my kids: kind of a poem, but not

On the same day,
one group tenderly
buried a caterpillar
they found squished
on the sidewalk
outside our room;
another group
gleefully stomped
and ground into
unexistence
a hapless centipede
hiding in the grass.

what bugs me

I think the students would mutiny if fed a steady diet of science and social studies lessons out of the textbook, so I've started doing the occasional language arts lesson in the morning. Yesterday we looked at list poems, using Bruce Lansky's "What bugs me" as a springboard. Here's my version:


What bugs me

When I wake up 30 minutes late and have to dash, splashing coffee in my wake
When I have to wrangle with a balky computer to print out today's work
When I realize the clock is 10 minutes slow because the bell rings, and I thought I had more time
When the students surge in, chattering and slapping down their chairs and books
When I realize I have a meeting for the second half of the day
                but no sub plan
                                      yet.

unbalanced

     I think the tsunami on Saturday threw everyone off.
     A bunch of kids showed up with homework undone and homework logs unsigned. Junior and Neo, surprisingly, were absent. It could have been a better day if I weren't quite so grumpy. After reading from "Blue Skin of the Sea," we slogged through a session with the Social Studies textbook (always a party!). I kept some of the boys in for recess for not doing any work. They sulked, but I took them through some of the questions, then freed them for 5 minutes of recess.
     After recess we had guided reading and I introduced the reader response chart to help students build comprehension. Slow going, but I have to remember this was their first time working with it, so confusion is natural.
     After lunch (surprise - it featured a chicken patty), we delved into figuring out the median of a set of numbers. Finally, finally, the bell rang and the students raced out.
     Thinking about the day, I realized that I was feeling a little rushed from the morning. My feeling uncentered throws the class off a little, too. I feel better when I can deal with the students with patience and balance.
    Nothing else to say but, try again tomorrow ...

pile it on

Thinking maps, Marzano's, reader response charts, graphic organizers, T-charts.
I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by all the stuff I'm being shown that's supposed to help my students boost their understanding and test scores.
While I'm grateful to the folks who are sharing these things, sometimes it's all too much.
I want to offer my students a variety of paths to success, but when does the highway to success get jammed with traffic? I'd like to try out all of these strategies and tools with students, but given where we are in the school year, I don't want to overload them. I also feel the limited time means I need to prioritize and pick what I think is most important.
Hmm ... just need to figure out what's most important. Most important to whom? The middle school they'll be heading to in two years? The high school they'll move on to? The college?
Should I give each strategy/tool a test run and see what works best? Or just present one or two and stick to them?
I'll take these questions to my PD gurus this week and see what they say ...

law and order

Still wiped out from a fantastic but tiring weekend trip, so this is going to be short:

• New-teacher revelation #452: Failure is hard work. But I'm taking my failures as opportunities to learn, and am grateful for all the support I'm getting.
• Introduced new rules/consequences last week, and am hopeful. Our classroom is still evolving, but I noticed that the new consequences are easier for me and the students to understand. What's interesting is that the noise level is noticeably lower. The kids are still a bit raucous at times, especially after lunch, but I'm pleased with how things are going overall. While I've been passing out "think about it" sheets daily to the usual crew, I do notice that they are more focused and I think the new rules are helping everyone in the room.
• I believe that as we near the end of quarter 3, my relationship with the students has only improved. Before, they were happy to have a substitute teacher. But I was out two times last week, a half day on Tuesday and all day on Thursday. I was in Thursday morning prepping, and several students asked if I would be coming back halfway through the day, or said they didn't like having a substitute. 
• Started eating lunch with groups of 4 to 5 students on Wednesdays, and the students seem to be enjoying it. It's a good chance to just talk, and I think they enjoy the attention.
• Ecstatic that my students are thoroughly enjoying "Blue Skin of the Sea." Two of them hunted down copies in the school library today and excitedly showed me their finds. Willow, who hasn't enjoyed reading much until now, borrowed my classroom copy and even offered to buy it from me!

the week (in briefs, not boxers)

• It sucks when you get an extra hour of sleep (inadvertently, by crawling out of bed, shutting off the alarm, then crawling back in bed again) and are STILL tired. Sigh.

• This week was a good reminder of why I don't spend a lot of time with some of my colleagues. 

• I needed to have a quick meeting this morning, so Orchid was kind enough to take the kids out for P.E. While I missed the chance to play with them, I'm glad that Orchid had a blast chasing them around the field. She gave them a great workout.

the P in P.E. doesn't stand for pain?

     The kids were disbelieving.
     As the time drew closer, they started drawing my attention to the clock.  When I asked them to prep their desks for guided reading, they gathered their materials in the blink of an eye.
     The big occasion? I took my students out for P.E. for the first time since the grade level stopped teaching resources on rotation.
     Seattle peppered me with questions beforehand: "Are we playing volleyball? Basketball? Or can Dimples bring out his football?"
     (Ah, ye of much faith. I have two left feet and a minimal knowledge of sports.)
     The kids bounded out to the field. I noticed the grass was wet, and thoughtlessly asked, "Is it too wet for P.E.?" This question was met with a collective, fervent "no."
     We (teacher included) warmed up by jogging a lap around the field, which drew wondering comments from the class. As one student said, "The teachers never run with us."  This teacher, however, needs to kick up her physical activity level, and what's better than working and exercising at the same time?
     After our lap, I busted out the frisbees and we spent a happy half-hour jumping, catching, and rolling on the ground (last activity optional, depending on your gender and affinity for dirt). The frisbees were actually dog frisbees, procured from Old Navy for a great price. I believe they are a bit smaller and softer than the type made for people. Some were emblazoned with the word "FETCH!," but I don't think the students even noticed.
     I realized that playing with the students was lots of fun, and a great way to build relationships as well. I made sure to praise students like Dimples for dramatic catches. His white polo ended up streaked with dirt -- he could have starred in a laundry-detergent commercial by the end of P.E.
    While I am not qualified to teach students the intricacies of football, basketball, volleyball, or most sports, I think organizing a game of frisbee tag or ultimate frisbee is within reach.