I forgot to mention yesterday when I walked into my classroom it was 82 degrees... the thermostat was set at 68 and the heater was still kicking it into high gear. Mr. E tried shutting off the fuse, which caused the heater to stop. But as soon as the fuse was switched back on, the heater started up again, even though the temperature in the room was much higher than the thermostat was set at. He contacted the school trustees who said we should toggle the on/off switch on the thermostat to get it to reset. That worked and the heaters worked okay for the rest of the day.
This morning, the heat was still normal when I got to school. But then right before we went to chapel, I noticed the room felt hot and... the heaters were running without shutting off again. So I tried the on/off technique again, but it didn't work this time. I left it off and we'll have to get the electricians out at school tomorrow. Thankfully the south side of heaters in my room works, so there will be heat overnight and into tomorrow. I heard it's supposed to get cold again...
Before school I braved the wind and walked around to the other side of my apartment building to watch the eclipse/super blood blue moon. It was pretty neat! It didn't stick around long though. When I checked again fifteen minutes later, the moon had either been covered up by clouds or had descended below the horizon. A few of my students remembered their extra credit assignment! I'd said if they saw the eclipse/took pictures of it and showed me, I'd give them extra credit in science. Three took pictures. Two looked for the eclipse/moon but couldn't see it. Not sure if I should give them credit or not.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Testing, Testing
Testing went better today. The computers worked ...except for mine. One girl couldn't log onto her account, so I offered to let her use my computer. As soon as she plugged in her headphones, my computer shut off! What?!
We turned it back on again, but I had to log in as an administrator and I didn't know the username or password. Of course the IT guys didn't answer their phone. At first I thought I couldn't do anything through the computer, but then I found that I could still access my flashdrive and go on the internet. So I was able to get done what I needed to today. Whew! In my head, I was already coming up with backup plans of how I could teach my lessons without computers. Thankfully I didn't need them.
On a totally different note, for recess art I've had the students do some drawing. At the YWAC a few years ago, I went to a session where the speaker had us put a hand behind our back. He placed an object in the hand and had us draw it without looking at it. We had to go by touch alone. It was fun! So I recruited a few toys from the preschool teacher to give them more options. One of their classmates picked items from the bag and placed them in her drawing classmates' hands. They had a blast! And pretty much blew through the bag of toys. I told them to bring things from home that would be fun to draw. We'll see if any remember...
We turned it back on again, but I had to log in as an administrator and I didn't know the username or password. Of course the IT guys didn't answer their phone. At first I thought I couldn't do anything through the computer, but then I found that I could still access my flashdrive and go on the internet. So I was able to get done what I needed to today. Whew! In my head, I was already coming up with backup plans of how I could teach my lessons without computers. Thankfully I didn't need them.
On a totally different note, for recess art I've had the students do some drawing. At the YWAC a few years ago, I went to a session where the speaker had us put a hand behind our back. He placed an object in the hand and had us draw it without looking at it. We had to go by touch alone. It was fun! So I recruited a few toys from the preschool teacher to give them more options. One of their classmates picked items from the bag and placed them in her drawing classmates' hands. They had a blast! And pretty much blew through the bag of toys. I told them to bring things from home that would be fun to draw. We'll see if any remember...
Monday, January 29, 2018
Computers...
Gah, my classroom computers stressed me out today. I had planned to have my students take their FAST reading test on the computers today, but the internet in our classroom stopped working (on my computer even) and then the computers wouldn't let students log on. I was going to call the IT guys on my school phone, except that quit working too! It kept saying that it was rebooting, after about three minutes it would be booted back up and appear to be normal... everything seems good to go until you hang up the phone. Then it goes dead and has to reboot all over again.
I used my cell phone to call the IT guys, but they didn't answer. Eventually one of them texted me a few options to troubleshoot, except the instructions only kind of made sense. Still, we did our best to try what they suggested. After plugging and replugging a few cords we're usually never supposed to touch, the kids could log on to their computers. Well, some of them could. A few would try and it would look like they were logging on, but it would log them off right away and the screen would go black. One girl successfully logged on, but when she tried to open a program, it said the file was too big and it couldn't successfully be opened. Umm, okay?
I tried the IT guys again, this time on my desk phone which had finally begun working again. They answered and said everything looked normal from their end. Great. He was going to try a few things to see if he could find the problem. Of course, by this time it's almost 11:30 and there's no time to do testing.
All through the morning the students planning to take the test either sat at a computer, begrudgingly working on other homework while they waited futilely. Others kept popping up from where they were working to turn on a computer and try logging on again. We wasted so much time this morning!!!! It made me crabby. And tomorrow we get to do it all over again because they still need to take this test!
By the afternoon, of course the computers worked like a charm. The 7/8th graders were able to log on during study hall. Their class was okay today, but it took me a while to get out of my crabby mood. I think I need to go home and read a book.
Speaking of books... in a few days it will be February, a month full of things to do: Mystery Class, I Love to Read Month, the Fruit and Vegetable Challenge, my class serves a Lenten supper, work on science fair projects and editing NaNo, InCoWriMo (International Correspondence Writing Month), get ready for Fine Arts Fair and National Lutheran Schools Week, and of course all our usual things to do. It will be a busy month!
I used my cell phone to call the IT guys, but they didn't answer. Eventually one of them texted me a few options to troubleshoot, except the instructions only kind of made sense. Still, we did our best to try what they suggested. After plugging and replugging a few cords we're usually never supposed to touch, the kids could log on to their computers. Well, some of them could. A few would try and it would look like they were logging on, but it would log them off right away and the screen would go black. One girl successfully logged on, but when she tried to open a program, it said the file was too big and it couldn't successfully be opened. Umm, okay?
I tried the IT guys again, this time on my desk phone which had finally begun working again. They answered and said everything looked normal from their end. Great. He was going to try a few things to see if he could find the problem. Of course, by this time it's almost 11:30 and there's no time to do testing.
All through the morning the students planning to take the test either sat at a computer, begrudgingly working on other homework while they waited futilely. Others kept popping up from where they were working to turn on a computer and try logging on again. We wasted so much time this morning!!!! It made me crabby. And tomorrow we get to do it all over again because they still need to take this test!
By the afternoon, of course the computers worked like a charm. The 7/8th graders were able to log on during study hall. Their class was okay today, but it took me a while to get out of my crabby mood. I think I need to go home and read a book.
Speaking of books... in a few days it will be February, a month full of things to do: Mystery Class, I Love to Read Month, the Fruit and Vegetable Challenge, my class serves a Lenten supper, work on science fair projects and editing NaNo, InCoWriMo (International Correspondence Writing Month), get ready for Fine Arts Fair and National Lutheran Schools Week, and of course all our usual things to do. It will be a busy month!
Friday, January 26, 2018
Early Birds
Well, the afternoon went fast at least! I ended up with one 7-8th grader this afternoon. He stayed until 1:00 and we watched a Wishbone episode (The Prince and the Pauper) that kind of fit in with the Middle Ages we've been studying. Not quite, but I don't know that there are any classic books written that take place in the Middle Ages. I thought about the Don Quixote episode, but switched it up at the last minute.
At one, my remaining five students came back and we watched a Wishbone episode, this time the Treasure Island one. We did art and then went outside to play in the snow for afternoon recess. Everyone made snowmen. The one I helped build turned out pretty tall! It's been a long time since I've made a snowman. A pretty leisurely afternoon as far as afternoons go, but not too much different (aside from Wishbone) from a usual Friday.
My car is packed and I'm off to Fulda for today and tomorrow. One of my sisters is going wedding dress shopping! On Sunday my farmer and I are taking a jaunt to visit relatives of his... either his sister up near Wilmar or cousins over by Faribault. I told him he had to pick. This weekend sounds like good traveling weather. It will probably be warm enough tomorrow I could even wash my car!
At one, my remaining five students came back and we watched a Wishbone episode, this time the Treasure Island one. We did art and then went outside to play in the snow for afternoon recess. Everyone made snowmen. The one I helped build turned out pretty tall! It's been a long time since I've made a snowman. A pretty leisurely afternoon as far as afternoons go, but not too much different (aside from Wishbone) from a usual Friday.
My car is packed and I'm off to Fulda for today and tomorrow. One of my sisters is going wedding dress shopping! On Sunday my farmer and I are taking a jaunt to visit relatives of his... either his sister up near Wilmar or cousins over by Faribault. I told him he had to pick. This weekend sounds like good traveling weather. It will probably be warm enough tomorrow I could even wash my car!
Thursday, January 25, 2018
WWI
Well, the past 24 hours have been a whirlwind... Last night I dropped off my vehicle to get fixed in New Ulm and picked up a loaner. I had to make sure there would be enough room for all the kids I needed to drive down to MLHS to hear the guest speaker, and thankfully the dealership gave me a 13 Ford Explorer to drive for the day. It's dark green but looks black and has enough room for six passengers. Nice!
After running errands, I got home just in time to quick eat something before bible study. Except... I had left my house keys on my car keys. Normally I have a spare set in my purse, but I had given them to my friend who works at MVL so she could get into my apartment if the weather was bad and she needed a place to stay. Thankfully she answered when I called and we met up in Nicollet so she could give me my spare back. I was able to eat something and made it to bible study late, but I still made it!
This morning I put enough gas in the car to get me to the field trip and back and picked up the New Ulm bus riders so we wouldn't have to wait for them to get all the way out to school. That worked pretty slick! They get to the bus stop in New Ulm at 7:45, a parent watched them until I could get there, and then they all piled in and we trekked down to Northrup.
The guest speaker was AMAZING, as usual. Arn Kind dressed up as a doughboy (soldier from WWI) and showed us artifacts, clips from movies, pictures, etc. from WWI. Our favorite parts of the experience were when he did a live demonstration of the causes of the war, or how it got started. Since Courtland sat in the middle, most of our kids got picked as volunteers for this reenactment. He had tshirts with country names/flags on them, and he arranged the countries geographically in the middle of the gym. Then he explained Germany's grand plan to win the war, what they wanted to happen, and what actually happened. Mr. E got to be Russia, ready to jump in and help out little Serbia. The principal from Truman got to be the US, staying way over in the corner minding his own business, occasionally saying, "Hey, stop fighting. Cut that out. Be nice." It was a great way to connect the facts to something that the kids will remember.
A student from another school got to be a pilot and our speaker taught him how to fly a plane. First he dressed the part, complete with a wool jacket, soft scarf (to protect their necks from the scratchy wool uniform under the jacket when they twisted and turned to see their blind spots as they flew), aviator hat, and goggles. A plunger was the base of the steering wheel and an actual steering wheel from a WWI plane got put on top of that. He had an app on his phone that would play noises, so he could direct the pilot to shoot at an enemy plane and when the kid pressed the machine gun plate, the sound of bullets echoed around the gym. Same for opening up the throttle and taking down an enemy plane. Pilots got to be 'Aces' when the took down 10 enemy aircraft. Our guy got cocky after successfully shooting down two. Then he got 'lured' in by a decoy plane and was attacked by six enemy planes... his plane exploded and he 'died'.
Our speaker went over by 15 minutes and said he could keep talking for at least another hour, but he knew we had to go. We had been planning to eat in Fairmont, but since Mr. E had to be back to school by one, we ate in New Ulm. My car picked up food from Subway and ate it at school. There was road construction in Courtland. Well, work crews were picking up snow off the street, so it was down to a one-lane. We had to wait for five minutes just sitting there smelling our food. It was kind of torture.
The rest of the day at school was kind of strange. We had a little recess, did social studies, had a little more recess. And most of my class said they are planning to leave early tomorrow. There's a tournament in Lakefield this weekend and normally classes leave early for this. However, the girls don't play at all tomorrow and the boys don't play until 6:00. I thought for sure everyone would be staying. Apparently the parents of the girls team want to take them bowling as a team bonding experience, so a bunch of them are leaving at 12:30 or earlier. Great. And this is the first I'm hearing about it. So I don't know how many 7-8th graders I'll have or how many 5-6th graders I'll have tomorrow. I sent out a message to parents asking them to relay their plans, and I've heard back from about half the class. Grr... skipping school to go bowling? It makes me crabby.
After running errands, I got home just in time to quick eat something before bible study. Except... I had left my house keys on my car keys. Normally I have a spare set in my purse, but I had given them to my friend who works at MVL so she could get into my apartment if the weather was bad and she needed a place to stay. Thankfully she answered when I called and we met up in Nicollet so she could give me my spare back. I was able to eat something and made it to bible study late, but I still made it!
This morning I put enough gas in the car to get me to the field trip and back and picked up the New Ulm bus riders so we wouldn't have to wait for them to get all the way out to school. That worked pretty slick! They get to the bus stop in New Ulm at 7:45, a parent watched them until I could get there, and then they all piled in and we trekked down to Northrup.
The guest speaker was AMAZING, as usual. Arn Kind dressed up as a doughboy (soldier from WWI) and showed us artifacts, clips from movies, pictures, etc. from WWI. Our favorite parts of the experience were when he did a live demonstration of the causes of the war, or how it got started. Since Courtland sat in the middle, most of our kids got picked as volunteers for this reenactment. He had tshirts with country names/flags on them, and he arranged the countries geographically in the middle of the gym. Then he explained Germany's grand plan to win the war, what they wanted to happen, and what actually happened. Mr. E got to be Russia, ready to jump in and help out little Serbia. The principal from Truman got to be the US, staying way over in the corner minding his own business, occasionally saying, "Hey, stop fighting. Cut that out. Be nice." It was a great way to connect the facts to something that the kids will remember.
A student from another school got to be a pilot and our speaker taught him how to fly a plane. First he dressed the part, complete with a wool jacket, soft scarf (to protect their necks from the scratchy wool uniform under the jacket when they twisted and turned to see their blind spots as they flew), aviator hat, and goggles. A plunger was the base of the steering wheel and an actual steering wheel from a WWI plane got put on top of that. He had an app on his phone that would play noises, so he could direct the pilot to shoot at an enemy plane and when the kid pressed the machine gun plate, the sound of bullets echoed around the gym. Same for opening up the throttle and taking down an enemy plane. Pilots got to be 'Aces' when the took down 10 enemy aircraft. Our guy got cocky after successfully shooting down two. Then he got 'lured' in by a decoy plane and was attacked by six enemy planes... his plane exploded and he 'died'.
Our speaker went over by 15 minutes and said he could keep talking for at least another hour, but he knew we had to go. We had been planning to eat in Fairmont, but since Mr. E had to be back to school by one, we ate in New Ulm. My car picked up food from Subway and ate it at school. There was road construction in Courtland. Well, work crews were picking up snow off the street, so it was down to a one-lane. We had to wait for five minutes just sitting there smelling our food. It was kind of torture.
The rest of the day at school was kind of strange. We had a little recess, did social studies, had a little more recess. And most of my class said they are planning to leave early tomorrow. There's a tournament in Lakefield this weekend and normally classes leave early for this. However, the girls don't play at all tomorrow and the boys don't play until 6:00. I thought for sure everyone would be staying. Apparently the parents of the girls team want to take them bowling as a team bonding experience, so a bunch of them are leaving at 12:30 or earlier. Great. And this is the first I'm hearing about it. So I don't know how many 7-8th graders I'll have or how many 5-6th graders I'll have tomorrow. I sent out a message to parents asking them to relay their plans, and I've heard back from about half the class. Grr... skipping school to go bowling? It makes me crabby.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Candy Canes
We finally did our candy cane experiment. I've had the stuff sitting on the lab table for over a week!
We had three beakers hold apple juice, two with vegetable oil (didn't have enough oil to make three), three with vinegar, and three with water. One candy cane was set to the side as a control. There were enough candy canes that everyone could unwrap one to put it in the beaker. That also let us put them in at the same time. One girl went through three candy canes because every time she tried to take the wrapper off, the candy cane shattered.
The results were mostly as suspected. Oil did nothing to the candy canes. Apple juice was third fastest. Water and vinegar were tied as the fastest. We could actually see the sugar dissolving into the solution! It's hard to tell which of those two worked faster. After a half an hour, the candy canes in both liquids had dissolved down to a thin pole and the thin bottom half broke off in the beaker. By the end of the day, part of the candy cane still covered by the wrapper had been dissolved too. We're leaving one in a beaker overnight to see what happens, but the rest went into the garbage.
We had three beakers hold apple juice, two with vegetable oil (didn't have enough oil to make three), three with vinegar, and three with water. One candy cane was set to the side as a control. There were enough candy canes that everyone could unwrap one to put it in the beaker. That also let us put them in at the same time. One girl went through three candy canes because every time she tried to take the wrapper off, the candy cane shattered.
The results were mostly as suspected. Oil did nothing to the candy canes. Apple juice was third fastest. Water and vinegar were tied as the fastest. We could actually see the sugar dissolving into the solution! It's hard to tell which of those two worked faster. After a half an hour, the candy canes in both liquids had dissolved down to a thin pole and the thin bottom half broke off in the beaker. By the end of the day, part of the candy cane still covered by the wrapper had been dissolved too. We're leaving one in a beaker overnight to see what happens, but the rest went into the garbage.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Late Start
Boy, these late starts make everything crazy! The first day of the week is always loud and chatty, but today was even more so because of the snow on Monday and our late start. Oh, and it's a new quarter! I totally forgot to finish the seating charts I'd started to come up with, but thankfully they were far enough along I could write them up on the board without too much thinking. We did devotions, BINGO prizes, had a few rounds, and then it was lunch time. Not much time in a morning that starts at 10:30!
Our cook couldn't get out of her driveway this morning, so she was late getting to school, which pushed our lunchtime back by 15 minutes. And then the oven wouldn't start, so she had to go to plan B: ham sandwiches. It took FOREVER for classes to go through the line. We ended up having an extra long noon recess, starting class at 1:00. The 7-8th graders were terrible today. Hard to focus, whispering to each other, no respect during bells, couldn't keep their hands to themselves. Grr... I was about ready to pull my hair out. But I know tomorrow will be better.
The 5-6th graders were crazy when they got back too. I had them put their heads on their desks for about a minute and they were much calmer after that. We got through the whole Moon Phases lesson I'd wanted to teach. There was no time for recess though, but only a few of them complained.
Two of my girls and one 4th grade girl are starting a cheer squad for our home basketball tournament in February. They asked after the student council meeting. I said sure, as long as they do everything. They typed up a permission slip and parent information (copying/editing a form I made in past years), got it approved by Mr. E and me, and passed them out to potential cheerleaders. They also wanted me to message their parents so their parents would know this was an actual thing, not just something the girls were making up. Good idea. Their plan is to have practice on Thursdays, but not this Thursday because that would be too soon. I hope it works out!
Our cook couldn't get out of her driveway this morning, so she was late getting to school, which pushed our lunchtime back by 15 minutes. And then the oven wouldn't start, so she had to go to plan B: ham sandwiches. It took FOREVER for classes to go through the line. We ended up having an extra long noon recess, starting class at 1:00. The 7-8th graders were terrible today. Hard to focus, whispering to each other, no respect during bells, couldn't keep their hands to themselves. Grr... I was about ready to pull my hair out. But I know tomorrow will be better.
The 5-6th graders were crazy when they got back too. I had them put their heads on their desks for about a minute and they were much calmer after that. We got through the whole Moon Phases lesson I'd wanted to teach. There was no time for recess though, but only a few of them complained.
Two of my girls and one 4th grade girl are starting a cheer squad for our home basketball tournament in February. They asked after the student council meeting. I said sure, as long as they do everything. They typed up a permission slip and parent information (copying/editing a form I made in past years), got it approved by Mr. E and me, and passed them out to potential cheerleaders. They also wanted me to message their parents so their parents would know this was an actual thing, not just something the girls were making up. Good idea. Their plan is to have practice on Thursdays, but not this Thursday because that would be too soon. I hope it works out!
Friday, January 19, 2018
Snow Fun
Our afternoon recess was so fun! It's about 45 degrees this afternoon so it was perfect to be outside. We went on the soccer side, but played on the huge drift that's right outside the 7/8th and 3/4th grade classroom. My kids got out there before I did (I had to put on my boots and hat, etc.), and then I hung around the parking lot talking to a few parents who came to school early to pick up their kids (no busing this afternoon).
A short while into our conversation, two girls came up to me, "Miss H, we have news." Oh boy. They were smiling, so I thought it was good, until they said, "Well, we don't want to be tattle tales, but they're all throwing snow at Mr. D's window." On that note, I left the parents and went to stop the snow throwing.
The 3/4th graders were super concerned that my kids were playing around the tunnels they'd built earlier today. One of my students wasn't watching where he was going and stepped right through one, breaking the whole top piece. And of course the 3/4th graders watched the whole thing through their windows. I knew they'd be furious, so I told my kids we had to try to rebuild the top. The snow was melty/sticky enough that we could fix it, and it was kind of fun packing snow on top of snow, trying to get it to stay. By the end of recess, it was good as new! Of course, it's supposed to be warm up until Sunday, so it will probably melt and fall in again. And if that doesn't happen, it will probably be covered by snow again with the storm that's supposed to come through Sunday into Monday. Either way, the 3/4th graders were happy to have their tunnel fixed. My kids burned off a lot of energy and I had fun playing in the snow too. Maybe I'll have to go out for more snow fun once I get home...
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Cone Flipping
At afternoon recess today I got a kick out of two 5th grade girls who invented a game flipping cones onto the bleachers. They each got four and earned points by tossing the cones onto the different levels, trying to land them upright. They played it all recess!
Our end of the day routine was a bit out of the ordinary since I had to leave school right away. They put everything away and headed down to Mr. E's room for dismissal. I packed up the classroom lightning fast! I made it to New Ulm in time.
It took about an hour for them to check out my car, like they'd expected. I got correcting done while I waited. Turns out there's a hose in the coolant area that has too much vacuum, which is what made my engine weird. The other thing is a hose leading from the coolant container that leaks when it gets cold outside. So. My car is still fine to drive. I have a date on the calendar with them to fix the door handles (a recall fix), so they can fix the other stuff at the same time.
Our end of the day routine was a bit out of the ordinary since I had to leave school right away. They put everything away and headed down to Mr. E's room for dismissal. I packed up the classroom lightning fast! I made it to New Ulm in time.
It took about an hour for them to check out my car, like they'd expected. I got correcting done while I waited. Turns out there's a hose in the coolant area that has too much vacuum, which is what made my engine weird. The other thing is a hose leading from the coolant container that leaks when it gets cold outside. So. My car is still fine to drive. I have a date on the calendar with them to fix the door handles (a recall fix), so they can fix the other stuff at the same time.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
A little airing out
It was kind of smelly in our classroom today... I think a few people forgot to put on deodorant. Our sentsi is still on loan to the 7/8th graders (so their room won't smell like vomit), so we didn't have anything to combat the smell in our room. It got to the point that I had to say something. At lunch, I made the general announcement that everyone should do a sniff check over lunch to see if they needed to apply deodorant again (most had their basketball bags and would have deodorant along). They all thought it was funny and started sniffing each other and themselves. I even checked myself, just in case it was me! Once we settled down enough to pray, the helper of the day picked the prayer 'Jaws'.
To do this, we make shark fins by putting both hands together over our heads and move them up and down in time to the Jaws themesong, saying, "God is good and God is great and GodisgoodandGodisgreat and letusthankhimforourfood. Amen!" And SNAP our hands together on the Amen. Well, that's all fine and good on a normal day, but on a slightly smelly day... it definitely airs things out!
On a whole other note, I'm kind of scared to go out and start my car. This morning, the engine wouldn't catch. I tried it six times or so before I called my dad. He said to keep trying it. The next time, it turned on. So I made it to school okay, but the engine light is still on. It's warmer today, so maybe that will help? But my car was in a garage overnight and it's been starting fine in the cold which makes me think it's a worse problem... The Ford dealership in New Ulm can't get me in until tomorrow right after school, so I'll have to duck out right away, and then they only have time to check it, not do anything about it (as far as I understand). So let's pray that it's not something major! And that my car starts tonight and tomorrow so I can get there without a tow truck.
To do this, we make shark fins by putting both hands together over our heads and move them up and down in time to the Jaws themesong, saying, "God is good and God is great and GodisgoodandGodisgreat and letusthankhimforourfood. Amen!" And SNAP our hands together on the Amen. Well, that's all fine and good on a normal day, but on a slightly smelly day... it definitely airs things out!
On a whole other note, I'm kind of scared to go out and start my car. This morning, the engine wouldn't catch. I tried it six times or so before I called my dad. He said to keep trying it. The next time, it turned on. So I made it to school okay, but the engine light is still on. It's warmer today, so maybe that will help? But my car was in a garage overnight and it's been starting fine in the cold which makes me think it's a worse problem... The Ford dealership in New Ulm can't get me in until tomorrow right after school, so I'll have to duck out right away, and then they only have time to check it, not do anything about it (as far as I understand). So let's pray that it's not something major! And that my car starts tonight and tomorrow so I can get there without a tow truck.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Last Minute Field Trip
On Sunday, I saw a poster up in church (a church I was visiting) about a historical speaker coming to MLHS to talk about World War I. I've been to this speaker in the past and he is FANTASTIC! He really makes history come alive. Two years ago the topic was on voyagers of Minnesota. Just the other day two 8th graders were talking about something this speaker had said/demonstrated that they remembered from the field trip two years ago.
Of course I wanted to go. Last year we didn't get to. I don't think we were invited (two years ago, one of our students threw up at the event and we haven't been back since). But I thought I'd bring it up with Mr. E just in case. It turns out we were invited by the MLHS principal, but Mr. E had forgotten until I asked about it. The bad news: we play the Martin County basketball teams that night in Northrup. So if we go to the field trip, we'd come back to school only to turn around and go right back for the games that night. And there's no way we can bum around Fairmont until the games at four.
But Mr. E did end up giving permission for the 5-8th graders to go! We already have two drivers besides Mr. E and me. That leaves us needing room for six kids. I have some people in mind that I could call to see if they'd drive, but I'm waiting to hear if any parents volunteer first. Still, the field trip is next Tuesday, and no school on Monday since it's the end of the quarter, so I don't have a ton of time to pull this together!
Of course I wanted to go. Last year we didn't get to. I don't think we were invited (two years ago, one of our students threw up at the event and we haven't been back since). But I thought I'd bring it up with Mr. E just in case. It turns out we were invited by the MLHS principal, but Mr. E had forgotten until I asked about it. The bad news: we play the Martin County basketball teams that night in Northrup. So if we go to the field trip, we'd come back to school only to turn around and go right back for the games that night. And there's no way we can bum around Fairmont until the games at four.
But Mr. E did end up giving permission for the 5-8th graders to go! We already have two drivers besides Mr. E and me. That leaves us needing room for six kids. I have some people in mind that I could call to see if they'd drive, but I'm waiting to hear if any parents volunteer first. Still, the field trip is next Tuesday, and no school on Monday since it's the end of the quarter, so I don't have a ton of time to pull this together!
Monday, January 15, 2018
The Day of Movies
Well, my kids were off the wall today. Super chatty, didn't want to listen or pay attention. My class was not the only one affected. We've had really high winds all day, although it seems to be clearing up now.
Since it's Martin Luther King Day, we watched the movie Ruby Bridges. It took a half an hour longer to watch it than the movie actually is because we needed to stop and discuss/explain things. They were totally shocked that people would be so mean to such a little girl over nothing! We made some good connections to the book we're reading about the Holocaust and about a few other things we're learning too.
We didn't have time to finish it before lunch, so we watched the last 10 minutes after they got back from math. Afterwards, our science topic of the day was 'life in space'. What better way to learn about life in space than to hear it from actual astronauts living in space? I have a Youtube playlist with videos made by astronauts living on the International Space Station. We only made it halfway through the playlist today. Maybe we'll have time to watch more tomorrow.
My prep time got interrupted today when about half my students RUSHED into my room to announce that one of the 5th graders threw up in Mr. E's room. Poor girl. :( Everyone was staring at her... It got all over the carpet, her shoes, and also on the floor in the bathroom. A parent came to pick her up while I cleaned in the bathroom and tried to do something with her shoes. They wiped up pretty good; the rest they'll have to do at home. Not quite what I had expected to do this afternoon, but such is life.
Our National Lutheran School's Week planning meeting after school went well. We figured out all the dress up days (they're all this vs. that days) and came up with a rough schedule of the fun activities. We even had an idea for entertainment Wednesday! I emailed the BLC Jazz band director, hoping they can come out for a gig. It would be awesome to get more music at our school, even for just a little bit!
Since it's Martin Luther King Day, we watched the movie Ruby Bridges. It took a half an hour longer to watch it than the movie actually is because we needed to stop and discuss/explain things. They were totally shocked that people would be so mean to such a little girl over nothing! We made some good connections to the book we're reading about the Holocaust and about a few other things we're learning too.
We didn't have time to finish it before lunch, so we watched the last 10 minutes after they got back from math. Afterwards, our science topic of the day was 'life in space'. What better way to learn about life in space than to hear it from actual astronauts living in space? I have a Youtube playlist with videos made by astronauts living on the International Space Station. We only made it halfway through the playlist today. Maybe we'll have time to watch more tomorrow.
My prep time got interrupted today when about half my students RUSHED into my room to announce that one of the 5th graders threw up in Mr. E's room. Poor girl. :( Everyone was staring at her... It got all over the carpet, her shoes, and also on the floor in the bathroom. A parent came to pick her up while I cleaned in the bathroom and tried to do something with her shoes. They wiped up pretty good; the rest they'll have to do at home. Not quite what I had expected to do this afternoon, but such is life.
Our National Lutheran School's Week planning meeting after school went well. We figured out all the dress up days (they're all this vs. that days) and came up with a rough schedule of the fun activities. We even had an idea for entertainment Wednesday! I emailed the BLC Jazz band director, hoping they can come out for a gig. It would be awesome to get more music at our school, even for just a little bit!
Friday, January 12, 2018
Frantic
Whew, today has been a whirlwind! It started crazy and it ended crazy.
I have my morning wake-up alarm set on my iPod, but when I have my iPod at school, I turn it to silent mode so it doesn't interrupt our day with potential strange noises. Yesterday, I forgot to turn it back to normal sound. That means I didn't wake up until 7:00!!! Yikes! I had left all my correcting for this morning, planning to get up right away to get it all done. Yeah, that didn't happen. I did make it to school at a decent time and I did get half the spelling packets corrected while at home, but not everything.
That put me behind the rest of the day. I had thought I'd be able to correct more before kiddos arrived, except one girl came early, only a few minutes after I got there! She wanted to say memory and talk about her science fair topic. Then I had to make copies and make an art project example and before I could do either of those, the bus dropped off the rest of the kids.
Reading buddies gave me time to catch up on things a little bit, and I had a surprise visitor! My farmer's dad had been passing through the area running errands and he stopped in to say hi. It was a nice surprise! He got to see my classroom in the midst of reading buddies; of course all my students were curious who he was...
After reading buddies we had 10 minutes of free time until Princess Kay of the Milky Way visited our class. She played 'Dairy Fact Jeopardy' with my kids. They had a lot of fun! Even though I'm a beef girl, I still knew quite a few of the answers. Right after the Princess left, our Junior Achievement guy came for our very last session this year. Today's topic was all about global business and trading with other countries (where our supplies come from).
At lunchtime, I took the opportunity to make copies quickly before grabbing my lunch, so all my students were finished eating before I even made it back to the classroom (of course, they could've eaten fast since lunch was one of their favorite meals: sloppy joes). Thankfully, today was another Art Recess, so a volunteer was already in the gym and they could go out and play without having to wait for me. I had a ton of kids who hadn't said their memory yet, so instead of art time, it was listen to memory work time.
The 7/8th graders corrected their spelling books and took their tests, then we tested their earthquake resistant buildings on our jello.
Afterwards, the 5-6th graders had art. We made a project using chalk that mimics the Northern Lights. Man, they were not happy with how they turned out! They kept asking me for a new piece of paper because they didn't like the way their chalk lines looked. "Nope, you only get one," was my answer, "problem solve!" They flipped it over and used the back. But what happened when they messed up the back side too??? Figure out which way the paper should be turned so the tree silhouette would cover up the worst of it. Actually, most of them turned out really cool and I think overall they're happy with how they look.
Recess should've been normal, except the electricians came to install different lights in the gym. I was going to tell my kids to stay on one half of the gym, but the electricians said they'd work around them. It was kind of fun to watch! Some of the electricians know my students, so they were talking basketball and teasing each other about missing shots. The electricians had a scissor lift, and at one point they tried to make a basket from the top of the gym! It hit the rim, but didn't go in.
Well, now the week's over and I'm wrapping things up. I think I'll be able to make it home before 5:00 today! That means I'll make my weekly goal of leaving school before 5:30 three times this week. Not too shabby!
This weekend will be a cold one... my farmer has a snowmobile race on the lake on Saturday and the high for the day is not that high. I've already been planning how many layers I'll wear. I also have heat packs for my hands and boots so I won't totally freeze.
I have my morning wake-up alarm set on my iPod, but when I have my iPod at school, I turn it to silent mode so it doesn't interrupt our day with potential strange noises. Yesterday, I forgot to turn it back to normal sound. That means I didn't wake up until 7:00!!! Yikes! I had left all my correcting for this morning, planning to get up right away to get it all done. Yeah, that didn't happen. I did make it to school at a decent time and I did get half the spelling packets corrected while at home, but not everything.
That put me behind the rest of the day. I had thought I'd be able to correct more before kiddos arrived, except one girl came early, only a few minutes after I got there! She wanted to say memory and talk about her science fair topic. Then I had to make copies and make an art project example and before I could do either of those, the bus dropped off the rest of the kids.
Reading buddies gave me time to catch up on things a little bit, and I had a surprise visitor! My farmer's dad had been passing through the area running errands and he stopped in to say hi. It was a nice surprise! He got to see my classroom in the midst of reading buddies; of course all my students were curious who he was...
After reading buddies we had 10 minutes of free time until Princess Kay of the Milky Way visited our class. She played 'Dairy Fact Jeopardy' with my kids. They had a lot of fun! Even though I'm a beef girl, I still knew quite a few of the answers. Right after the Princess left, our Junior Achievement guy came for our very last session this year. Today's topic was all about global business and trading with other countries (where our supplies come from).
At lunchtime, I took the opportunity to make copies quickly before grabbing my lunch, so all my students were finished eating before I even made it back to the classroom (of course, they could've eaten fast since lunch was one of their favorite meals: sloppy joes). Thankfully, today was another Art Recess, so a volunteer was already in the gym and they could go out and play without having to wait for me. I had a ton of kids who hadn't said their memory yet, so instead of art time, it was listen to memory work time.
The 7/8th graders corrected their spelling books and took their tests, then we tested their earthquake resistant buildings on our jello.
Afterwards, the 5-6th graders had art. We made a project using chalk that mimics the Northern Lights. Man, they were not happy with how they turned out! They kept asking me for a new piece of paper because they didn't like the way their chalk lines looked. "Nope, you only get one," was my answer, "problem solve!" They flipped it over and used the back. But what happened when they messed up the back side too??? Figure out which way the paper should be turned so the tree silhouette would cover up the worst of it. Actually, most of them turned out really cool and I think overall they're happy with how they look.
Recess should've been normal, except the electricians came to install different lights in the gym. I was going to tell my kids to stay on one half of the gym, but the electricians said they'd work around them. It was kind of fun to watch! Some of the electricians know my students, so they were talking basketball and teasing each other about missing shots. The electricians had a scissor lift, and at one point they tried to make a basket from the top of the gym! It hit the rim, but didn't go in.
Well, now the week's over and I'm wrapping things up. I think I'll be able to make it home before 5:00 today! That means I'll make my weekly goal of leaving school before 5:30 three times this week. Not too shabby!
This weekend will be a cold one... my farmer has a snowmobile race on the lake on Saturday and the high for the day is not that high. I've already been planning how many layers I'll wear. I also have heat packs for my hands and boots so I won't totally freeze.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Business and Bluster
The storm the weathermen were predicting once again did not amount to much. We had a light dusting when I woke up this morning and the roads were totally fine. No late start. No cancelled school. Aww man! It has been super windy allll day. I'm surprised the Bookmobile came! Normally they stay put if it's too windy because it blows the bus around.
We had another great day of Junior Achievement. Yesterday's topic had been about what types of careers they might want, or possible good business ideas. It sparked two girls to write up a business plan and make a map of their future business. I think it has something to do with architecture and interior design. They have been working on it all day!
Today's topic fit right in with that, interviewing and resume writing. They had fun thinking of the skills they have to 'sell' and learning what NOT to do in an interview. I'm excited to see if that affects their business plans at all...
Tomorrow will be another busy day. It's our last Junior Achievement meeting AND Princess Kay of the Milky Way is visiting our school/classroom. Plus the normal reading buddies, spelling tests, memory work, handwriting that's all done on Fridays too.
We had another great day of Junior Achievement. Yesterday's topic had been about what types of careers they might want, or possible good business ideas. It sparked two girls to write up a business plan and make a map of their future business. I think it has something to do with architecture and interior design. They have been working on it all day!
Today's topic fit right in with that, interviewing and resume writing. They had fun thinking of the skills they have to 'sell' and learning what NOT to do in an interview. I'm excited to see if that affects their business plans at all...
Tomorrow will be another busy day. It's our last Junior Achievement meeting AND Princess Kay of the Milky Way is visiting our school/classroom. Plus the normal reading buddies, spelling tests, memory work, handwriting that's all done on Fridays too.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Surprise All School Event
Yesterday at our faculty meeting we decided to give the students and all-school activity to end the day. We typically plan at least one all-school event per quarter, and we haven't done one this quarter. Student council had asked if we could play kickball sometime. Another teacher had the idea to do it outside since it was supposed to be so nice today. Another teacher thought we could play Mat Kickball, which is like regular kickball except people don't have to run if they think they'll get out. They can stay on the mat, having more than one person on the mat at a time, and the other team has to bounce the ball on the mat to get the runner out.
Well, the weather didn't quite cooperate today. It's been foggy and windy, so we decided to make it work in the gym. We had four 8th graders pick teams earlier today. Two teams played one inning while the other two cheered from the bleachers. Then we swapped. At the end, we had hot chocolate, cookies, and freezies.
There were some great plays and some AWESOME catches! I heard some of my kids say that was the most fun game of kickball they've ever played. I'm kind of sad I didn't get to play. Next time we'll see if teachers can get drafted...
Well, the weather didn't quite cooperate today. It's been foggy and windy, so we decided to make it work in the gym. We had four 8th graders pick teams earlier today. Two teams played one inning while the other two cheered from the bleachers. Then we swapped. At the end, we had hot chocolate, cookies, and freezies.
There were some great plays and some AWESOME catches! I heard some of my kids say that was the most fun game of kickball they've ever played. I'm kind of sad I didn't get to play. Next time we'll see if teachers can get drafted...
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Alien Debate
Whew, we got into a heated discussion about aliens today... I knew it would be a big discussing day since I have super opinionated 5th and 6th graders, some I know have distinct opinions/viewpoints about the supernatural world already. They've asked about life on other planets before (and I have a distinct opinion about it), so I have already been looking for evidence to back my side up. Cue: the Bible and Pastor.
While his answer didn't give me the exact evidence I needed for my views, it did provide excellent food for thought and good discussion points with my kiddos. My original question to him was, "Are there any verses in the Bible that prove that there is no such thing as aliens?" I'll give you the direct quote from his email (my students were also impressed that I used direct quotations in my powerpoint today, haha).
From Pastor B, "It is theoretically possible that God could have created other planets with life. But I can't think of a passage [in the Bible] that would prove or disprove that. So we have to stick with what we do know: God created our world and populated it with people and sent his only Son to redeem it. I guess if there were other planets with humans who never sinned, they would not need a Savior and would probably be much more advanced than we are. But I don't believe anyone has any evidence to support that theory--it's just speculation. What we should never forget is that the spirit world is all around us--good and bad angels."
Our debate lasted a good 15-20 minutes and the two most in favor of aliens would've kept going forever except everyone else complained that we should just move on. So we did. We talked lenticular clouds and ball lightning, which are both impressive in and of themselves.
While his answer didn't give me the exact evidence I needed for my views, it did provide excellent food for thought and good discussion points with my kiddos. My original question to him was, "Are there any verses in the Bible that prove that there is no such thing as aliens?" I'll give you the direct quote from his email (my students were also impressed that I used direct quotations in my powerpoint today, haha).
From Pastor B, "It is theoretically possible that God could have created other planets with life. But I can't think of a passage [in the Bible] that would prove or disprove that. So we have to stick with what we do know: God created our world and populated it with people and sent his only Son to redeem it. I guess if there were other planets with humans who never sinned, they would not need a Savior and would probably be much more advanced than we are. But I don't believe anyone has any evidence to support that theory--it's just speculation. What we should never forget is that the spirit world is all around us--good and bad angels."
Our debate lasted a good 15-20 minutes and the two most in favor of aliens would've kept going forever except everyone else complained that we should just move on. So we did. We talked lenticular clouds and ball lightning, which are both impressive in and of themselves.
Monday, January 8, 2018
Art
I've had a note in the bulletin for a while asking for volunteers to watch the kids in the gym at noon recess so I can do more art projects with my students (or any other students who have noon recess). FINALLY I had someone volunteer! She called this morning before school and set up a bunch of times to come this month, including today!
Man, my kiddos were so excited to hear that! They had a blast. Most were finished with their art project I'd assigned on Friday, so they wanted to do something new. I had a bunch of straight clothespins in the closet I'd been meaning to do a project with, so I set them out on the table along with the ribbons and yarn and they made people! A few wanted to make dragon flies, but I didn't have pipe cleaners. Mrs. E has about a billion (her words) and let them borrow the whole box. Wow, they did not want to stop! Clean-up was pretty easy, although my lab table is all full of art supplies now.
They were super bummed to find out they have to wait until Friday to do it again. Hey, at least Friday isn't all that far away in the grand scheme of things! Our first volunteer said she might be able to get some more grandmas to supervise in the gym. There were some ladies who were interested, but they didn't want to do it if they had to stand in the cold. Ha, me neither! Besides, everyone wants to play basketball at noon recess. So we'll see how many people we can get!
Man, my kiddos were so excited to hear that! They had a blast. Most were finished with their art project I'd assigned on Friday, so they wanted to do something new. I had a bunch of straight clothespins in the closet I'd been meaning to do a project with, so I set them out on the table along with the ribbons and yarn and they made people! A few wanted to make dragon flies, but I didn't have pipe cleaners. Mrs. E has about a billion (her words) and let them borrow the whole box. Wow, they did not want to stop! Clean-up was pretty easy, although my lab table is all full of art supplies now.
They were super bummed to find out they have to wait until Friday to do it again. Hey, at least Friday isn't all that far away in the grand scheme of things! Our first volunteer said she might be able to get some more grandmas to supervise in the gym. There were some ladies who were interested, but they didn't want to do it if they had to stand in the cold. Ha, me neither! Besides, everyone wants to play basketball at noon recess. So we'll see how many people we can get!
Friday, January 5, 2018
Strawberries
Lunch strawberries are always crazy hard to get open. They come in a little square plastic container with a super tough seal on the top. Last time we had them, the kitchen helper stabbed the tops with a knife to break the plastic open, but this time, we were on our own. I don't care for this type of strawberries, so I always take a different fruit; many of my students did though and they had to get creative with the problem solving to get access to their fruit.
First came the round of gigantic complaining. (Actually they complained about EVERYTHING today). Most tried stabbing the container with a fork. It wouldn't always break through and after it did, they'd have to stab it multiple times to get an opening wide enough to fit a spoon in. A few went back to the kitchen to use a knife to open it. One girl was smart and got her scissors from her desk.
The ones still struggling with the fork saw her eating her berries already, "What? How did you get it so fast?" They were totally shocked. "Wow, I can't believe I didn't think of that," one of them said.
First came the round of gigantic complaining. (Actually they complained about EVERYTHING today). Most tried stabbing the container with a fork. It wouldn't always break through and after it did, they'd have to stab it multiple times to get an opening wide enough to fit a spoon in. A few went back to the kitchen to use a knife to open it. One girl was smart and got her scissors from her desk.
The ones still struggling with the fork saw her eating her berries already, "What? How did you get it so fast?" They were totally shocked. "Wow, I can't believe I didn't think of that," one of them said.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Rebels
I almost had a rebellion on my hands today... It's partly my fault since I let myself be convinced to watch an extra episode of Wishbone instead of sticking with the two I originally planned on. After getting all cozy in our beanbags and blankets (they brought some from home), they didn't want to get up. Adding to that was that we don't have spelling or handwriting this week, plus Wishbone is really good at explaining the classics... so we watched a third one. Of course afterwards they pressed for a 4th, but I held my ground. I asked them to go to the Reading Corner so we could pick our Daily 5 round. One kid said, "What if we all just stay here and take a nap?" All of them closed their eyes and pretended to sleep. None of them moved. What? Total rebellion? No one following instructions? I let them know that if they choose to boycott me and my decisions, they wouldn't be allowed to have any more prizes this year. That got them moving. Whew! They were pretty good after that until Social Studies time. Then they got the giggles...
After school was moderately productive. I got bell music put in folders and science fair info printed out. I just need to remember to pass it out tomorrow. My rough lesson plan for next week is in place. I had a nice chat with Miss S and I ran my errands. I made the mistake of grocery shopping on an empty stomach... Now one of my goals is to cook with what I have for the next month to see if I can use up some of the stockpile I have in my kitchen.
Since it's the traditional time for new beginnings, (and my current goal of getting home before 5:30 isn't going so well) I made myself a list of the things I hope to accomplish weekly:
After school was moderately productive. I got bell music put in folders and science fair info printed out. I just need to remember to pass it out tomorrow. My rough lesson plan for next week is in place. I had a nice chat with Miss S and I ran my errands. I made the mistake of grocery shopping on an empty stomach... Now one of my goals is to cook with what I have for the next month to see if I can use up some of the stockpile I have in my kitchen.
Since it's the traditional time for new beginnings, (and my current goal of getting home before 5:30 isn't going so well) I made myself a list of the things I hope to accomplish weekly:
- Be home by 5:30 three times per week (start small and I can work my way up to more days)
- Cook supper at least once per week
- Write for fun at least 10 minutes
- Bake something
- Do something crafty
- Read a book I own but haven't read yet
- Get some type of physical activity
There you have it! Miss H's personal weekly goals of 2018!
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
First Day
The first day back after break was as expected... loud and kind of crazy. Of course everyone wanted to tell each other about all the presents they'd gotten over break. It feels like I have to reteach them everything about focusing and being productive, but hopefully this is just a one day thing. We did have a few quiet rounds this morning.
They'd earned a class prize before break and we voted today as to what their prize will be. I gave three choices: Wishbone episodes (2), extra credit on any subject, 30 minutes of extra recess. I wanted them to pick Wishbone episodes, which they eventually did. The 6th graders were pumped when I brought up Wishbone. The 5th graders, not so much. Of course, they didn't know what Wishbone was. Since it's a short week and we don't have spelling or handwriting, I let them watch an episode so the 5th graders would know how awesome the show it.
For those of you who didn't grow up in the 90s (or didn't have kids who watched PBS at that time), Wishbone is a show about a little terrier and his owner Joe and Joe's friends Samantha and David. The things that happen in their lives remind Wishbone of a classic book, and he imagines himself as the hero of the book. It makes the classics waaaay easier to figure out! Today's episode was about Hercules. I'm not sure which two we're going to watch tomorrow... I did say they could have a say in which ones.
They almost voted for extra recess, but then strategizing took over. There are two definite recess groups in my classroom: the insiders and the outsiders. They know that if they voted for extra recess, I'd make them vote on whether to go in or out. Each side is not willing to take the chance that their side wouldn't win, so only one person voted for recess. One person voted for extra credit. Two people abstained because any of the choices sounded good to them. My cat loving student is not thrilled about having to watch a tv show about a dog, but hopefully she can put her dislike of dogs aside and still enjoy the humor and the stories.
They'd earned a class prize before break and we voted today as to what their prize will be. I gave three choices: Wishbone episodes (2), extra credit on any subject, 30 minutes of extra recess. I wanted them to pick Wishbone episodes, which they eventually did. The 6th graders were pumped when I brought up Wishbone. The 5th graders, not so much. Of course, they didn't know what Wishbone was. Since it's a short week and we don't have spelling or handwriting, I let them watch an episode so the 5th graders would know how awesome the show it.
For those of you who didn't grow up in the 90s (or didn't have kids who watched PBS at that time), Wishbone is a show about a little terrier and his owner Joe and Joe's friends Samantha and David. The things that happen in their lives remind Wishbone of a classic book, and he imagines himself as the hero of the book. It makes the classics waaaay easier to figure out! Today's episode was about Hercules. I'm not sure which two we're going to watch tomorrow... I did say they could have a say in which ones.
They almost voted for extra recess, but then strategizing took over. There are two definite recess groups in my classroom: the insiders and the outsiders. They know that if they voted for extra recess, I'd make them vote on whether to go in or out. Each side is not willing to take the chance that their side wouldn't win, so only one person voted for recess. One person voted for extra credit. Two people abstained because any of the choices sounded good to them. My cat loving student is not thrilled about having to watch a tv show about a dog, but hopefully she can put her dislike of dogs aside and still enjoy the humor and the stories.
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