no, but either way--if they win tomorrow, and I know people who are in Boston at the time, well, that's just like me being there, right??? Close enough! Please send them good vibes tomorrow! It would be soooo exciting to see them go to the Series again!!

And now, because equally exciting to the story above would be The Bears in the SuperBowl (don't worry---for the entire time that my dad lived in IL and even now that he lives in OH, he's also a die-hard Bears fan. I wouldn't let him get away with anything else, even though he may sometimes secretly root for the Patriots...we just don't discuss it.)  So here goes nothing...

GOOOOOOOOO BEEEEEEAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, 10/16/13

Today was our first lock down drill. Oy! Of course drills are the most important thing that we do, but boy-oh-boy do they rattle the nerves! The bizarre thing is, for as long as we've done them (the lock downs), every one of my classes talks about how much they love lock downs. Isn't that interesting? I do my best to answer as many questions as the kids have about the lock down because my main goal is always that they know that they are safe in school, but they come up with some doozies, I'll tell ya. 

I assigned the kids all spots in our "safe zone" and then we practice a few times. Literally the second I said, "Okay guys, it's going to happen in a few minutes, but let's..." the the alarm went off. I'm pretty sure my arms flailed in the air as I turned on my heel and headed for the door. (My job is to lock the door and hit the lights. Thankfully a few years ago we got new doors. The old ones only locked from the hallway...insert any of numerous jokes here........ but in reality, having to step into the hallway to lock the door was never good.) 

Once that alarm sounds, the kids are in their spots within a millisecond and then we just wait. The alarm continues to go off and someone comes down to check that our door is locked---in the meantime, all I do is think and pray, both of those who have gone through this in real-life and that we are never ever e.v.e.r. count ourselves as among them. The alarm eventually goes off, but still we wait. Finally, the announcement comes that we are done and my precious angels shake it off like "it ain't no thang." They're pretty amazing. From there I gave them a spelling game called Funny Face, which they love, and I did some deep breaths. 

On a lighter and brighter note--today we started our science unit on space (stars, sun, moon). We started with the sun. The kids knew so much--I was very impressed. I was able to debunk some of their space info and fill them with loads of fun facts. I hope they share some of them at home. Next week Starlab is coming to our school. It is an inflatable planetarium that we rent from the ROE. The kids see it in the gym every year, but it's only for 2nd graders, so it's always incredibly exciting when the kids get to go in. I'll give you more scoop and post a pic of it next week. 

Adios for tonight! If you're a boss--Happy Boss's Day! I'm blessed to have the best boss on the entire earth! Our principal is a teacher at heart so she's a student-first administrator, which I appreciate beyond belief. I also adore her because she doesn't run from me when I have some cockamamie (how much do I love that spell-check helped me with that word!!!!!!!!!!!!!) ideas, rather she embraces them and lets me run with them. I'm a lucky, lucky gal!!! 

Tuesday, 10/15/13

Happy Tuesday that feels like a Monday! And a dreary one at that. While I'm thrilled to pieces that it was so beautiful yesterday (especially because I had to have a dying tree removed from my yard--heartbreaking!), I sure would love to be curled up on the couch with a warm blanket and some good dvr time on a day like this!! On the up side--I did get to come back and see a bunch of faces that I'd missed over the long weekend. The past few weeks the kids' personalities have really started to emerge, and I'm loving the way this class is coming together. Everyone does a nice job of respecting each other and supporting one another, and I love seeing that they're really starting to LIKE one anther. I don't know if that makes sense---if I were you, I'd be thinking of course they like each other, they're second graders, most of whom knew each other from last year. I can't tangibly describe to you what I mean, there's just something that happens after we've been in school for several weeks where the vibe starts to change. They go from being little kids who were all clumped together in one class, to a cohesive group of funny, understanding, cooperating little humans.

I came into the classroom this morning to find an utter abundanza of pumpkin love! Of course the irony is that I began a detox metabolism boost thing (nothing gimmicky--just getting the right foods in and the wrong foods out) just yesterday. I'd done it over the summer and I felt so great. Then the school building opened back up for unpacking and soon after that school started, and needless to say----it's been junk food heaven. So--I started yesterday with the best of intentions to get back to that great eating and working out. It lasted 24 hours. LOL! Sometimes there are sacrifices we have to make in life, so if I have to sacrifice for a mini pumpkin pie, pumpkin donut holes and pumpkin biscotti (to die for BTW!!), well, that's just the way the biscotti crumbles. Hahaha!!

Have a great night----I'm hoping my hair doesn't frizz too badly when I leave. Should be a fun sight to see. =)

Friday, 10/11/13

Our Bucket Filler wall became officially 'active' this week. The kids decorated their "buckets" and I gave them some little cards that they could fill out if someone fills their bucket and they want to let that classmate know. I can't tell you that this is my dream look for the Bucket Filler wall, but it's a start. As my dream starts to come to fruition, I'll update the wall and show you a picture. Anyhow, the kids started putting notes in each other's buckets earlier this week. I took a little peak at some of them this morning and my heart seriously became a drippy, ooey mess. I tell you what, just when I think that second-graders can't shock me, reality proves me wrong. The notes that I saw were so incredible, so deeply thought out and so touching, it nearly brought me to tears (shocking...I know!).

Then today, I came into school to discover one of my precious pumpkins had brought me pumpkin coffee and homemade pumpkin cookies!! I don't know what I did to deserve such blessings, but it is little things like those which really can put a smile on someone's face. Don't you agree that it's those little gestures in life, the ones that let you know that someone is thinking of you, which really make a difference? I'd rather have a thought-filled pumpkin coffee and pumpkin cookies than a brand-new car any day of the week! I mean, I wouldn't turn away a new car.....lol!..... but it wouldn't have the thought, heart and meaning behind it that coffee and cookies in my favorite flavor do. Never ever underestimate the overwhelming power of an act of kindness. OMG--I had this all written up, and then I came back from lunch and there was a sweet treat from another amazing parent!! I don't know how to express sincere joy through a blog, but here's my best effort:


=) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =)


I hope you all enjoy the long weekend. I'm looking forward to doing some deep cleaning in my house and hopefully venturing out for some fall fun in between. Enjoy!!!

I would add my rally cry for the Bears, but I missed out on it yesterday and they still pounced! So until next weekend........

Wednesday, 10/9/13

Look! We were booed!!!!!!!! The directions said that we were to copy the Booed sign and the directions and give it to 2 other classrooms in the building. We did some very casual (as to not raise suspicion) walking around the building to see who had not yet been booed. Then we came back to class and listed who we'd like to Boo. From that list the kids voted and came up with 2 spots to secretly make our deliveries. We casually dropped them off, with no one the wiser and returned to class. It was a fun mission. I'd love to tell you who we booed, but we can't let that info out to the public, right? We're a highly classified operation around here. LOL!! Such a fun activity!!

Monday, 9/7/13

This morning when I was standing outside with the kids I kept reminding myself that in one week from today, I'll still be snuggly warm in the my pj's at that time. =) Thank goodness for our old pal Christopher Columbus!

As I mentioned in my weekly note, the kids' reading assessments will be coming home within the next few days. Please review the tests with your child. Even if he/she did a great job on them, reviewing tests for future test-taking will always be beneficial. If your child struggled with the test, then giving him/her some time to review and process mistakes is also hugely beneficial.

I hope that you heard about our Bucket Fillers assembly. The assembly was also the kick-off to a food drive we're having, so if you have some canned foods that you can donate to help people in our immediate area, please send it in and fill your bucket. ;)

Friday, 10/4/13

Happiest of Fridays to ya!!!

Today the kids' school pictures came in. OMG! I have the CUTEST class on this planet!!!!!!! The kids' pictures are seriously the cutest things ever!!! If you're a Snapfish user, there is a coupon on the front of the envelope for a free photo book. If you're not a Snapfish user, and you would otherwise recycle the coupon, you could send it in to me, I'll use it!! =) But that's only if you or your friends/family won't use it and you'd have thrown it away otherwise.

Our day concluded with our first assembly of the year--and it was hosted by none other than yours truly! If you've never heard of the "Bucket Fillers" philosphy-you should Google it. It's a very sweet way of helping kids learn that it is incredibly important to lift others up in life (filling someone's bucket), rather than bringing someone down (bucket dipping). Another piece that I love is that it teaches kids that when we fill someone else's bucket (by giving a compliment, helping someone out, using good manners, etc) then our own bucket gets filled at the same time!!! There's a book that is written for primary-aged kids called Fill A Bucket. I read it to all of the Benson kids and explained the philosophy. I then showed them a clip I'd found of two robots who explained the difference between bucket filling and bucket dipping. Sooo cute! Next week I'm going to create a bulletin board in our classroom for each child to have a "bucket" (in all honesty, it will be a library pocket) where they can fill out slips of paper with compliments or thank yous and fill each others' buckets. When I have it up and running I'll show you a picture. In the meantime--it's a very simple concept which could easily be blended into your home life if you wanted. Google it-I promise that you'll like it. =)

GEAUX BEEARRRRRSSSS-----let's get that mojo back this weeknd and beat the Saints!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, 10/2/13

Did you know that October is popcorn month?? Me neither! Popcorn is my biggest vice--the good kind, like on the stove. You know what I'm talking about -- nothing better!! Anyhow, I've read it a couple of times now, so it must be true, so happy popcorn month!!! Popcorn, pumpkin stuff??? I guess I'm not losing much weight til November. LOL!

Yesterday I said that we were going to have CAPS on Thursday. Nope, it was today. I hope that your child tells you about it. For as long as I've worked here, the ladies from the YWCA have come in and done this program with the kids, and they impress me all over each year. They very delicately, lovingly and age-appropriately tackle some topics which can be uncomforable, but the main message is always that every person deserves to be SAFE, STRONG AND FREE.  It's really impressive. Like I said, I hope that your child tells you about it tonight.

Lastly, here are some pics of our Halloween'd classroom.I'm not one who overdoes it--I'm a subtle Halloweener. Enjoy:

boots+zebra print=MUST OWN!

I love a good centerpiece

one of my favorite spots of the entire classroom

just some little hints here and there

the one-and-only time spiders are acceptable on the walls

Tuesday, 10/1/13

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit

When I was in 7th grade, my language arts teacher, Mrs. Logan would write that on the board on the first day of every month. She insisted it was good luck. I'm not sure why--in truth, I always thought that Mrs. Logan was a little bit off of her rocker, but obviously she stuck with me more than the teachers who were firmly on theirs, so that's saying something. Typically I love flipping my calendar over to a new month because it's so open and clean, but that's not the case this month. There's a lot going on! This week alone we have CAPS on Thursday and a brief assembly on Friday. Plus Friday is a student's birthday AND the first hot lunch. Never a dull moment around here--never ever!! (as if I'd want it any other way!)

(sidenote: I wrote the paragraph above at lunchtime--here's what's up now:)

Well, I'd planned to post some pics of our class with its Halloween make-over, but somehow it's become 4:55 and I have to get out of here. I always make a to-do list for when school gets over, and naively, I always think I'll get it done and get out of here early---it never ever ever (ala Taylor Swift) happens! So, I'm going to wrap things up and hope to show you the pics tomorrow.

Have a good night!

Monday, 9/30/13

Happy Monday! Our class went on the field trip to Usher Park today for the VFW's flag retirement ceremony. I wanted to share the pictures I'd taken with you, but I'm struggling to get them to arrange in any sort of order. Sorry for the messiness. Don't you just love how beautiful Usher Park is, particularly the portion that honors the veterans? I wanted to be sure and capture it for you to see.  And perhaps in the dead of winter we can remember to look back at this gorgeous day and feel a little warmth from it.

The field trip was a completely success. The kids did an amazing job of walking politely and staying off of the lawns. When we arrived, they noticed that the fire trucks and ambulance were parked on the street. Initially they were concerned, but I explained how the firefighters and EMTs were there for the ceremony just as we were, but they have to travel together in their trucks in case there were to be an emergency. Ironically enough, right as we were leaving, everyone's sirens went on and they were off to take care of someone somewhere. Thank goodness for them!!!

The ceremony itself was beautiful! The veterans took turns teaching the kids things varying from the history of our flag, to explaining our Pledge of Allegiance, to the meaning behind each fold of the properly folded flag. It's an odd thing to explain to kids that the flag is burned when the time has come for its retirement; the best I can do to make it make sense is to explain that it's better to have it return to ashes than to have it be tossed into a garbage can. That explanation seems to suffice, thank goodness! Check out the perfect morning we had:

 I'm not going to mention the Bears game, except to say that at least they seemed to regroup and put themselves together a bit better in the second half. They may not have won, but they didn't go down without a fight. There's definitely a lesson in there. Thank goodness there's always next week.....

Friday, 9/27/13

Yikes! What a week!!! I set up the page to write my blog every single morning, and then every morning I'd come in and delete the date from the day before and write the current day's date. And here it is Friday, and I haven't written since Monday. I'm beyond ready for the weekend!!! And before I forget, let me do this first:

GGGGGOOOOOOOOOO BBBBBBBBEEEAAAAAARRRRRRRSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phew! Now, on to the business of the day~ Today was Special Friends' Day! It's always so cute to see the adults come in who haven't hung out in a second-grade classroom in a very long time. I like to watch the expression on their faces as they have one hour to let the adult junk go to the back of their brains and just enjoy spending time hanging out with someone they love. To be honest, back in the day I'd do some big ol' lesson, but with time I've re-evaluated and decided to still do an activity to make the kids (and friends) think, but I really the time should be about them and their special friends. It's one of the best decisions I've made. Seeing the interaction that occurs is so heart-warming. And today was a doubly exciting Special Friends' Day because two of my former students were here!! It is beyond amazing for me to see these little people who I spent a very special year with grow up into intelligent, caring, beautiful big people!! <3

Well, I'm outta here--time to get the weekend started! Enjoy, it's supposed to be beautiful!!

Monday, 9/23/13

Happy autumn! This is my kind of weather!! I love the little crisp in the air, but not too much. Just enough for a sweatshirt and flip flops. Just enough that a hot cup of coffee (pumpkin, of course) can make the morning feel snuggly and right. Just enough that once the sun comes up, the crisp is gone and the day is utter perfection. I'm drinking it all in before the tides turn and my flip flops are locked away for the season (although I've definitely worn them in the snow before--but only on pedicure days).

How about that game last night? I'm an award show junky, so the game being opposite the Emmy's was a bit tough, but I just DVR'd the awards and watched them during the commercials. I almost turned the channel as the game got close during the 4th quarter, and I was afraid I was jinxing them, but alas----put another W on the board. My classroom graph is looking quite stunning, I must say!!

Today the kids did their first round of Children's Progress testing (the other 2 will come later in the year: winter and spring). I was able to jump online and do some preliminary investigating of their scores, and I was sooooo pleased! Were there some kids who need a little boost here and there? Of course, how could there not be? But overall, my little brainiacs did amazingly. I'm a proud mama bear teacher today!!! And this even came after I'd given a math test this morning (which they also rocked!!). Not  the most exciting Monday that has ever existed, but none-the-less a good one academically. =)

Lastly, I hope to see many of you at tonight's IPTO meeting at Franzen. It's at 7:00. Our IPTO does such amazing things for our kids, they are such a gift to this district! Please come out and get involved, or just to come and get out of the house for an hour or two. There are always some good laughs. The parents involved are as sweet as can be, and it's always nice to see fresh faces. Plus, I'll be there, and as you've seen I'm pretty good at making some goofball statement when speaking to a large group, so if nothing else, come out for the show. LOL!

Have a great night!

Friday, 9/20/13

Last week we had our first journal reading. It's a time when the kids can have the spotlight and read something that they've written during the week. Not to mention, it's a little introduction to public speaking. I figure, if they can get the jitters out and see it's not so bad when they're 7, maybe something will carry over into their adult lives. Anyhow, last week the kids were completely nervous, but I promised them that they'd wind up loving it because all of my classes always have before them. Sure enough, all this week, they've been asking when our next journal reading would be. Well, it was today!!! The kids were so excited all day, and then when it was time for them to read, they did such a great job! Of course there were those who are still a bit apprehensive, but I'm positive that after a few more times of getting up there and feeling the pride of sharing an original piece of writing, all of the good feelings will overtake the nerves. I'm so proud of them!

I hope you have a lovely weekend! Don't you find yourself cherishing weekends like this as the summer comes to a close? We know what's right around the corner, so these last few weekends of 70's and sunny are like little gifts to be cherished until we all begin our hibernation.

And without further adieu--let's hear it:   GOOOOOO BBBBEEEEEAAAAARRRRRSSSSS!!! I have friends who are going to the game in PA! My friend Mike is one of the biggest Bears fans I know, and he has wisely taught his wife and first son to be as well. Their second son however, randomly grew up a Steelers fan and married his high-school sweetheart, who of course is sure to cheer for the Steelers as well. They are all venturing out for the game and to see who in their family comes out victorious. I adore their son (who I've known since he was itty bitty) but for the only time in his life--I'm going to be rooting against him. Get it Bears!!!! We've got a rivalry to settle here!! =)