Friday, 3/22/13

HAVE AN AMAZING, RESTFUL, PEACEFUL and CALM SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, 3/21/13

Happy Kids Teach Too day!!!!!!!!!!!!! This morning nearly 60 of Benson's students assembled in the gym, set up displays and taught their peers and many, many adults about a topic of their choosing. It was UH-MAY-ZING!!! The kids (ages ranging from Kindergarten to second grade) chose a topic and created a display at home, then brought it in and when the event began----- had many people stop at their displays, at which time they educated each about their topic. Topics ranged from hip-hop dance to bugs to making slime to playing guitar...I could go on and on. The topics were as diverse as the children, and the level of the kids' knowledge was beyond any and all expectation. It is so fun to work in a primary building and see the kids, who by many are considered "too little," consistently rise up to any bar they are given. Never underestimate the power of the wee ones!!

It was a great day!  And on a related note--the parent volunteers who went around and spoke to the children and made up pages full of positive, meaningful, personalized comments were also uh-may-zing!! The event has become a well-oiled machine, and it is so special to me to sit back and observe the preparations all come to life.

Get a load of these cute little geniuses:



E embodying her intelligence about the Cheyenne

A and T rocking out on their guitars

J wowing with his number knowledge

G and R floating wisdom on swimming

Wednesday, 3/20/13

Happy First Day of Spring-----which feels like the first day of winter!  Good gravy it's cold out today. And it's probably more of a mental thing that makes it feel so cold. I ran to the post office at lunch and was thinking how, were this a January day, I'd love that the sun was shining but because it's the first day of spring---it's just COLD!! I'm over it and done, let's move on!

Today we had a very successful Character Counts assembly. It's always so sweet to have the whole student population in the gym. I get to lead them in the Pledge of Allegiance, which often chokes me up--hearing their little voices making that declaration to this great country. Then a few kids read some of their writing about the pillar of the month, and then we dance! Quick and effective! I've been running these assemblies for 13 years now, and while I often wonder if I should do something to change it up, I'm always told "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," so I don't. =)

Tomorrow is Kids Teach Too!! I'm so excited! We have a ton of kids signed up. There are many things that I am proud of in my career, but this is one of the biggies. We used to do something that was sponsored by Com Ed, but when they stopped their sponsorship, I worked with an IEPTO mom to completely revamp and what resulted was Kids Teach Too. I love seeing the kids' work and their pride in teaching others what they've prepared. It's really super duper cute and cool!

Til tomorrow..... stay warm. :/

Tuesday, 3/19/13

Tomorrow is our Citizenship assembly for Character Counts. In reading over what the kids wrote in preparation, I was amazed at how far their writing has come. I guess it's really starting to sink in that we are in the final days of third quarter and then it's only a matter of a very short time before my second graders become third graders. This has been an active, spirited year, but nonetheless, I definitely think that they will be ready for the move to Franzen. I wouldn't be doing my duty to the kids if I didn't metnion that they will be ready for the move if they continue to work and review the skills they learned all summer. And prepare yourself, because I will soon become a broken record regarding this topic. The summer months are a long time for the brain to not regroup, to not read, to not write and spell properly-----and it will kill me if all of the hard work that has been done all year ulitmately reverses or stalls out because of the summer. You won't do that to me though, right??? RIGHT???? =)

No answer? I'll take that as a "You're right Ms. Mitchell. We'll keep the kids working on school skills all summer!!"

Lol! Have a great night!

Monday, 3/18/13

After all I wrote on Friday, I don't have much to report on today. Apparently we are an all or nothing class. We had an "all" day on Friday and today was a "nothing." Well, let me be clear, not completely nothing---just completely normal. As I was complaining that I didn't have much to write, the kids let me know that I had a lot to write about---and then they started showing their personalities (aka--I could write about them!!). I figured out that I'd let a genie out of the bottle and now I'm seeing it.....I've told them all year how great and important it is to be different and "weird" and be true to themselves. Now, when I least expect it----they declare, "I'm weird" as proud as peacocks. In all honesty, it makes me soooo proud!! Personally I embrace my inner-weirdness (if you read my blog frequently, this comes as no surprise) and it allows me to see life in a fun and funny way, and that's one of my dreams for my kids. They need to be serious and studious and level-headed, but they also need to see the benefit of finding a happy medium and a time for silly, for left-of-center and for laughter!  I do my best to provide them with a healthy balance of those life traits, and in all honesty I love seeing them proud to be their silly, random, self-proclaiming "weird" selves-----themselves. If I could fast-forward and see the future, I would hope to see them continue to embrace and find strength in those attributes. There may come a time when others try to diminish those traits, and I hope to plant a seed that lets them know that those are the traits they should rise and be proud of. Stand up in who you are, let your colors shine---every single one of them: the light, the dark, the pastel, the bright, the dull and shiny-----every single one of them is necessary and vital to being who you are!

Okay---this took a bit of an odd turn, but I kind of like my stream-of-consciousness for a random Monday.

Friday, 3/15/13

The day finally arrived----2nd grade career day was today!! We've been planning and planning and preparing and preparing for this day, and it was a RAGING SUCCESS!!  We had many parents volunteer to present along with several community members who join us each year---and get this: two of my former students came back to Benson and also presented their jobs to the kids. I don't know if I could have been more proud!! Interestingly though---those two ladies who were once second-graders of mine~ they got older, but I didn't....we look to be the same age!! LOL!!! I hope that you all hear about the great careers which were represented today. I sure hope the kids had a great time! And a gigantic thank you to Mrs. B, Ms. B, and Mr. J and Mr. O for volunteering their time to come and talk to the kids!

Something pretty cool happened today--as if we didn't already nave enough coolness. Right before lunchtime I heard an excessively loud rumbling. Normally I block those noises from the sky out, but somewhere in my subconscious I remembered hearing on this morning's news that President Obama was coming to the suburbs today. Back when he was very first elected I remember thinking that surely here in Itasca, with all of the other planes we see every day, that we'd get to see Air Force One flying over when the President came home. Well, it wasn't Air Force One that I saw, and I am not even 100% certain that it was "presidentially" related, but regardless I had the kids run over to the windows to see the two uber-cool helicopters flying by. I love moments like those!

Oh oh oh--how could I forget----ask your child about the Irish dancers that visited them during music class today!!

And now I'm off to run the Rose Queen Scholarship Pageant. What a week!! Momentous, to say the least!

Have a great weekend!!!

Thursday, 3/14/13 Pi Day!

Happy Pi Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!     3.14  I love it!!!

I'm sorry I've again been M.I.A.! To say this week has been chock-full of meetings is an understatement! I've had them every morning, lunchtime and some after school. Today I even have meetings that are overlapping. Wowie! I really thought that by today I would be a cranky mess, but surprisingly, my sunny disposition continues to shine. (I wish that there was a sarcasm font, so you could know that I'm being incredibly facetious!! The part about not being cranky is true, but the rest of the sentence was simply meant for comedic effect!)

Yesterday the kids made leprechauns. It's somehow escaped me that March is rapidly marching (LOL---I didn't even originally mean that pun, but I'm totally leaving it in!!) forward without me!!! I still have snow stuff hung up and I haven't done anything St. Patrick's-ish. I need a March do-over!! (minus the snowstorms, thank you very much!)  Hopefully I can squeeze something fun in for the kids in the next 24 hours. I hope those pesky leprechauns don't visit our classroom this year!! They all cause such a fuss!

Well, as time is of the essence right now----I'm off to set up for tomorrow's career day!!!

Have a great night!!

Monday, 3/11/13

When waking up on the Monday morning after springing forward, there are not many benefits. It's still dark out when the alarm goes off and you're still tired from your internal clock being messed with. All of that is true, but when you're a second-grade teacher and the children come in a little groggy, well that's a recipe for an uber quiet morning which definitely takes the sting out of the springing. Everything has a silver lining!!! Plus I am sooo much more productive when it stays lighter later, so that's an added bonus.

It is at this point I must admit to you that it has just struck me that I still have snowmen, snowflakes and "Let It Snow" hanging up in my room. It is mid-March, time for it all to come down!!! This week I do not have a single second to spare, but I'm feeling an overwhelming need to get that stuff down! It's time for flip-flops people!!!! No more snow!!! I have one and only one goal for this weekend (yes, I know it's only Monday....) and that goal is to get a pedicure. After that, I'll be determined to put away the closed-toe shoes and bring on the warm weather already!!!! Hmmm--apparently I'm feeling very strongly about that. Sometimes I don't realize how I'm feeling until I get writing. Lucky for you, huh??

We've begun lessons on economics in social studies. Today we were talking about taxes, not exactly a concrete concept to teach 2nd graders. They did a good job of grasping it. They were more concerned about people who don't have jobs and how they contribute. Pretty insightful, huh? I thought so too! Such big hearts I have in this room. I'm a lucky chick!!

Friday, 3/8/13 Post #100!!

Wow! This is my 100th post??? I can't believe that you are not sick of me by now!

I wish I had some earth-shattering, ever-insightful thing to write about, but my mind is blank. Oh no! Writer's Block??? How can this be?? How about I just show you cuteness and cooperation in action:



gee---imma---tree (say it with a 'long' i and you'll know what the kids are working on in math)

Thursday, 3/7/13

Have you heard? We've begun cursive in second grade! The kids love this "grown-up" way of writing. Many people have told me that in districts across the country, cursive is no longer taught. When I see former students, often they ask if I still teach it because they don't even remember how to do it. Hmmmm---I know there are arguements to support teaching or not teaching it, but I'm going to remain neutral on the topic. If my boss tells me to teach it, I teach it, and like I said, the kids love learning it, so that makes it fun. Well, I don't know how much they'll love it when we're on letter 20 or so, but as of now, letter 5ish, they're still loving it. =)

I've got to run. It's the first Rose Queen Scholarship Pagaent rehearsal tonight. Have I mentioned that I'm running it? Yup----Mrs. Reuter, her daugher (a former Rose Queen herself) and I took it over this year. I guess none of the three of us had enough on our calendars....LOL!!  It should be fun. I hope that one of these years some of my former students will be involved. I'm not a judge, mind you--just a coordinator and executor of the big event, so there would be no bias, just joy on my part.

Off to see the ladies! Have a good night!

Wednesday, 3/6/13

There was a point today where I just sat back and looked at my kids. I saw 3 different circumstances where kids had voluntarily gone to help out their classmates. Now, this may sound like no big deal--'of course they'll go help their friends' you may think, but nay nay, let me share with you that this was NOT "friends" helping "friends." This was sweet, thoughtful children who saw others in the middle of a little struggle and voluntarily went to help out. The "strugglers" knew that this is a space where their challenges are not disrespected, rather understood, therefore trusted the "helper" to assist them. If I could have the X-Ray machine that is used in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," I think you would have seen my heart grow (at least) three sizes. I always say that my very favorite time of teaching is between Christmas break and spring break and this little story perfectly illustrates why. We are a family in Room 16. We all have quirks, we all have struggles, we all have strengths and we all have hearts, so it is our duty to use all of those attributes to understand and help each other, because as the song says, "For, it won't be long, til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on..."

Tuesday, 3/5/13

Sorry I've been MIA for an entire week!! Wow-where does the time go? I had meetings that went looonnnnggg last week, then the institute days, blah blah blah.

Another Tuesday, another snow storm! Just about the minute school started, the snow started coming down like C.R.A.Z.Y!! It's soooo beautiful to look at, I only wish I were looking at it from my comfy family room at home. ;)  I found a recipe on Pinterest for Snow Cream. Did you make that as a kid----ice cream from snow?? I can remember doing it and loving it. I thought about stopping and getting the ingredients before school so we could do something fun with the zillions of inches of snow that were predicted for today, but then I got worried about allergies. Had I concocked this brilliant thought yesterday I would have sent an email to the parents checking, but alas...my brillance came too late. Story of my life. LOL!

Today was fun because some of our staff members made a little video for Franzen and Peacock to wish them luck on ISAT. I've gotten a really great response from it, so I hope the kids were able to enjoy the bonus part of having to do ISATs.

I think that will be about it for now. I've got to go scrape my car and brave the roads. I don't want to get in trouble from my parents if I don't call them soon. ;)

Have a great, dry and warm night!!