The First Day of School

Monday was my first day of no school. That last time I didn't start school was 27 years ago.

To honor the occasion, Caleb and I took a walk after 8:45 just to see what things were like when you are not in school. Can I just say that they are pretty fine? Everything was cool, crisp and clear. It was a beautiful morning.

Though, while the world around me was so nice, I have to admit my mind was in the classroom. I couldn't help thinking thoughts like:

"If I were teaching right now the kids would be putting their backpacks on hooks, getting their breakfast and finding their seats."

"If I were teaching right now I think I would let the kids get acquainted with just the room before I tried to show them the whole school all before recess."

"If I were teaching right now I wish I would have thought to contact each parent and find out something special about their child to share about them in class on the first day."

But then my thoughts would go back to the beautiful morning and the little guy in the stroller I was pushing and I would just smile.

Before I knew it my walk was over and we were home.

I went inside with my newest little pupil and we cuddled on the couch awhile. Then we started the first of the days lessons:

How to drink milk from a cup.

It was a pretty successful first day, don't you think?

I think I'm going to like my class this year.

I Miss Them

I always get nervous when I'm about to do something that will draw attention. Nothing big, just something simple enough as standing up in a room to talk, knowing that some, if not all, eyes will be on me. It's stupid to feel that way, I think. But I can't get over it.

Today I went to school to watch my (former) class perform their opera. Cue nervousness. I wasn't going to do anything but walk in the school, find the gym, sit in a chair and watch my kids perform. But, people will see me and maybe even notice me! Stupid, I know, but nonetheless, cue nervousness.

The nervousness melted away as soon as I saw this:

And then heard more than a few muffled voices from behind the curtain yell, "It's Teacher!" "Teacher is here!" "Where?!" "Right there!!" "Hi Teacher!!" "Yea! Teacher!" and my favorite, "I KNEW she would come!"

All I could do after that was grin. Those were my kids! Darn. I missed them.

I didn't think I did. After we picked up Caleb and I settled in as the stay-at-home-mommy I always wanted to be, I even forgot who most of the kids were. I started mixing them up with former students, not really sure who I had which year. When people would ask me if I missed teaching, my response was always "I miss the people I worked with. But I don't miss the kids. I can't even remember them!"

As I walked in the gym, picked up a program which contained the names and characters of all the kids in the opera, the faces started coming back. I started remembering my kids. They were such great kids. I could now picture all of their faces. (...except one. I couldn't remember who he was. And then I heard his voice from behind the curtain. How could I have forgotten him!?)

The opera was great. The kids sang well and looked so excited. No nervous ones in THIS bunch.

When it was all over, as I was talking to a few parents, I was suddenly bombarded by a dozen small kids hugging me and exclaiming "Teacher!" These were my kids. I found myself hugging back and then searching the group making sure I got each of them. I didn't want to miss any of them. Spotting a few shyer ones in the back I'd reach out and grab them and hug them, noticing how pleased they looked to be noticed. I wanted to sit and talk to them all. I just wanted to BE there with them. They were so happy and excited and, well, first-graderish. I missed that.

When I go on walks around my neighborhood I see kids as they walk home from school. Some I kind of know, some I just know their parents, and some I don't know at all. Do I say hi to them? Do I ignore them? It's awkward. I half-wish they weren't around. I've started wondering if my ability to work with children was a little over-rated. I couldn't even talk to kids in my own neighborhood. I don't have a clue what to say to them. I'd become one of those adults who either talk down to kids or mumble something, nod, and walk by.

But being with my kids, the awkwardness just wasn't there. There's no room for it. The pats on the back, the hugs, the smiles and the giggles came naturally. I was in my element.

Sometimes I wish my two worlds would combine. I wish the kids in my class and their families lived in my neighborhood. It would be so nice and natural. I would know where I belonged. Trying to figure out where I belong since I stopped going to school has been a little bit of a trial. I love my neighbors, but I just haven't figured out where I fit. At school I have a place. A little little carved out niche where I can just be. It's nice. Feels like home.

As I walked into my old classroom it felt like coming home. It would be just as natural having Caleb sit on a blanket and play with toys in that room as it would be in my living room. I wanted to stay. I wanted to talk to my kids and my teacher friends. But there was no good excuse to stay. I had to go. Caleb needed a nap. I needed to eat lunch and get ready for the temple that night. Life goes on.

But I feel good now. More complete. More like myself. Like just being there for that little bit of time renewed in me who I was and who I had been for the past 10 years.

Sometimes I want to go back. I want to be part of that world again. But I know it's in the past, just like high school, London Study Abroad, and my senior year of college. I loved those times in my life and sometimes I miss them. But it wouldn't do any good to go back. All I can do is be so glad that I have such great memories and friendships and just feel good remembering all that joy. I guess I'll have to look at school the same way. It was a period in my life that, at the time, I thought of as a trial. A constant reminder that I lost my baby and that I couldn't have more kids. I felt like a fraud. I wasn't really a teacher. I didn't really want to be there.

But now I see that it was exactly where I was supposed to be. Teaching at that school helped me see who I am and showed me who I could become. It showed me I could do more than I ever thought possible. It gave me confidence and an awareness that there is more to me than I ever knew.

It will always be a big part of who I am.

I know now I will always remember my kids. And I will miss them.

Love, Hate and School

Right now I'm at school getting things ready for next week. I needed a break from working and this seemed like the funnest alternative. Funny how blogging becomes a break when I'm working, but it's work during the summer. Go figure.

I have a love/hate relationship with teaching.
I love the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction I get when I'm doing something I know how to do and that I've done so much that I can actually do it well.
I hate having to be somewhere every morning at 8:15.
I love starting fresh every year with a new group of kids.
I hate having to get subplans together at 3:15 AM because I woke up with the flu. Why can't it be like other people's jobs? If they call in sick they can just call in sick. I have to call in sick, get subplans ready, find a substitute, and then clean up the aftermath when I get back.
I kind of love having every child in the school know my name.
I love getting my room together.
I love stacks of freshly made books, freshly sharpened pencils, new crayons, markers, and colored pencils, and full glue bottles. That means I'm ready.
I hate the feeling I have right before the kids come in on the first day. I don't like being nervous.
But I love the feeling that comes right after the bell rings and the kids start coming in.
I love the drive to and from school. 25 minutes each morning and afternoon to reflect, think and listen to music.
I hate driving that 25 minutes when it's snowing and the roads are icy and covered with snow.
I love love love the people I work with.
I hate that I won't have that association when I quit teaching.
I love teaching kids how to read.
I hate that I don't have enough time to prepare all the fun things I want to do with those kids.

Speaking of prepare...
I should get back to that.

Last Day of School: 2009

Friday was the last day of school.
Every job should have a "last day" and a "first day". There's just something about having an end to what you do, having a nice break and then getting to start over.

I won't regale you with tales of the events of school that day. I won't mention how the kids are always so fun on the last day. How they all say "I'm going to MISS you, teacher!" and how I get to say "You'll still see me in the halls. Don't forget to say hi!" I don't tell them that I'm not going to miss them. Not really. They have to move on. And no matter how great they were that year, it's always fun to have a fresh batch of chillun's each year.

So, anyway, I'm not going to talk about that.
What I'm going to talk about is how I celebrated the last day of school.

After school Zack came and helped me clean up my room and pack things away in cupboards. He has done this every year I've been a teacher. Nine years and counting!

Then we went home and....helped lay sod! Which was actually pretty fun, seeing how I didn't really do much work and basically watched other people do work. We did get to play a rousing game of "No Bears Are Out Tonight" when the work was done. Megan was a good sport about it despite the fact that she'd had her heart set on "Duck Duck Goose" as soon as she saw the giant, grass covered paradise that is her backyard.

Once Zack and I got home and cleaned up, we were going to head up to Mike and Jodie's to watch "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" (I know, I know, but Mike reassures us that it's funny and well, pretty much any movie is funny if you watch it with Mike and he thinks it's funny), but due to an unfortunate filter explosion that Home Depot better account for, we were unable to do that.

So we decided to spend the night playing games and eating treats.
You want to know how teachers party on the last day of school?
You got it:

I made some salads, Zack fired up the grill and grilled some asparagus and red peppers and we played Dominoes!


What happened to us? We used to do fun things! The weird part about this is that we chose to do it. Is this what getting old feels like? Realizing that what you're doing is considered boring but not caring because you actually want to do it?

Spending My Days With 7 Year Olds

"Hey teacher?"
"What?"
"When you get an earache do they shrink a doctor and put him in your ear?"
"No."
"Yeah they do!"

For Show and Tell yesterday one of my students announced that he could dance really fast. Then he proceeded to show everyone. I WISH I had video of his dancing because describing it will never do it justice. Just picture a little kid with an over-sized sweatshirt, jeans, and big shoes frantically moving his feet forward and back as if he were trying to kill a mouse or some other small rodent. My students were impressed. Very impressed.

Then another student decided he wanted to perform for Show and Tell also. He was a little undecided at first as to what to show us. He did a few kicks and jumps before he finally settled on some sort of dance routine that involved squatting on the floor and kicking his arms and legs out. I think it was break dancing. Then he lied down on the floor with his arms at his sides, feet together and twitched, at which time he yelled "Dead tuna! Dead tuna!" After a few more reps of convulsions followed by "Dead tuna! Dead tuna!" he stood up and was finished. Once again, the masses were impressed.

St. Patrick's Day

Leprechaun traps.

(I'm using the pictures of the traps the kids made in the classroom next door. I didn't take pictures of my kid's traps. :( Plus these look cooler.)

The traps are taken home under a shroud of secrecy (a brown plastic grocery bag).

And turned into "hats". (Film courtesy of Zack... who thinks the process is just so cooool.)

A Styrofoam cup and a cookie. That's all it takes to make a fanTAStic St. Patrick's Day for 7 year olds.

They spent the rest of the day looking for those pesky Leprechauns who stole into our classroom, turned over chairs, books and toys, left glitter everywhere (sorry, custodian) and posted this note on the board.

The Things They Say...

Tommy: Hey teacher, I have a joke for you.
Me: Okay.
T: What do you get when you get a stick, put a hot dog on it, and then dip it in corn meal?
M: A corn dog?
T: (Eyes get really big.) Yeah. How did you know that?

Caden: Hey teacher?
Me: What?
C: I think you're pretty.
M: Thanks.
C: Did you know I always thought that every day?
M: (Smiling. How can you not smile at that?) Thanks!
C: Hey, I know how you can spit green spit. (Starts snorting...)
M: Um, Caden, I don't need to see that.

Dallin: (Showing his "Indiana Jones action figure of a Nazi to the class.) ...and he comes with a gun. And he can do this (moves the action figure's arm up and down) and when you get him.....(eyes big, head tilted forward) he comes with a evil cuuuurse...and (his head comes up, he smiles and puts his finger in the air) a sticker!

Show and Tell

Yesterday I was reading a chapter from the book "Junie B. Jones, First Grader At Last!" to the class. In the book Junie B. finds out she needs glasses. I asked the kids if they knew anyone who wore glasses. Surprisingly none of THEM wore glasses, but they all knew someone who did. A lot of them said their parents wore glasses. I told them I wore glasses, too, but that I liked wearing contacts better. Then a rousing discussion on glasses and contacts started up. All of them will NEVER EVER wear contacts because you have to poke yourself in the eye. (That IS kind of a pain.)
We talked about why people who wear glasses sometimes decide to wear contacts. Then one student proceeded to tell us this: (In her own words as best I can remember.)
"When my dad takes my mom on a date....on a breakfast date or a lunch date or a dinner date....or just a date.....my mom, she puts in her contacts and puts on her make-up and makes her hair look nice and stuff. But most the days she just gets up, puts on her glasses and wears her pajamas all day."

Ah, the refreshing honesty of youth. Don't you wish she was YOUR 7 year old?

On a related note, today for Show and Tell one of my students brought in his dad's sunglasses. During the question and answer time one of the kids asked if his dad ever wore them. His answer: "Yeah! All the time!"

All the time, that is, except for today. Because he can't find them.

Totally Random

Kaden: Teacher, can you make David eat bacon?
Me: No.
Kaden: But I really want you to make him eat bacon.
Me: (What in the....?) Why?
Kaden: Because I want him to eat bacon.
Me: Why do you want him to eat bacon?
Kaden: Because I want to be in charge of him!
Me: Well, if I tell him to eat bacon, then I'M in charge of him.
Kaden: Oh.

Politics

My students have been pretty interested in this whole election thing. ....at least they've been interested since yesterday when the school librarian talked to them about it. They keep asking each other who they're going to vote for. Then they give each other high fives if they both said the same person. They're bonding. I think.

Their political views (or those of their parents) have gone so far as to change what is right and wrong when it comes to important stuff, like math learnding.

Today I was giving them a "test". (I use that term lightly because, in my opinion, it was a complete waste of time on the school district's part. In fact, more than being a waste of time, it's actually a detriment to time. Not only does it keep me from doing more important things with my class, it actually decreases the learning in my room. Did you hear that school district? It's DECREASING LEARNING! Anyways...) In the test there was a picture of a row of elephants and donkeys in a pattern. The question asked "Which comes next in the pattern?"
Me, being the bonehead teacher that I was, decided to disrupt their concentration in figuring out the answer to inform them that the donkey and the elephant were symbols used by the presidential candidates and the groups they belonged to. After I told when which candidate went with which animal, I noticed several of them changing their answer to the symbol that represented their political choice. Eh, they don't get to vote, so at least they got to vote in their own special way.

The confusion mounts...
While we were having a discussion about the election (this one wasn't during the test), I asked my kids if they knew who the current president was. After getting a few responses of "George Washington!" and "George Lincoln!" I told them it was George W. Bush. I explained that we called him George W. Bush because his dad was also George Bush and he was a president before him.
I heard one of my students say "Hey, I'm named after my uncle, so I should be Joseph W."

I Don't Wanna Go Back...

Last year, after an especially long day at school, I created a blog solely for the purpose of venting. I came across the solitary entry today while I was going through my teaching files in preparation for the upcoming school year.

I thought others might enjoy...

Why am I subjecting myself to this again?

Glimpses Into A Technological Generation

Their recess games involve acting out video and computer games they play at home. (This is almost too sad for words.)

Their short stories in class go something like this:

"The airplane is shooting. He got shot. Is he dead? Find out at www.mydrawing.com."

The next step is for them to actually HAVE a website called "www.mydrawing.com".

Your World

Zack and I found ourselves in a quandary last week. We had planned a trip to San Diego as an attachment to a business trip he was going on. He'd leave on Monday, I'd fly down on Thursday (Valentine's Day) to meet up with him, and we'd spend the weekend playing on the beach, visiting museums or zoos, and playing with my little bro and his wife. Buuuut mixing business with pleasure doesn't always work. The business trip was pushed back a week, and then it was pushed back another week. And then it was undecided. That works great if work is paying for the tickets and all the change fees. Not so great for us. When we realized that our weekend trip to San Diego was going to cost us twice as much, we started looking at other options. We could go anywhere we wanted to for a 4 day weekend (that was cheaper than San Diego.) We finally decided on a road trip to Colorado to visit Zack's dad. To make it more fun, we broke up the 11 hour drive by staying at a place in Glenwood Springs. It is home to the largest hot springs pool in North America. You know it's a fun place when there are signs on the pool deck that say "Pool deck may be icy." It was really fun to swim in hot hot water while my head was freezing freezing cold. We had a really good time. Semi-spontaneous trips can be fun... if they're planned right.

A few weeks ago I had my kids answer the following question: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do there?

Their answers ranged from the daring....

To the not so daring...

To the imaginative...

To the interesting.

And some just wanted to make friends around the world.

A while ago Zack and I asked ourselves the same questions in the form of a challenge. The challenge was this:

We have 3 weeks to come up with 3 different places to travel to.

At the end of the 3 weeks we had to present our ideas.

We had to say where we'd stay, how we'd get there, give ideas on what to do, and have a rough estimated cost of the trip.

Our ideas ranged from caving and whale watching in Canada to Broadway shows in New York to an RV trip down the California coast. Not that we're going to do any of them anytime soon, but it never hurts to have a vacation idea rolling around in your head.

Now I'm asking you the same questions. If you could go anywhere (and I mean ANYWHERE. We're talking dream vacations here.) in the world, where would you go, why do you want to go there, and what would you do?

Small Green Rooms of Joy

Earlier this week, around 11:15 in the morning, I heard this announcement on the school intercom:

"Teachers, a pipe has broken on 700 South, just down the street from us. In order for them to fix the problem they will need to shut the water off to our school in about an hour. The water will be off for the rest of the day."

I was hoping the rest of the announcement would go something like "...and so we will be closing school early today. The buses will be here to pick the students up at 12:30...". No such luck. My principal happens to be a stickler for the edumacation of the chillins.

What did follow was news of portapotties being delivered to the school within the hour and the promise of water bottles for each student and hand santizer for the classrooms.

Hurray for the resourceful principal. The water problem is solved!

Here's what ensued in my classroom for the last 4 hours of the day:

Because the principal had announced that there were water bottles for each student, my kids knew they had water bottles coming. Now when first graders are given their very own water bottle for keeps because of a special fun situation the inevitable happens. That's right. They all drink their entire bottle within the first 15 minutes. Aaaaand what inevitably happens 20 minutes later? That's right. They ALL have to go to the bathroom. And where are the bathrooms? Oh, right, they're outside. And because they're outside they have to go with a buddy. And they have to bundle up because it's 10 degrees out there.

I think every student had to go to the bathroom at LEAST 4 times before the end of the day. Never before have portapotties been such an attraction. Everybody's got to go try the cool new green outside bathrooms that smell! And everybody's got to experience freezing your buns off, Right?!

I, for one, was determined not to be in any situation that would require using portapotties that were situated on the school playground. I have several reaons for this. (Obviously.) For one, it's cold. Two, it's a portapottie. Three, my bathroom breaks are when the kids go outside for recess...to the playground. I could just hear the knocking on each side of the portapottie now. "Teacher's in there! Teacher's using the portapottie! Mrs. Evans, are you in there!" No thanks. And the last and final reason, would YOU use a portapottie that had recently been used by 200 children multiple times in the past 4 hours?

May Your Christmas Be All YOU Wanted It To Be

We all have our favorites at Christmastime. Some people enjoy listening to Christmas music on the radio...constantly...starting before Halloween...and stopping sometime after Easter...if we're lucky. I am not one of those people. Other people look forward to shopping in crowded stores the day after Thanksgiving. Others might look forward to the homemade eggnog and sugar cookies. Some people can't wait to open presents! Others are happy just making sure those around them are loved. The point is, we all have things we do that make the holidays what they are.

And now to the real point I'm getting at.
A kindergartners idea of a good time at Christmas is not often the same as say, a middle-aged high school choir director's idea of a good time.

To prove my point, I shall recount an event that happened a few years ago.

Every year at my school the local high school choir comes and performs Christmas songs for the kiddies. Now, I may be a bit prejudiced about my own high school's talents, but I think it's safe to say that this high school choir doesn't win many awards in competitions and such. But they try hard and they're not too terrible. Besides, the kids don't know the difference and they think it's pretty cool to have "big kids" come and sing to them.
The problem is this: The high school choir director's idea of good Christmas music is slightly different than 5, 6 and 7 year old's. Every year the choir comes and sings song after song of slow, religious songs. I don't mind the occasional slow religious (and sometimes Latin or German) song. What I do mind is ALL the songs being slow, religious and yes, sometimes in Latin or German. Kids like to hear songs they know. Songs they can sing to. Songs like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" (even though no kid actually knows the words to that song except "Frosty the Snowman was a hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmmm...With a corn cob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal. OH, Frosty the Snowman! hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmmm....)
Back to the point...
A few years ago the choir came to sing to the kids. After what was probably the 6th slow religious song, they started in on the 7th song. It was, of course, slow and not kid-friendly. That's when I heard a little, but definately not quiet, voice from among the kindergarteners say "Not again!" (Picture a little kid sitting cross-legged on the floor, with their chin in their hands, looking very very disappointed.)I tried to stiffle my giggles as the teacher tried to shush the noisy, honest, tell-it-like-it-is kindergartener.
I guess the real moral of the story is: Know Your Nigel, people. Know Your Nigel.

Creative Minds With Turkey Time

If you have a child who is or ever was in elementary school, inevitably you have some sort of home-made holiday decoration they made in school. I'd almost bet money that at least one of those decorations is made out of construction paper and glue. I'd bet even more money that one of those decorations is made out of a cut-out of your child's hand. Am I right?

As a first grade teacher, I feel it is my DUTY to carry on the holiday hand-decoration tradition. I'm even considering making a hand-decoration for every month of the school year, I'm THAT dedicated to the cause. Last month we made bats. This month.....

we made turkeys:

Aren't they just too cute? I pretty much just let my kids go with their own creative imaginations when it comes to doing art projects. I do give directions and I walk around and give help and ideas, but when I see a child doing something that isn't perfect I don't step in and change it for them. I think the way a child does artwork shows a lot about who they are and where they are in that stage of life. With these turkeys I did try and make sure they glued the hands (aka. feathers) on correctly. When we were all finished and the glue was dry, I realized I didn't quite get to all of them which is why a few turkeys looked like this:

Personally, I think this one is aaaaawesome.

This little guys is apparently using his feathers as some sort of hide-out.

And then there's always that one. I think I'll call this one "The Ghost of Thanksgiving Present".

Cat Food

Have you ever had one of those really good conversations with some people where everyone is excited and talking and happy and you're all talking about something interesting where everyone has something to say and everyone shares a common viewpoint and you just feel accepted and loved and like anything you say to these people will be accepted and loved as well? And in the middle of it all you feel like you can tell these people almost anything and they will understand you so you blurt out some comment like "Sometimes I eat cat food..."

...and they all stop talking and stare at you and you realize maaaaybe I should have kept that part of my life hidden, or better yet, maybe that's not something I should have been doing in the first place?

Well, I haven't. But one of my students had that moment yesterday.

Sometimes EVERYthing Is Funny

My classroom isn't the most quiet, most structured room in the school. I just don't like being the dictator that demands silence when the kids work (unless it's necessary). I don't like robot kids that only do what they're told (most of the time). That means sometimes my room is a little noisy. I think it's healthy for kids to talk while they work, as long as it doesn't keep them from DOING their work.
Today my kids were working on a sequencing activity. We were making pictures of the sequence of lunchtime. For those of you who have forgotten what grade school lunch is like, the sequencing went like this: First, we line up. Then, we get our trays and eat lunch. Last, we go outside to play.
My kids were busily illustrating the lunchroom scene. There was the usual amount of talking. One table in particular, however, was doing more than talking. They were practically in tears, laughing. Another group of kids noticed that table of kids laughing and one of them said, "What are you guys laughing at?" One of the laughing kids, amidst his laughter, said, "We're saying funny stuff!"

I moved a little closer so I could hear what was soooo funny.

Here's what I heard.

"Dr. Phillin!" (Waaaa ha ha ha!)
"Bolden black hair!" (More peals of laugher.)
"Brown armpits!" (AHHHH HA HA HA HA!!)
"Brown pears!" (They were practically on the floor.)
"Brown belly button!" (This one nearly sent them over the edge. I wasn't sure if they were going to make it.)
"Dr. Enwald!" (I apologize to any Dr. Enwald's out there. Apparently your name is hilarious.)

Ah, those were the days. When a single word could send you into fits of laughter. I'm glad those days aren't only reserved for 6 year olds.

Spontaneous Crayon Propulsion

In high school, my brother and I thought it was funny to yell "spontaneous propulsion!" and then smack somebody. It's the act of something being propelled, spontaneously, against our will. Obviously. It was science. Who can control science?

I never knew that this theory would come back to haunt me years later.

The other day I had my class working on a project. As many projects in first grade do, this one involved crayons. During the project a student came up to me claiming that someone, we'll call him "Treven", threw a crayon at her. When I looked across the room at Treven he immediately said, "She's lying! I didn't do anything!". That's my favorite line. All I hear is "It was MEEE!"
His guilt was also compounded by the fact that three other students from his table were all pointing at him and saying things like "He threw it. " and "I saw him do it.".

When "Treven" continued to contest his innocence I humored him by asking, "If you really didn't do it, then how did that yellow crayon get clear over to the other table?" You know, he could have said something simple like, "I don't know" or something clever like "That's not my crayon." But no. The quick-thinking child said, "I was just sitting here, looking at those other guys (his malicious accusers), when a crayon just flew over my shoulder and hit her."

And there we have it. Who can argue with science? Spontaneous propulsion strikes again!

Heat

I have an old school. It was built, I believe, around 1952. It's been through it's share of renovations- they've added on 6 classrooms and a few years ago they redid the entrance so it actually looks like an entrance. When I came here to interview 8 years ago I thought I was entering some back door that the custodians use. But no, it was the entrance.

Being built so long ago, most of the classrooms have air conditioning. I, however, am in one of the classrooms that were added later. I have no air conditioning. The temperature outside is currently 92 degrees. My classroom is at a balmy 85. Let's add 20 kids. First grade teachers don't sit when they teach. They are constantly moving. So, my room is 85 degrees, there's 20 other bodies in here and we're all moving around. My only saving grace is the fact that today is early out and the kids went home at 1:25. I get to stay until 6:00. That's when Back to School night starts. Then the room will fill with 20 or so adults moving around. I can't wait. Right now I really really really want to go swimming. Really.

First Grade Adventures: Day 2
Today we didn't have to focus so much on rules. We actually got some work done! Pre-assessments begin. We do a page where the kids copy me as I write "My name is (fill in your name). I am 6 years old. I like (then they write something they like)." It's very informative for me. It shows who can copy words, what kind of handwriting they have, and it shows if they can write something on their own.
Later that day we did a shapes assessment. First graders are supposed to identify and draw the following 8 shapes: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, rhombus, trapeziod, parallelogram and hexagon. I gave each student a piece of paper and had them draw each shape. Most of that assessment came back blank. I wonder how many adults could draw all 8... Yeah! Stuff to teach!
Tomorrow's pre-assessments include writing a story, writing the numbers to 100, and matching a number to it's number word. Should be fun.