Help Harry

The 5-6th graders did a STEM lab today. I think they had a good time, but I'll see when I check their papers. The bottom of the page had them do an evaluation of their experience with each other and how they liked the activity as a whole. I had the time split into: planning, building, testing/tweaking, and reflecting. Their task was to make a perch for "Harry", a puffball with googly eyes, to better watch the classroom. They had to build a tower to get him as high as they could. Supplies: 12 pipe cleaners, a paper clip, two index cards, 12" of tape, and a small paper cup.

It was interesting to watch them work. Some groups planned super well, drawing diagrams and talking through the steps of what they were going to do. Others only talked it out. All but one group completed the challenge! 

Now they want to help Harry survive a nuclear holocaust... Eh, probably not. But there can be more Harry challenges in the future. I just gotta think them up...

North America Trips Part Two

The last three groups presented today. Actually, they were all individual students, which is kind of rare. I guess they learned that some classmates are not great partners and they'd rather do all the work than have their grade lowered for a partner who doesn't hold up his/her end of the deal. 

One girl, arguably the smartest in the class did her trip for free. Yes. That's right. Free. She went to Colorado with her aunt/uncle, stayed with them, and they paid for everything. She went panning for gold and made $20 to add to her future trip budget. That's her whole motivation for the cheap trip, so she has more to spend on cooler places coming up. Well, I guess that's okay. She still planned a trip and it's not like she can do this for every trip she needs to plan this year. 🤷‍♀️

Smart cookie!

Storm Before the Calm

I meant to write yesterday, but I couldn't gather my thoughts well after the way the school day ended. The whole day had been fine up to the last five minutes of the day. One of the sixth graders had had enough picking and just exploded: full on yelling, crying in rage, then storming out to the coatroom to collect herself. In between, she flipped off one of her classmates (the one who had been poking her buttons all day, but he wasn't the one who broke the camel's back as far as I could tell). After she left, the whole class was so quiet you could hear a pin drop on our carpet. No one knew what to say. No one knew what had set her off. So I asked the class to do their highs and lows while I talked with her out in the coatroom. It was so sweet; one of the 5th graders asked me to share my high and low before I left.

This poor girl. The first thing she said was, "I already texted my mom what I did, so you don't need to tell her." I could tell she was beating herself up for blowing up. I also know that she has some family stuff going on and that her computer/testing didn't work for her this morning. Lots of little things adding up. So we talked. It seemed like we left it in a good place. She wrote her classmate an apology letter and left school out a different door so she wouldn't blow up at him again (both her ideas). I need to find tools to teach her to manage her emotions in a more healthy way. A friend is helping me with that. 

This student's best friend was in tears as well and didn't want to share. She stayed after school for volleyball, so I checked in with her after the rest of the class got on the bus. Yes, she was fine. Yes, it had to do with her friend yelling and the other classmate always picking on each other. We talked through some things as well until it seemed like she was doing better.

Sigh. I wish I had more knowledge of what to say and how to say it! I think I did okay, but I know there's always room for improvement. 

Thankfully, today was a much more peaceful day. 

Travel the World: Part One North America

The 7-8th graders presented their trip projects for North America today. Or... they tried to convince me that they shouldn't present today. Most of them weren't done this morning and wanted to wait until Thursday. 

Every year this happens. They get tons of class time and then wait and wait to do their projects. I know they've been working on them. Just not enough I guess. I told them they could trade their order with their classmates, but they had to work that out themselves. Two 7th graders swapped, even though they both presented today. One needed "just five more minutes Miss H!" 

The two 8th grade boys tried to work the system... They were supposed to present second, but they traded places with a classmate who wasn't going to be in class. Their thinking was: she wouldn't have to present today since she wasn't here, everyone else would get bumped up in order, and they'd both get to go on a different day. Getting to the bottom of the story more, one of the boys couldn't finish his part of the project because his computer got a virus this morning. Although, both of them went out to recess instead of working on it... Still. Not much you can do about a computer virus, so I gave them a one day reprieve. 

The three that presented today did a fantastic job. They picked cool places to visit and were thrifty in their spending! One girl's trip to Arizona only cost $500 including the flight. She stayed at her grandparents' house and used their car so she only had to pay for gas. Another girl went to Mexico City and rented a bike for a week to see the city. She was inspired by her grandparents too. Her grandparents did a resort-type place, all things included, but they gushed about the place so much she wanted to visit. The third presenter did a trip his family actually went on... to Colorado Springs. All super neat! I hope the last four presenters' projects are just as cool!

Chemical Reactions

Another super chatty day in 5-6th grade. I woke up with a sore throat (there's a cold going around school), so that didn't help either. But overall we had a good learning day. 

The 5-6th graders had their first lab today. It went pretty well from my point of view. We went over the lab prior to today so they'd know what to do. Before we began, I gave my safety spiel. Boy, they would not keep their goggles on their faces! They had a great time mixing liquids and checking for chemical reactions. I thought they'd have some supplies leftover. Nope. Two groups used them all, dumping various combinations of things together in the test tubes to see if they could 'make an explosion'. The closest they came was mixing vinegar or lemon juice with baking soda. Still, they got the test tubes to overflow! 

I split the class into three groups according to academic level. I don't think the kids realized how I split them up. The upper and middle level groups had three in them and I joined the low level kids to make them an even three. Those two worked at their own pace; I kept them on track and popped over to the other groups from time to time to check in. It worked fantastic! Tomorrow we'll work on conclusions during Writers Workshop. That was a sudden brainstorm I had five minutes before clean-up. In the past, we've struggled to cram the whole lab into the short science time. Conclusions always get gypped. Not this time! 

Boisterous

Holy cow my kiddos were loud today! And very touchy. The boys especially kept grabbing each other, roughhousing and such. 

It was raining outside, so we were in the gym for afternoon recess. We share a recess time with the Pre-K and kindergartners and when we're outside, it's no big deal. But crammed in the gym when my kiddos are crashing into each other... It makes Mrs. E very nervous. We split the gym in half to combat potential physical altercations. It worked, but all my kids' lows for the day were having recess with "the little kids". They unanimously agreed they'd rather have free time in our classroom than go in the gym with them. 

I offered the option of joining with the 1-4th graders. "Nope! They're even worse! I'd rather be with the preschoolers." Another student said, "Well, the 3-4th graders aren't so bad." Too bad they're a package deal for recess. 

We teachers discussed after school and are taking a poll of recess/PE times, but I have a feeling my kids' indoor recess solution is probably going to be our best option. 

Fly Swatters

Who knew fly swatters would be such a distraction?! The two sixth grade boys sit next to each other. They both like to be helpful. They've taken it upon themselves to be the designated class fly swatters. At first it wasn't such a big deal. They know where the two swatters are and they'd quietly take their weapons and patrol the room, on the hunt for pesky flies. But now they sit at their desks during lessons gripping the swatters, flicking them back and forth. One of the swatters, already old, is getting quite mangled. 

When I see the swatters in hand during class, I ask the boys to set them on the folding table behind their desks. And they do. For a while... A few minutes later somehow the swatters have magically appeared in their hands again, whisking back and forth, their eyes roving the room for flies. Ugh! Today it was so bad I made them put the swatters back in the closet. Sigh. 

In other news, my financial troubles with the USDA have been figured out FINALLY! The numbers have been adjusted and things are right as rain. The only downside is my closing date will most likely need to be pushed off by a week (hopefully not two) so paperwork can be finalized. I'm in the process of selecting homeowners insurance. Once we have a new official closing date, I can set up utility start dates. Another big sigh. The end is still in sight!

Finished

The 5-6th graders and I finished our first read aloud book of the year. It's a book that usually makes me cry even though I've read it three or four times. This time my eyes welled up and a few tears trickled out, but not too many. This class hasn't been as in-to the book as past years, so that definitely had an effect. It's funny, the kid who likes read-aloud least was so excited about the next book we're reading, he asked if we could start it this afternoon during STEM time. So we did. It's a really good book, Restart by Gordon Korman. One of my favorites.

My 7-8th graders are getting close to finishing their read-aloud book too. I'm not sure what I should read next with them. Normally we have trouble getting through one book in a year, but this class loved read-aloud so much when they were with me, I've made a commitment to giving them read-aloud every day, even if it's just fifteen minutes. 

After school I had a final walkthrough of my house with Mike, the construction manager, Luke, his intern, and Sondra, head honcho. We had a checklist of things to look at in each room. I made a list of things I need to do/buy for my house and Mike made a list of things he needs to wrap up. We're still waiting on paperwork from the USDA. There's been another snag. Apparently I'm too good at saving money, so they're changing things again. Sondra was hopeful we can keep my September 30th closing date (if all goes well). Just keep praying!

Full House

Lots of latchkey kids in my room after school today. Lots of whining too. And not wanting to share. But we persevered. 

It's hot outside... 97 degrees! My latchkey kids and I spent a bit of time playing out there, then hung out in the cool gym and my cool classroom. I got a bunch of correcting done and a little bit of lesson planning. But mostly "put out fires" between arguing kids. They all stayed until the almost end. 

Now my classroom is quiet and it's time for me to go home... Well, go to the library and pick up groceries and watch the MLC vs BLC volleyball game in New Ulm.

Spanish at the Water Cooler

Remember that kid who always filled up my water bottles for me at the drinking fountain last year? We ran into each other at the fountain this morning. He was on his way to the bathroom, but he said he'd watch them for me once he was done. 

When I came back from running my other errands, for whatever reason, I thanked him in Spanish. His reply as he walked back to his classroom: "Gracias, mi amor." I doubt he knows what that actually means. 😂 

My last Habitat meeting is tonight! It's hard to believe. It still doesn't feel real that in two weeks I'll be a new homeowner and moved into my new house! The paperwork is going slow, but it's going. So as far as I know, we're still on track. Two people told me they saw cars outside my house one night. My guess is those were the habitat families cleaning my house to earn sweat equity hours. Again, I'm so thankful there are others volunteering to do that task for me! 

Jennifer the Toad

One of the 6th grade girls is obsessed with toads. If I remember correctly, she has five as pets at home. She used to have six but one either died or escaped. 

She found a little toad near the mud kitchen at noon recess and promptly announced, "Hello little toad. Oh, you are a girl. Your new name is Samantha!" Apparently, you can tell a toad's gender by looking at its belly. Who knew?

I called them in for recess a while later and she came back over to the mud kitchen still clutching the toad, looking for a place to put it. She decided to put the toad in a cupcake tin. "Okay Jennifer the toad..." A classmate cut in, "Wait, I thought you named her Samantha?" She said, "I changed my mind. Okay, Jennifer, we're going to bake you in a cupcake! Ha, just kidding, we're not going to bake you." 

And then I lost the rest of what happened because Mr. E came out to ask me a question and we got sidetracked discussing what to do about the 7-8th graders' foul language at recess. I never hear them, or if I hear something suspicious, they always claim they didn't say the bad word. This time, some younger classmates tattled on them. One girl fessed up and then squealed on other classmates who do the same. Ugh. I think we've dealt with them all now. Mr. E had a big talk with his kids and I talked to the mom of the kid in my class. 

On a positive note, everyone said their memory work before the bell rang today!

Country Living

The smell is worse. We did a lot of breath-holding walking to and from my classroom... The trustees came last night and emptied the live traps, but there were only a few mice. The smell was strongest in the hallway into my classroom and the coatroom. That made me think it died further under the building. One of my early arrival students volunteered to search for an animal hole. He found one on the playground side of the building, but it was filled in with leaves. Hmm... it was a bit windy yesterday. Maybe the leaves blew in? Either way, the smell is there. 

This kid, a farm boy through and through, also volunteered to unscrew the tin from the side of the building. "I think if I took the tin off, I'd be able to squeeze under there and see what's there!" Uh, thanks but no thanks. So the trustees are coming after work to poke around again. I'm not sure what they'll be able to do. 

I let my kids bring their backpacks into the classroom so they wouldn't absorb the smell. We kept our door closed and held our breath entering and exiting. The smell got better as the day went on, at least to me, but my kids said it was still horrible. I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings!

Calendar Writing

English ended up being a whole lot more fun today than I originally planned! Our topic was author's voice and being descriptive with our writing. I referred to a game we played last year, the Calendar Writing game, and said we could play it on Friday. The class said, "Why can't we play now, since we're thinking about it?" Huh. Good point. So I got out the supplies and away we went!

How to play: a picture from an old calendar is tucked in a folder so no one can see it. Each student picks one and secretly describes what it looks like, sounds like, feels like, time of day/year, nearby objects, etc. Then the pictures are revealed and students guess whose description goes with which picture. I had the pictures grouped based on seasons to make it a little harder to guess. Our topic today was fall. These guys got really into it! Some had amazing descriptions and found little details from the picture to include. We had some good guesses! 

My kids were on a fly hunt today. For some reason, flies are all over the place! There might be a dead something in the live trap under my deck. If you stand out there, sometimes you catch a whiff of something unpleasant. All the boys fought over who got to hold the three flyswatters. During read-aloud they patrolled the room, swatting and whacking the air. Then they asked if we could leave the door open to let in more flies for them to swat. 

7-8th grade science was possibly my favorite class of the day. They all wanted more read-aloud time, so they tried to convince me we didn't need to do science, but I held firm. We were reviewing something they learned in 5-6th grade, probably something I had told them (back then) that they'd be learning in 7-8th grade and they convinced me to teach it to them right at that moment so they wouldn't have to wait. 

Since it was a review, some of the kids said, "We know this! Why do we have to go over it!"
Me: To see if you remember it.
Them: We do!
Me: Well enough to teach it?
Them: Yes, Miss H!
Me: Okay, go ahead!

So an 8th grade boy taught science today. He actually did really well and the whole class was engaged the entire time. I had to step in every once in a while (I was a student and took notes for him), but we had a great review session. I'm also impressed with how well he was able to mimic my mannerisms and teaching phrases. 😆 

When someone asked a question about something related... "Just hold tight! That's on the next slide."
When they were getting too loud, he did my sign for internalize/calm down.
When one girl answered the question but another student also had a hand raised, he said, "Do you have anything to add to what [first student's] said?"
Someone said they had a connection to what he'd said. His response, "Great! What kind of connection is it? Text to self? Text to text? or..."

I'm so proud! 😅

House Updates

I can't think of anything to write about school today since it was very normal, so I'll give some updates on my house!

The building inspector walked through the house today to make sure everything is finished to code. If it went well, he gave Habitat a certificate of occupancy which then passed on to the USDA. The USDA emailed me this week asking for updated financial documents (I sent them this morning). I'm meeting with Habitat next Monday to go over the closing paperwork/if I have any questions before my actual closing date on September 30th! That night is also my last homeowner's meeting (they're planning a small celebration honoring the completion of my sweat equity and the closing date being set). Two days later, I'm meeting Habitat people at my house to go over how everything works and go through a maintenance checklist. Then, my move in date is set for October 1st! Woohoo! I already have a few people lined up for trailers, muscles, and food. I can't believe in less than three weeks I'll be in my new house! 

Hair

I wore my hair down at school, something I rarely do since it's so long. I've been thinking about getting it cut because it's starting to slip out of my bun easier, but when I mentioned it to my kids, one of the boys said, "No, you shouldn't Miss H, it's so pretty long." I'll probably let it grow some more; it's not quite long enough to donate and still have it long enough to put up in a bun and clip. 

The 7-8th graders (and I) made it through a whole hour of science! We accomplished everything I wanted to for last Friday and today, plus had a few tangents. I need to figure out a new game plan for the 5-6th graders... I have a few low level kids and a few high level kids, so for the first time in a long time, I have bored kids or completely lost kids, depending who I cater to. A flipped classroom might be the way to go. I just need to get it started. Mr. E and I talked a little after school and he's having the same problem. It's nice to have another person to bounce ideas off!

Extremely Convincing

Man, the 7-8th graders are at it again, wheeling and dealing for more read-aloud time... It worked. Big shock. But they did have their plan well-laid out.

They first asked how long science would take. When I said it might not take the whole time, they proposed that we read a little bit more.
I said, "We should do science first and then read after that with the time that's left." 
They said, "But we're so comfy, we should read now while we're all in the right mindset."
"But we might run out of time then."
"Well, we could do extra science on Monday!"
Another student, "Actually, we should read aloud the rest of class today and then do science the whole hour on Monday."
Me, "So we wouldn't have any read-aloud time on Monday at all."
Them, "Yep. We're fine with that!"
I was suspicious, "Are you sure you want to do a whole hour of science all at once? Will you be able to concentrate that long?"
"Yes!"
Me, "I don't know if I can concentrate that long!"
"Oh come on Miss H!"
Another student, "If that happens, we could take a five minute brain break. Or we could switch to working on geography projects!"
Me, "But what about the half hour of science we're missing?"
"We could do it the next day since we'd be doing geography on Monday! Same amount of time for each class!"

At that point I gave in and just enjoyed the read-aloud. 🤷 We were at a really good place in our book...

Paint Mystery

One funny thing from the day... a 5th grader put on his gym shoes and exclaimed in shock and horror, "Someone dripped something white in my shoes!" The whole class broke into an uproar. What? How is that possible? 

Class comments:
"Is it whiteout?"
"No, too big. Maybe it's paint."
Sarcastic classmate, "Oh yeah, someone stood over his shoe and purposefully put paint in it."
"Why would there even be paint anywhere?"
"I saw a paintbrush with white paint on it in the fridge! That means someone was painting!"
"Maybe it dripped down from the ceiling."
"Where did you have your shoes? On the shelf? On the floor?"
"We should probably check it out if it's dripping from somewhere."

Everyone stared at me, waiting. Of course we had to solve the mystery! No way would they settle down for class until we did. So out we went to the coatroom to investigate.  

Some kids examined the student's hook area, searching for paint. Others tried to climb in the loft to see if paint was up there. I asked the student to show me his shoe so I could inspect the paint splatter. Hmm... it seemed awful flat. Wait a second... 

"Could I see your other shoe? It might be the brand name printed on."

He took off his other shoe (which wasn't so worn inside) and low and behold the marks matched. Mystery solved! Now, on to science!

Outer space Adventure

Our afternoon recess was possibly my favorite part of the day. We shared the playground with the preschool 4s and it was so fun to see my kids playing with the youngers. Two 5th grade boys pushed the little girls on the swings, lifting them up to sit. There's a big circle tire swing that can swing in a circle, so soon the preschoolers clamored for a push. The boys acquiesced, but they didn't just do normal pushes... No, they pretended the swing was a space ship. When it was still, it was docked. In motion, it had to avoid asteroids and aliens (the boys pushing), complete with sound effects and dramatic falling to the sand when they were vanquished. A 5th grade girl joined them on the swing too. Man, the giggles of pure joy! And the best part is, we get these recesses three times a week. ☺️

Tattoos

I supervised after school care today. There were seven preK-2nd grade girls with me this afternoon. They built forts in my classroom and played in the mud kitchen outside. A few of them went over to the sandbox and sat on the huge sand pile together. 

"Hey, do you want to know how to make a tattoo?" one of them asked. "All you do is spit like this..." she dribbled some spit on her leg. "And then you just go like this." Then she pours sand on top of it. "See? Tattoo!" The other girls immediately copied her. 

It's crazy how quickly they can sneak! Two girls had been running around without their shoes on for the longest time before I even noticed. Another girl snuck water out of the school faucet to play in the mud kitchen because there wasn't enough for her cup of tea. Thankfully most of them ask before dashing off to the bathroom so I can at least keep track of them there. 

School today went well again. Man, my kids love to write! I introduced them to Duolingo today and so far they've decided to learn Spanish, German, Hawaiian, and Japanese. I hope they keep it up!

No tech issues today either. The biggest problem (for me) was my tiredness! My flight back on Sunday got delayed four hours total, so I didn't make it back to Minnesota until 2am. My college travel buddy graciously picked me up, and then we stayed up talking for another two hours... Oops! 

So, early bedtime for Miss H tonight! 😅

Relays

Another whirlwind day! We practiced all the rounds we learned about so far this week, took a spelling inventory test (so I can place them in spelling groups), and highlighted bell parts. All the computer issues were worked out today and we had smooth sailing with the laptops and accounts. Whew! 

This class loves to write; it's pretty awesome. A bunch of them are hung up on their stories so any chance they have a minute, they're writing. It should be a good NaNo year. 

We ended the day with all-school relays. It is a scorcher, so it's a good thing we ended the relays with popsicles. My class opted to eat them inside in the a/c. 

I'm keeping this short today so I can be on my way sooner... my classroom is packed up and I even have my lessons done for next week! Woohoo!