Ufda! It seemed like I was not the only one who wished the weekend was longer! All the students seemed a little droopy today. I don't think they got much sleep this weekend.
We have a soccer game right after school in Mankato. Three students asked if they could ride with me to the game. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I have an errand to run before the game, so I can't give anyone a ride there. The library is having its annual book sale. Woohoo! I can get more books for our classroom! Boy, won't the 5th graders be surprised when I bring in a huge bag of books? Actually, I think they know me well enough by now to expect large additions to our reading corner. I think I'll have to invest in a bigger bookshelf soon... I'm running out of room!
One of the 5th graders just came back to the classroom. They're supposed to be having PE right now (practicing soccer). He said one of the 8th graders booted the ball and it hit him right in the face. Ouch! So he came in. After sitting in the Reading Corner for a grand total of two minutes, he asked if he could work on his math redo-s. How cute (maybe cute is not the right word for it): he's in pain, but still wants to do his math so he doesn't have homework.
Tomorrow, Miss H. and I are on our own coaching the home volleyball game. I hope everything goes well! I think it will; she's a little worried that the girls will give her attitude because they don't know her. I'm thinking the opposite; they'll listen and respect her because she's the cool, new, fun teacher. That was me last year. Now they know I give them homework and I don't let them slack off, so they don't like me very much. Oh the joys of teenagers!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Friday Fun Day
Yesterday we made a jello model of a plant cell. It wasn't ready by the end of the day, so we had to wait until snack time today. Last year, I used gummy food (gummy worms, fruit roll-up, etc.) and they turned mushy and gross. So this year, I tried to use all fruits. I did end up using some skittles for ribosomes, but the 5th graders said it made the jello taste like skittles. Alls well that ends well.
At recess today, one of the 2nd graders found a toad. He was showing it to everyone. A frog was also found. One of the 5th grade boys threw it at a 5th grade girl. Well, she says he threw it, he says it jumped out of his hand...
I felt bad for the girl because only a few minutes earlier, a 2nd grade boy ran up behind her, shoved a toy ball down the back of her shirt and yelled, "SPIDER!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, stood up, jumped and wiggled around, and then discovered it was a ball. I thought that was that, but not even two minutes later, the same boy did the exact same thing again! And again, she screamed and jumped and wiggled, and realized it was a ball. I could tell she was getting annoyed now, so I told the 2nd grader to stop. He did it a third time! So he ended up on the time-out bench.
It was really windy. One of the parents told me after volleyball practice that a power line fell down in front of the Crow Bar in town. Some sparks hit some sawdust (or mulch, or something like that) and it started smoking. They had it under control, but practically the whole town is out of power.
The last half an hour of practice, we let the B squad go home (or sit and watch, as most of them chose to do). Then Miss H. (the preschool teacher) and I played against the A squad team. One of the 5th grade girls kept score. The coaches ended up winning! 27 to 22. I was pretty amazed. Although the A squad wasn't playing as well as they normally do.
Anyway, that's enough for now. I'm heading home to watch my brother's football game! :)
At recess today, one of the 2nd graders found a toad. He was showing it to everyone. A frog was also found. One of the 5th grade boys threw it at a 5th grade girl. Well, she says he threw it, he says it jumped out of his hand...
I felt bad for the girl because only a few minutes earlier, a 2nd grade boy ran up behind her, shoved a toy ball down the back of her shirt and yelled, "SPIDER!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, stood up, jumped and wiggled around, and then discovered it was a ball. I thought that was that, but not even two minutes later, the same boy did the exact same thing again! And again, she screamed and jumped and wiggled, and realized it was a ball. I could tell she was getting annoyed now, so I told the 2nd grader to stop. He did it a third time! So he ended up on the time-out bench.
It was really windy. One of the parents told me after volleyball practice that a power line fell down in front of the Crow Bar in town. Some sparks hit some sawdust (or mulch, or something like that) and it started smoking. They had it under control, but practically the whole town is out of power.
The last half an hour of practice, we let the B squad go home (or sit and watch, as most of them chose to do). Then Miss H. (the preschool teacher) and I played against the A squad team. One of the 5th grade girls kept score. The coaches ended up winning! 27 to 22. I was pretty amazed. Although the A squad wasn't playing as well as they normally do.
Anyway, that's enough for now. I'm heading home to watch my brother's football game! :)
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Slovakian Pen Pals
Nothing too exciting has happened today in school. The 5th graders were still super loud. The 8th grade girls were still snarky. The weather was still cool in the morning and hot in the afternoon (we turned the AC on).
Yesterday, we listened to Robert Munsch read some of his books (online of course), and the kids loved it so much, they wanted to keep listening to books! It actually is part of the Daily 5 routine. I haven't used it in the past, but I thought, why not? So I looked up listening to reading online and found a TON of websites. Wrote them on the board, 5th graders typed them in, and boom... tons of reading going on. They were all disappointed when the round was over.
Another cool thing that's going to happen (the 5th graders don't know about this yet) has to do with writing. A parent at our school emailed me with a request from a friend in Slovakia. This friend is an English teacher and wants to start up a pen pal program between her class and a class in America. Our students are the same age, so we've been exchanging emails about how this pen pal thing will work. I can't wait to get started!
In other news, I have pottery class again tonight. And I'm going to stop at the library to see if I can find more Robert Munsch books. :)
Yesterday, we listened to Robert Munsch read some of his books (online of course), and the kids loved it so much, they wanted to keep listening to books! It actually is part of the Daily 5 routine. I haven't used it in the past, but I thought, why not? So I looked up listening to reading online and found a TON of websites. Wrote them on the board, 5th graders typed them in, and boom... tons of reading going on. They were all disappointed when the round was over.
Another cool thing that's going to happen (the 5th graders don't know about this yet) has to do with writing. A parent at our school emailed me with a request from a friend in Slovakia. This friend is an English teacher and wants to start up a pen pal program between her class and a class in America. Our students are the same age, so we've been exchanging emails about how this pen pal thing will work. I can't wait to get started!
In other news, I have pottery class again tonight. And I'm going to stop at the library to see if I can find more Robert Munsch books. :)
Monday, September 23, 2013
The Tears and Drama Afterschool Club
Sigh. Teenage girls. Just can't get along.
We had a home soccer game after school today (actually, it's starting right now, so I'll keep this brief). I told all the 5th graders to hang out in Mr. E's room, and they all brought stuff with to keep them occupied. Only ten minutes pass before one of the 7th grade girls comes walking up to me, telling me one of the 5th grade girls was doing something she shouldn't have.... but there was more to the story, she tried telling the 5th grader to stop and then pushed her. The 5th grader fell down, they both started yelling at each other, and then the 7th grader came to me.
So I tried to get them to apologize, but the 5th grader wouldn't listen. After a long conversation in my room, she still wouldn't listen. But she calmed down. The other girl disappeared back to Mr. E's room and I didn't get the chance to talk to her.
In other news, our Camp Omega dates may be changing. The director called to see if we could go a few weekends early, but we have volleyball/soccer games on one day and we haven't started fundraising yet. At our last PTL meeting, some of the 5th grade parents said that they would be willing to pay the $67 it would cost to send their 5th grader to Camp Omega instead of fundraising, but I don't know if that means we shouldn't fundraise at all or if we should still do some to pay for my registration fee and that of the other chaperone. Sigh.
The final story I have for you is about our lovely IT guys. They read my mind for once! I was about to ask them to put something on my desktop so I could access student's documents (for class presentations), and I find the tool already installed on my desktop! Of course, not everything is perfect... I still need the sound system installed, another computer set up, a cord for the electronic keyboard, a working printer, the files transferred from the old computer to the new one, and my favorite one: Windows needs to be verified in two days or all my programs won't work. I really hope they get that one done soon.
They are currently mad at the 3rd and 4th grade teacher because he left a note on his uninstalled interactive whiteboard for his students telling them to praise God for the technology they do have in their classroom. The IT guys thought he was silently prodding them to speed up and do their job, so now they're mad at him, and I'm back in their good graces. Huh. I wonder who they'll get mad at next.
We had a home soccer game after school today (actually, it's starting right now, so I'll keep this brief). I told all the 5th graders to hang out in Mr. E's room, and they all brought stuff with to keep them occupied. Only ten minutes pass before one of the 7th grade girls comes walking up to me, telling me one of the 5th grade girls was doing something she shouldn't have.... but there was more to the story, she tried telling the 5th grader to stop and then pushed her. The 5th grader fell down, they both started yelling at each other, and then the 7th grader came to me.
So I tried to get them to apologize, but the 5th grader wouldn't listen. After a long conversation in my room, she still wouldn't listen. But she calmed down. The other girl disappeared back to Mr. E's room and I didn't get the chance to talk to her.
In other news, our Camp Omega dates may be changing. The director called to see if we could go a few weekends early, but we have volleyball/soccer games on one day and we haven't started fundraising yet. At our last PTL meeting, some of the 5th grade parents said that they would be willing to pay the $67 it would cost to send their 5th grader to Camp Omega instead of fundraising, but I don't know if that means we shouldn't fundraise at all or if we should still do some to pay for my registration fee and that of the other chaperone. Sigh.
The final story I have for you is about our lovely IT guys. They read my mind for once! I was about to ask them to put something on my desktop so I could access student's documents (for class presentations), and I find the tool already installed on my desktop! Of course, not everything is perfect... I still need the sound system installed, another computer set up, a cord for the electronic keyboard, a working printer, the files transferred from the old computer to the new one, and my favorite one: Windows needs to be verified in two days or all my programs won't work. I really hope they get that one done soon.
They are currently mad at the 3rd and 4th grade teacher because he left a note on his uninstalled interactive whiteboard for his students telling them to praise God for the technology they do have in their classroom. The IT guys thought he was silently prodding them to speed up and do their job, so now they're mad at him, and I'm back in their good graces. Huh. I wonder who they'll get mad at next.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Thunderstorms
This morning started out bright and sunny... and then the thunderstorm rolled in. The 5th graders and I were doing our Daily 5 reading activities when they noticed the sky look dark. Ominously dark. A few started to get worried, so I checked the weather. Severe thunderstorm warning. They were really getting worried, so I offered to close the window shades. Surprisingly, the vote was unanimous to close them. So we did. But the girls were still worried (and the guys were too, they were just trying to be macho).
And then the thunder came. When the whimpering started, I knew we had to do something different. So we all met in the reading corner, folded our hands, and prayed for God to protect us during the storm. Shortly after that, the rain came pouring down and everyone wanted to open the window shades to watch it.
Since our classroom is on the edge of the building, the hallway connecting our classroom to the rest of the school is thin enough to hear the rain. Someone heard the sound and got it in their head that they should go and see what it sounded like in the echo-y gym. Once one left, they all took off after. So we took an impromptu bathroom/drink break and ended up in the office watching the rain come down.
Back in the classroom, they seemed a little calmer (as was the storm), and we got back to work. We were supposed to have a soccer game in the afternoon, but it was postponed due to the wetness of the field. This caused mass chaos at the end of the day when all five of my students realized they didn't know where to go after school. So phones were ringing off the hook, but we got it all sorted out. Thank the Lord!
And then the thunder came. When the whimpering started, I knew we had to do something different. So we all met in the reading corner, folded our hands, and prayed for God to protect us during the storm. Shortly after that, the rain came pouring down and everyone wanted to open the window shades to watch it.
Since our classroom is on the edge of the building, the hallway connecting our classroom to the rest of the school is thin enough to hear the rain. Someone heard the sound and got it in their head that they should go and see what it sounded like in the echo-y gym. Once one left, they all took off after. So we took an impromptu bathroom/drink break and ended up in the office watching the rain come down.
Back in the classroom, they seemed a little calmer (as was the storm), and we got back to work. We were supposed to have a soccer game in the afternoon, but it was postponed due to the wetness of the field. This caused mass chaos at the end of the day when all five of my students realized they didn't know where to go after school. So phones were ringing off the hook, but we got it all sorted out. Thank the Lord!
Pyromaniacs
I learned yesterday that all my 5th graders are pyromaniacs... at least in their thoughts. We played the story dice game (something I picked up on my jaunt over to Ireland last spring) as a class. Each person got to roll two of the dice and tried to string together a story from the pictures on the dice. We made, oh, about three or four stories and every single one of them involved some sort of fire in the dead of night. Hmm. Maybe our closet starting on fire wasn't such a far-fetched idea after all!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Socks with Sandals
One story from last week I forgot to mention... (and it is worth mentioning) happened while we were getting ready for the buoyancy lab.
I had a fish tank and a big, clear tub that needed to be filled with water, so I recruited the 5th graders. They each got an ice cream pail, filled it in the bathroom, and trotted it back to our room. We had a pretty steady stream going. Then the 1st and 2nd graders headed to lunch. One boy asked a 5th grader, "What's all the water for?" Her reply, "The closet started on fire when we did an experiment, so we have to put it out."
A few minutes later, I went in the hall to check on our brigade and the same 2nd grader asked me if there really was a fire in our classroom. I must've looked pretty confused, but I said we needed the water for a science project later on. Only when I got back to the room did the 5th grader explain what she said to the 2nd grader.
Another funny instance happened during religion today. We somehow got on the topic of marriage and/or online dating. One of my students' parents is getting married next month (they met through an online dating site), of course they all knew that and wanted to remind everyone else of the fact. But the boy who got the first word in was a little confused. He said, "Yeah! They met on ebay!" Then the kid who's in the family corrected him, "actually, it was christianmingle."
My final funny story of the day happened at recess. The boys all wanted to play kickball. Half the girls weren't wearing appropriate kickball footwear (myself included). My students know I keep a pair of sandal-ish shoes under my desk to change into for recess, so they tried to convince me to change into them. "But I'm wearing socks!" was my excuse. They immediately said, "So? Then your feet will be warm!" Well if they're not going to criticize my fashion, I may as well use proper footwear. And they were right, my feet were really warm and comfortable.
I had a fish tank and a big, clear tub that needed to be filled with water, so I recruited the 5th graders. They each got an ice cream pail, filled it in the bathroom, and trotted it back to our room. We had a pretty steady stream going. Then the 1st and 2nd graders headed to lunch. One boy asked a 5th grader, "What's all the water for?" Her reply, "The closet started on fire when we did an experiment, so we have to put it out."
A few minutes later, I went in the hall to check on our brigade and the same 2nd grader asked me if there really was a fire in our classroom. I must've looked pretty confused, but I said we needed the water for a science project later on. Only when I got back to the room did the 5th grader explain what she said to the 2nd grader.
Another funny instance happened during religion today. We somehow got on the topic of marriage and/or online dating. One of my students' parents is getting married next month (they met through an online dating site), of course they all knew that and wanted to remind everyone else of the fact. But the boy who got the first word in was a little confused. He said, "Yeah! They met on ebay!" Then the kid who's in the family corrected him, "actually, it was christianmingle."
My final funny story of the day happened at recess. The boys all wanted to play kickball. Half the girls weren't wearing appropriate kickball footwear (myself included). My students know I keep a pair of sandal-ish shoes under my desk to change into for recess, so they tried to convince me to change into them. "But I'm wearing socks!" was my excuse. They immediately said, "So? Then your feet will be warm!" Well if they're not going to criticize my fashion, I may as well use proper footwear. And they were right, my feet were really warm and comfortable.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Volleyball, volleyball, and more volleyball
The sand volleyball tournament this weekend was really fun! The day started out pretty cool, warmed up a bit when the sun shined down, and then started pouring the last few games. Our team got 3rd place from playing during the regular season, and then we ended up winning 2nd place in the tournament.
On Saturday, we only lost one game, but tied for first against a really good team (which we beat). And that's when it started to rain. We had to play a tie breaker game. They beat us (our hands kept slipping on the ball). So then we had to play another game! And it rained even more. After losing a second time, we went out to eat as a team using the money from our winnings. It was a lot of fun... and they invited me to be on their team next year! Cool!
The ILS girls had an away volleyball game in Janesville today. They're my favorite school to play because I did some student teaching there (and still recognize a bunch of the kids). We won our soccer game, lost the B squad games, and then won the A squad games. But man, do we need to practice moving our feet! I really should look up a book on how to teach volleyball. Or at least find some drills to help the B squad with their fundamentals. We have another game tomorrow, this time a home game. We'll see how it goes!
On Saturday, we only lost one game, but tied for first against a really good team (which we beat). And that's when it started to rain. We had to play a tie breaker game. They beat us (our hands kept slipping on the ball). So then we had to play another game! And it rained even more. After losing a second time, we went out to eat as a team using the money from our winnings. It was a lot of fun... and they invited me to be on their team next year! Cool!
The ILS girls had an away volleyball game in Janesville today. They're my favorite school to play because I did some student teaching there (and still recognize a bunch of the kids). We won our soccer game, lost the B squad games, and then won the A squad games. But man, do we need to practice moving our feet! I really should look up a book on how to teach volleyball. Or at least find some drills to help the B squad with their fundamentals. We have another game tomorrow, this time a home game. We'll see how it goes!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Finally!
Finally. The week is over. It seemed like it took forever, but we made it.
Last night I had another really weird dream... this time about zombies. All the students were super hyper today. One of the 7th grade boys got sent back to Mr. E's room during our lab today. I think we might have to cancel our lab for next week, just until everyone can prove that they can handle doing fun projects. Sigh. I really don't want to have to do that, but they're all so crazy when working in groups.
We had volleyball practice after school today; I really didn't want to go. Then the head coach was late, the 8th grade girls took forever to start the drill I told them to work on, one of the B squad girls had a nosebleed that I had to take care of, and then when the coach finally got to school, all the girls abandoned the drill and gathered around her, so I felt like my authority was completely undermined. Sigh. Okay, enough of the pity party.
Good things from today: It's Friday. We super-cleaned the lab table after our wet, building buoyant boats lab this afternoon. We're at a really good part in our read-aloud book. My students are remembering their Spanish colors really well. I told my students about a book I read last night, and they go so excited they want me to read it aloud later this year. The weather is finally cooling off!
Last night I had another really weird dream... this time about zombies. All the students were super hyper today. One of the 7th grade boys got sent back to Mr. E's room during our lab today. I think we might have to cancel our lab for next week, just until everyone can prove that they can handle doing fun projects. Sigh. I really don't want to have to do that, but they're all so crazy when working in groups.
We had volleyball practice after school today; I really didn't want to go. Then the head coach was late, the 8th grade girls took forever to start the drill I told them to work on, one of the B squad girls had a nosebleed that I had to take care of, and then when the coach finally got to school, all the girls abandoned the drill and gathered around her, so I felt like my authority was completely undermined. Sigh. Okay, enough of the pity party.
Good things from today: It's Friday. We super-cleaned the lab table after our wet, building buoyant boats lab this afternoon. We're at a really good part in our read-aloud book. My students are remembering their Spanish colors really well. I told my students about a book I read last night, and they go so excited they want me to read it aloud later this year. The weather is finally cooling off!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Highs and Lows
New this year in our class, we've been ending the day by telling classmates "highs" and "lows" of the day. Each person gets to say the best and worst part of the day. So here's a rundown of mine:
Lows:
Last night I had a dream that one of the 8th grade girls was trying to get me fired. She kept calling me mean names and tried to choke me. So I had to tell the principal. In my dream, he had a meeting with a bunch of other people, but I couldn't sit in on it, so I had no clue what was going on. I thought I was going to lose my job. Then some WELS/ELS seminary students serenaded me while I was waiting, and one guy professed his undying love for me (increased only more when he found out I was Missouri synod). Talk about a weird dream! It left me with an unsettled feeling about the whole day.
Another low: Technology was still a little funky today. This time, my external hard drive didn't want to load on the computer. Thankfully, this happened with the 5th graders and they could just read their textbook while I tried to get it straightened out.
A bug flew in my ear during kickball, and I couldn't get it out. Gross. Then the 5th graders were extremely loud during art.
Highs:
They all finished their art projects! And we got the lab table cleaned up for our boat building lab tomorrow.
Another high: I got two cupcakes at school today. One was from a 5th grader (her birthday was today and man, was she excited) and the other appeared on my desk. I'm guessing it was from the 1st grader who also had a birthday today.
Our volleyball games went really well today. We won the first two and lost the third by two points. In the last game, the 5-7th graders played without any 8th grade help.
Final high of the day: Tomorrow is Friday!!!
Lows:
Last night I had a dream that one of the 8th grade girls was trying to get me fired. She kept calling me mean names and tried to choke me. So I had to tell the principal. In my dream, he had a meeting with a bunch of other people, but I couldn't sit in on it, so I had no clue what was going on. I thought I was going to lose my job. Then some WELS/ELS seminary students serenaded me while I was waiting, and one guy professed his undying love for me (increased only more when he found out I was Missouri synod). Talk about a weird dream! It left me with an unsettled feeling about the whole day.
Another low: Technology was still a little funky today. This time, my external hard drive didn't want to load on the computer. Thankfully, this happened with the 5th graders and they could just read their textbook while I tried to get it straightened out.
A bug flew in my ear during kickball, and I couldn't get it out. Gross. Then the 5th graders were extremely loud during art.
Highs:
They all finished their art projects! And we got the lab table cleaned up for our boat building lab tomorrow.
Another high: I got two cupcakes at school today. One was from a 5th grader (her birthday was today and man, was she excited) and the other appeared on my desk. I'm guessing it was from the 1st grader who also had a birthday today.
Our volleyball games went really well today. We won the first two and lost the third by two points. In the last game, the 5-7th graders played without any 8th grade help.
Final high of the day: Tomorrow is Friday!!!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Crazy Town
Whew! I could use a few days off... but it's only Hump Day (my 5th graders kept repeating this fact for about a half an hour this afternoon). The weather must be changing because it has been crazy these past few days.
Yesterday, I had volleyball practice, followed by a PTL meeting, with a plan to play sand volleyball afterwards. PTL was full of drama. Plans for our annual Pork Chop Dinner neglected to include someone who has diligently worked for the dinner many, many years (and was already working on this year's dinner). After a very tense moment (or two), the situation got back on track and we were able to move forward with everyone on board.
One of my student's parents wanted to talk after the meeting, and I had just enough time before volleyball... until we talked too long and I was going to be late. Thankfully the team scheduled for the game before us hadn't finished playing, so I was right on time. Another player showed up even later than I did, and it turns out she and I both went to Bethany around the same time. I don't think she recognized me (or if she did, she didn't say). But we're both going to the volleyball tournament on Saturday, so maybe it will come up in conversation then.
After the game, I caught up on my pile of correcting to do and fell into bed.
Today my class started the program Reading Eggs. It's great! They are all super excited to start making their avatar and decorate their apartments in Reading Egg land. A few of them bought pets right away. One 5th grader got two! There were gasps of amazement when they saw the variety of pets available: dogs, cats, dragons, unicorns... the list goes on and on. I can't wait to see what else they discover as they play/learn!
Once again, I had technology issues. I still can't find my electric piano cord; the IT guys are just going to order me another one. But who knows how long that will take. My projector went wacky when I was trying to teach the 7th and 8th graders about mineral formations. The screen was off center, so half the slide was cut off. I tried moving the projector. That didn't help. I tried reopening the powerpoint. That didn't work. It turns out all I had to do was turn off the projector and turn it back on again. Sigh. The one thing I didn't try. Of course, not being able to read the words caused the students to go crazy. It was the worst day of the school year (behavior-wise) for these kids. The fifth graders were really chatty too!
Thank the Lord we're getting some cooler weather. Hopefully tomorrow I won't have to turn on my air conditioner. We have a volleyball game in Faribault for A squad, and some of the older B squad girls. I'm hitching a ride over with the head coach so I don't have to drive all that way by myself. One of my students has a birthday tomorrow. She's been asking all week if we can have a surprise party for her... I asked if she knew about it, would it still be a surprise? She never answered me. So I don't know what to do. Last year I didn't do anything for birthdays, but that's not to say this year can't be different. I really don't want to do something extravagant. I'm thinking maybe we'll take class time to do a dancing brain break or something like that. Maybe something will come to me overnight...
Yesterday, I had volleyball practice, followed by a PTL meeting, with a plan to play sand volleyball afterwards. PTL was full of drama. Plans for our annual Pork Chop Dinner neglected to include someone who has diligently worked for the dinner many, many years (and was already working on this year's dinner). After a very tense moment (or two), the situation got back on track and we were able to move forward with everyone on board.
One of my student's parents wanted to talk after the meeting, and I had just enough time before volleyball... until we talked too long and I was going to be late. Thankfully the team scheduled for the game before us hadn't finished playing, so I was right on time. Another player showed up even later than I did, and it turns out she and I both went to Bethany around the same time. I don't think she recognized me (or if she did, she didn't say). But we're both going to the volleyball tournament on Saturday, so maybe it will come up in conversation then.
After the game, I caught up on my pile of correcting to do and fell into bed.
Today my class started the program Reading Eggs. It's great! They are all super excited to start making their avatar and decorate their apartments in Reading Egg land. A few of them bought pets right away. One 5th grader got two! There were gasps of amazement when they saw the variety of pets available: dogs, cats, dragons, unicorns... the list goes on and on. I can't wait to see what else they discover as they play/learn!
Once again, I had technology issues. I still can't find my electric piano cord; the IT guys are just going to order me another one. But who knows how long that will take. My projector went wacky when I was trying to teach the 7th and 8th graders about mineral formations. The screen was off center, so half the slide was cut off. I tried moving the projector. That didn't help. I tried reopening the powerpoint. That didn't work. It turns out all I had to do was turn off the projector and turn it back on again. Sigh. The one thing I didn't try. Of course, not being able to read the words caused the students to go crazy. It was the worst day of the school year (behavior-wise) for these kids. The fifth graders were really chatty too!
Thank the Lord we're getting some cooler weather. Hopefully tomorrow I won't have to turn on my air conditioner. We have a volleyball game in Faribault for A squad, and some of the older B squad girls. I'm hitching a ride over with the head coach so I don't have to drive all that way by myself. One of my students has a birthday tomorrow. She's been asking all week if we can have a surprise party for her... I asked if she knew about it, would it still be a surprise? She never answered me. So I don't know what to do. Last year I didn't do anything for birthdays, but that's not to say this year can't be different. I really don't want to do something extravagant. I'm thinking maybe we'll take class time to do a dancing brain break or something like that. Maybe something will come to me overnight...
Monday, September 9, 2013
Warming hearts... and classrooms
Oh my 5th graders make me smile! One of the boys had borrowed the movie Epic from the Bookmobile last week. I mentioned that I wanted to watch it, and he said maybe I could have it after he was done. Today he brought it into school and asked if I was going to take it home to watch it. A little confused, I said I was going to wait until Thursday and check it out on my card. He told me, "Miss H., you can just take it now and watch it at home. That way you don't have to wait to see it!" So cute!
This same student always tells me his plan for everything. This year, students can earn prizes by reading books in certain genres to get a BINGO on a bingo card. Every day, he tells me his new plan for which books he's going to read so he can get all five across. "First I'm going to read this book, and then once I finish, I'm going to read that book. Or maybe I'll read this other one so I can cross off..." and so on and so forth. At least he's enthusiastic about reading!
But all their warm hearts bring lots of heat in the classroom, especially on days like today. It was another steamy 93 degrees this afternoon. I had the AC cranked all the way down to 70 since I got here this morning. It was comfortable in the morning, but after lunch, all the sweaty bodies got it up to 79 in a half an hour.
In other news, the 5th graders learned how to take notes today. We didn't get through nearly enough of the powerpoint on plants, but it's a skill they do need to learn. So we'll keep plugging away.
This same student always tells me his plan for everything. This year, students can earn prizes by reading books in certain genres to get a BINGO on a bingo card. Every day, he tells me his new plan for which books he's going to read so he can get all five across. "First I'm going to read this book, and then once I finish, I'm going to read that book. Or maybe I'll read this other one so I can cross off..." and so on and so forth. At least he's enthusiastic about reading!
But all their warm hearts bring lots of heat in the classroom, especially on days like today. It was another steamy 93 degrees this afternoon. I had the AC cranked all the way down to 70 since I got here this morning. It was comfortable in the morning, but after lunch, all the sweaty bodies got it up to 79 in a half an hour.
In other news, the 5th graders learned how to take notes today. We didn't get through nearly enough of the powerpoint on plants, but it's a skill they do need to learn. So we'll keep plugging away.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Cordless Piano
Ugh! For the life of me, I cannot figure out what happened to my piano keyboard cord. I've got the stand and a keyboard, but no way to plug it in! It hasn't been a super big deal since we've been rushed for time at the end of the day, but this morning I wanted to sing a hymn and we had to play something on my computer since the piano wasn't plugged in. Sigh. I really have no idea where it ended up.
Another frustrating thing: One of the 7th graders came up to me after class today and had a question about the worksheet they got the day before, "Miss H? On our worksheet, all the questions are the exact same as the one we just did for today." No way, I thought. But when I checked my flashdrive, the files were exactly the same; only the title was different. Argh! I must've finished the worksheet, but never saved it to the computer. So I guess they just get an early Christmas present. Oh well, I have been working them pretty hard in social studies.
Our first school vb practice was today. It went pretty well, kind of fast, actually. I worked with the B squad on their bumping, setting, and serving. We need to practice being ready for the ball. But they've already come a long way for the first day of practice! We have practice again tomorrow, but I have a staff meeting, so I don't think I'll be around for most of practice.
Another frustrating thing: One of the 7th graders came up to me after class today and had a question about the worksheet they got the day before, "Miss H? On our worksheet, all the questions are the exact same as the one we just did for today." No way, I thought. But when I checked my flashdrive, the files were exactly the same; only the title was different. Argh! I must've finished the worksheet, but never saved it to the computer. So I guess they just get an early Christmas present. Oh well, I have been working them pretty hard in social studies.
Our first school vb practice was today. It went pretty well, kind of fast, actually. I worked with the B squad on their bumping, setting, and serving. We need to practice being ready for the ball. But they've already come a long way for the first day of practice! We have practice again tomorrow, but I have a staff meeting, so I don't think I'll be around for most of practice.
Relays and Sand Volleyball
The weather was finally cool enough to do our relay games! Woohoo! The kids had a great time running around, though Elbow Tag was a disappointment for some. I heard from at least three students that they didn't get a chance to be it during the game, and they were sorely disappointed. I told them sometimes life is just like that; maybe we'd have to play the game at recess so they'd get the chance then.
We were supposed to have volleyball practice after school, but the head coach forgot about it and I wasn't prepared to hold an hour and a half long practice, so I told everyone to ride the bus and we'd have practice tomorrow. That's what we did! I emailed the coach with a few ideas I had about practice this year and she ended up calling me after supper. Surprisingly, she thought all my ideas were great and then she asked if I wanted to go over to the park and play sand volleyball since her team was short a player. Sure, why not?
So I walked over. I was only going to stay for the first set, but then I ended up sticking around for the second one. Now they want me to come back and play next week; then I can play in the tournament next weekend. Sounds like a plan to me!
I also made plans to sign up for a pottery class held in September and October. It turns out you have to sign up in person, so I'm trying to figure out how to coordinate a trip to town with my registration. Man, am I getting out in the community or what?
We were supposed to have volleyball practice after school, but the head coach forgot about it and I wasn't prepared to hold an hour and a half long practice, so I told everyone to ride the bus and we'd have practice tomorrow. That's what we did! I emailed the coach with a few ideas I had about practice this year and she ended up calling me after supper. Surprisingly, she thought all my ideas were great and then she asked if I wanted to go over to the park and play sand volleyball since her team was short a player. Sure, why not?
So I walked over. I was only going to stay for the first set, but then I ended up sticking around for the second one. Now they want me to come back and play next week; then I can play in the tournament next weekend. Sounds like a plan to me!
I also made plans to sign up for a pottery class held in September and October. It turns out you have to sign up in person, so I'm trying to figure out how to coordinate a trip to town with my registration. Man, am I getting out in the community or what?
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