Go Canada Go!!!

Are you busy watching the Olympics at all hours of the day?

I talked to a cashier at Safeway the other day who got up at 3 a.m. to watch an event live and was veeeerrry tired at work when I saw her. 

Seems crazy to me when there is so much instant replay!

Anywho, our student teacher, has been doing an Olympic unit in gym with both my class and the class next door. 

We made torn paper collage Canadian flags in a community art lesson. Students got to watch the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics on the smart board while they created. Which was very cool since they were all very wee when it happened!

Then our two classes did an Olympic walk one morning on our way to gym. It was so cute. The students waved their flags proudly as they paraded past the office. There were Canadian and Olympic flag bearers and everything!

Once at the gym, we sang Oh Canada and then did our own version of the opening ceremonies around the gym to raucous cheers of "Go Canada Go!!!!"

Then our student teacher put up a display on the wall near the parking lot (A bulletin board that has been empty since we moved into the school. Well, not anymore! Our community is calling dibs!!!)

And, right there is another reason why I am loving having this student teacher. She has brought a new perspective to activities - a fresh eye through which I can see. 

I would never have thought of doing this activity. For one thing, I am not an Olympic (or any other sporting event) lover. For another thing, I do not like teaching gym (that's why I traded my gym for art!!!) How lucky the students are to have had the experience of this Olympic unit. I am glad that she was here to think of it and teach it.

And equally glad that I won't have to think about it for another 4 years! 

Cheers!

Ms. Hughes

Summer is Here and the Livin' is Easy

I have been officially on holiday for 3 days now.

I am going through my usual work withdrawal. Does anyone else do this? I get cranky and don't know what to do with myself for about the first week of summer and then I settle into a new routine. Not fun for me but really not fun for my hubby and daughter!!!!

Of course, I still have work to do at school. I need to finish cleaning up the classroom, packing things up so that the custodians will do a deeper clean and purging for the move next year. And, then there is the bookroom.

Ah, the bookroom. Filled with a gazillion levelled book bags that all have to be inventoried. By moi. I could just leave it but I don't want to come back in the Fall and have to do it then (September is crazy busy enough already thank you!)

Plus, it really needs to be up to date for the big move.The good part about doing it in the summer is that I can bring my ipod and amp up the tunes while I inventory. It shouldn't take more than a day or three.

I actually don't mind doing the inventory. It is the dust I hate. What is it about bookrooms and dust? I don't think this one has been properly cleaned in forever. I mean, if they won't clean a shelf in the classroom unless it is empty, what are the chances that they will clean the shelves in a bookroom filled with book boxes? I am guessing....nada!

So, on my last day of classes with the students, the parents in my class gave me an appreciation gift. It was so sweet and thoughtful.

I know that there are different camps on the whole teacher gift thing but, I have to say, I don't think that there is anything wrong with giving a teacher gift. I work really, really hard and it is truly wonderful to have that hard work acknowledged by the families in my class.

One year, at my last school, I got a Taj Mahal made out of popsicle sticks. Another year, a gift card to a local mall. Yet another year, I got a wonderful book filled with photos from the year. And, still another year, I got a huge vase and each child brought me a flower for the vase. It was beautiful. I still have the vase and it is filled with all the stones and shells I have found on my journeys.

The gifts are not all super expensive nor are they always practical (I mean, where exactly does one keep a 2 foot tall replica of the Taj Mahal made out of popsicle sticks?) but they always, always come from the heart. I know this and I appreciate the gesture (big or small) in the spirit in which it is intended.

I feel so honored that families gift me with their children for 6 hours each day, 10 months of the year. There are probably days when I see more of a child than their parents do (I know that this was true of my daughter when I had to work late and would get home just before her bedtime) and I realize how special the relationship between a teacher and child can be. 

I also realize that, often, I make an impact without knowing. Case in point...one of my little ones this year, who had me vacillating between wanting to hug him and shake him for most of the year, went to the principal the other day to ask if he could be with me again next year. Was I shocked? You bet! I fully expected him to think I was an ogre for always being on his case but, instead, he very seriously told the principal (and later me) that he does not want to leave me. How sweet is that? And, let me tell you, his wanting me to be his teacher again was a gift that hit me right in the heart.

Anywho, I digress...back to the gift from my class.

This year, I got an amazing flower bouquet from my class with a lovely card. At first glance, I thought it was paper oragami and was just glad that I was finally getting a plant I can't kill BUT.... when the parents told me to look again, this is what I saw...

It is made of money!!!!! How freakin' cool is that?!?! My class parent put it together for me. Isn't it loverly? And, oh so, clever?

I would love to say that I kept it to admire for awhile but, no, I took it apart and took myself off to the running store where I invested in the brand new pair of running shoes I have been wanting (but not willing to spend the money on or, rather, but spending the money on my teenager instead!) to get for forever!

And today I took myself off to the gym and wore them for the first time. So, not only did my class show their appreciation with their lovely gift but they are helping to gift me with better health as well! So, a big, huge, enormous, stupendous THANK YOU to all the kids and parents in my class. I will always remember you as my last group of turtles. And, hopefully (fingers crossed), I will be a tad fitter when you see me next!!!!!

All About Us Glyph and other stuff

September 12, 2011

Today was our first full day as a class. We had a great day! So far, the class is all getting along together well. I know that we are in what is called the "honeymoon" period but I can't help but hope that it lasts!

We did a class glyph about ourselves. It will be up in the hall tomorrow. I'll take a pic to post if I remember. Don't know what a glyph is? Well, it is a picture that contains data about any given subject. It has a key to read and try to figure out which glyph belongs to which student based on how they answered a series of questions. I love doing glyphs and so expect to see a few this year! It is a great way to practice data collection and analysis. Today we also decorated our book boxes, made our Poetry book covers, worked at a number of choosing centres, read stories, practiced lining up and much more.

I told the kids that the number one thing to know about me is that "I say what I mean and mean what I say". So, for example, if I ask a student to get a drink of water and then come sit at the carpet, it DOES NOT mean "get a drink of water, run around the classroom, check out the Lego and then come sit at the carpet"! (and, yes, this is a true example of something that happened today!) I really try to be very clear in my expectations. I find this helps students to do their best work. We also started brainstorming rules that we feel are important to help our classroom community work well together. We will be solidifying these rules and creating a class pledge later this week.

Tomorrow is our first day of Music with Ms. Der. We will be going from 9:00 - 9:45 every Tuesday morning. And, on Thursday we have our first Library day with Mr. Raikes. Our gym days are going to be Wednesday and Friday. Mr. Langille, Ms. Opatovsky and I are working together to schedule our Science and Social Studies lessons which we will be team teaching. I can't wait! It is so much fun and so rewarding to work closely with other teachers. The teachers learn from each other and all the kids learn from more than one person. Win-win!

Ms. Hughes