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!!