InCoWriMo

Oh I'm so excited for February! Miss F (preschool) told me about this month long event in February called International Correspondence Writing Month, InCoWriMo for short, inspired by NaNoWriMo.  Participants pledge to "hand-write and mail/deliver one letter, card, note or postcard every day during the month of February."  It can be to anyone as long as it is hand written... the same people over and over again, different people, strangers, etc.  There's a message board where people can post their addresses so others can write to them.  People participate from all over the world!  And they're all people who love the written word (and quite a few who love calligraphy and pens).  Here's the website if you want to check it out: http://incowrimo.org/. I might try to incorporate it with my class somehow... I'm still mulling that over... but I am definitely participating.  Let me know if you'd like a note from me!

The 5th and 6th graders started a project for MN history today that involves mapping out a town.  We just finished learning about sodbusters and land speculators, so they're pretending to be a speculator while mapping a section of land, plotting a town, and making a poster to entice people to settle in their town. A lot of them said it was fun!  And some of them even worked on it in the gym during recess!

I'm glad the day ended on a high note; I got pretty crabby during bell practice today.  The 7th and 8th graders had been so good in class! We watched some interviews of people who'd been in North Korea (a journalist from South Korea who'd taught English there and a native-born North Korean who'd escaped and helped her family escape).  The students were riveted.  One of the videos went a bit long, so I sent the 6th graders over to church to get started setting up since we play bells on Sunday.  By the time the rest of us got over there, nothing had been done.  I had dropped off the bell cases in the morning, but they were still sitting right where I'd left them.  The tables and foam and covers were still in their places in the little room where they'd been stored.  Okay, not the end of the world, but it didn't put me in the best mood.  Once I got everyone started setting up, I realized no one had grabbed the crate of music folders or bell gloves.  I had asked someone to do it before leaving school, and I thought for sure someone had said 'I got it!'  So I had to make a special trip back to school to get those few things.  One boy had taken too long to get his coat and hadn't been around to hitch a ride over with me (there hadn't been room for him anyway), and as I pulled in to the school parking lot I saw him in the school cook's car.  She was about to leave school for the day but was going to give him a ride over.  Since it was out of her way and I was headed that way again, he hopped in my car and she took off.  So I got the music and tried not to be crabby about the extra trip and wasted time.

Back at church, I found the tables/foam/covers set up, but the bell cases were still exactly where I left them! AUGH! Kids were lounging all over the place, not paying any attention.  One boy commented loudly, "I hate bells, no one likes to play. It's a waste of time; why do we even do it?" Grrr... Finally we got everyone where they needed to be.  And we practiced.  But by that point I was very crabby.  They knew it. I knew it.  They whispered about it.  Which only irritated me more.

However, practice went all right.  The songs are not perfect, but I think they'll be okay for Sunday.  When I got back to school, I told my 5th and 6th graders that I was not in the best mood after bell practice, but I was going to try my best to snap out of it and if they could help me by paying attention and being 'bucket fillers' I'd really appreciate it.  Maybe that's why they were so, "wow, this project is really fun!' But I do think they enjoyed doing it, even without trying to cheer me up again.  And FYI, I did snap out of my yucky mood.

My garage door behaved last night and this morning, closing without any extra help/adjusting from me.  I hope they got it fixed! I guess I'll find out soon.  I had hoped to get out of school at a decent hour today since the PTL meeting went long last night.  Although I didn't make my goal today, I guess it's not too late yet.  My plans for tonight are to do the dishes piled up on my counter (I've been waiting to do them until my cut finger was healed more... they're really starting to annoy me...) and probably correct the mound of papers I've accumulated this week.  Or maybe I'll just save that stuff for another day and read a book instead!