Nonstop

Another nonstop day.  There was a pretty steady stream of memory work sayers from the time the buses dropped off the kids, but I still had about four of them who didn't get everything said before the bell.  Mrs. B is visiting her grandkids this weekend, so she wasn't even at school to help them memorize!  I still have one boy who's still behind by last week and hasn't said this week's memory either.  Ugh.


Then it was on to religion and read aloud and spelling tests and reading buddies (and dealing with kids who don't want to read with their partners).  It calmed down for a little bit before lunch, but then we did Mystery Class and started the graphs... a lot of the 5th graders were confused.  But we still have time to get everything sorted out. 


After lunch the 8th graders had lots of little things to do in class: listen to one more presentation, take a spelling test, Mystery Class, then a lab about estimation/time management.  They had a number of tasks to choose from.  First they estimated how many times they could do it in a minute, next they tested it and saw how close they were to their estimate.  Jumping jacks, writing their names, drawing squares, standing up and sitting down, pushups, etc.  Some of them found ways to streamline the process.  One boy made tick marks on the page and then connected them with two lines to make a whole bunch of boxes at once.  I think he made over 200 in one minute.  They kept asking for more recess, more recess... well, after the way they were complaining about having to do Mystery Class I wasn't about to reward them.  And I told them so. So they were on their best behavior while doing MC, but as soon as they were done, they went back to their old ways... and weren't any better when I wouldn't let them go to the gym. 


The 5th and 6th graders came back and we did miscellaneous art projects.  Some worked on their positive and negative space projects, others helped put together table decorations for NLSW, some worked on their science labs.  We ended up with five minutes of recess before going to Mr. E's room for an all-school announcement about the book fair and then DEAR time in the gym.  The boys in my class weren't all that happy to find out their recess was being taken over by reading time.  I brought a book too (and was so excited to read!), but I thought I better sit by the boys who tend to talk more than read... they kept talking to me and I didn't get much reading done.  Sigh.  One boy flat out refused to read saying, "I hate reading.  I'm not doing it."  He thought he was funny. 


Our helper of the day left early, so I had to recruit people to sweep the gym.  And a bunch of my students disappeared without warning (they were in the bathroom or they were in the office calling their parents).  If only they'd tell me where they're going!  But, we got everything shipshape and all my people on the bus.  A former student asked if she could come by after school for me to help her with her science project... I told her if she came between 3:00-3:30 I could help her.  Well, she never showed up.  Now I'm paranoid she's going to show up just as I'm leaving and beg me to help her.  After staying until 6:30 last Friday, I think I'm maxed out on after school Friday hours.  That and I'm visiting one of my college friends this weekend... that's where I'm headed as soon as I finish this post.  Well, first I have to hang up posters about the book fair at church.  Mr. D was going to do it, but he wanted to leave for Rochester right after school and asked if I could do it.  So that's next on my list.