School Days

School has been getting better and better. I am having fun teaching and bonding with the kids in all grades. Although it gets really frustrating at times dealing with a wild class and a particular group of boys who have a knack for doing anything but what they're SUPPOSED to be doing at all times... I try to focus on enjoying being with the kids and making school a happy place for them.

Today was "Hat and Shades Day" as part of Red-Ribbon Week (it is an anti-drug awareness thing, so it was "shade out drugs.")

(Blurry- taken by a 3rd grader!)
...and yesterday was Pajama Day! ("Dreams Not Drugs.") The best!
This morning we had an awesome math experience with money. We have been working with pennies, and today we introduced the nickel. I told them we were going to a "penny candy store" and brought in a bag of different candies. I first pulled out a bubble gum ("oohs" and "ahhs" abounded) and said I was selling it for 6 cents. They had to show how they'd pay for it with pennies; then I told them "nah, I don't want all those pennies in my cash register- please pay for it with fewer coins!" If they could show me 6 cents with a penny and nickel, I'd give them a chance to buy the bubble gum. I continued with different candy at different prices- tootsie rolls, jaw breakers, and the expensive 10 cent ones, smarties! ("some smarties for a bunch of smarties")- until all the kids could do it. They loved it! It was also fun for me because when they got too loud or if someone was fooling around I said, "I'm sorry, but I won't serve any rowdy customers! I'll have to get Policewoman Miss Sam to kick you out of my store!" and the kids sat straight up. Amazing how much control you have over a class when you're holding a bag of candy....


My friend Sam, the first grade aid and our next-door neighbor, was telling me how much she loved the math lesson, and said that last year the teacher just basically told them that a nickel is 5 cents and gave them their work page to do. I spend a lot of time planning my lessons, but it's worth it to me when the kids are engaged and learning in a hands-on, interactive way. It makes me so happy to hear a child shout out "Who loves math??" and see all his friends around him shoot their hands in the air. It just gives me more inspiration to keep making our learning experiences exciting.


This afternoon I also subbed for art class- so fun! It was a double period with 4th grade, so I had them for an hour. We did Halloween wax resist projects :)




Tomorrow we leave for a retreat in Whitehall, MT. We'll be there through Sunday. Really looking forward to seeing a new part of Montana and also getting together with all the other volunteer.! Been so excited about seeing Erica there, too!! I actually am disappointed about missing school on Friday- wow! (just because it's the last school day before Halloween and there's lots of fun Halloween things to be done...)- but it will be great to get away and have the long weekend.

Oh, reason #27 Pajama Day was the best- we had this awesome hot cocoa snack, with Ghost Peeps.

Halloween on Monday- so excited!!