playground

Jace - I hope they put two basketball goals and a basketball court.
Sarah - It may be fun like it looks like.
Dani - I hope they are working so hard and that it will be ready by sometime.
Terren - It was cool when they were picking up the bull dozer.
Madi - i hope they build a pool.
Sebastian - I like the playground because I like to play in the grass.
Gavin - I would like for them to buy a candy shop by it.
Albert - It was so fun!

math

Albert - We had fun, it helps you know your numbers.
Terren - It was fun.
Dani - We used our Birthday graph and wrote the digital time on our clock.
Madison - We did the days of the week.
Sarah - We made designs using pattern blocks.
Jace - We figured out the names of the pattern blocks.
Kassie - We used our pattern blocks to make collections.
Kaden - We learned how to have fun and work in groups.

writing with voice

Kassie - I felt good when I was writing.
Albert - I felt special when I wrote.
Terren - I wrote about being scared in the dark because my T.V. went off.
Kelby - I felt super good.
Jace - I wrote about being scared of Freddie Crougar.
sarah - I felt scared when my aunt died.
Kaden - I wrote about being scared if mistaking my backpack hangin on the wall for a head staring at me.

Handwriting

Dani - it was fun
Jace - it was the funnest thing I did in school today
Kassie - the handwriting was perfect
Isaiah - handwriting was cool
Kelby - we found matching letters
Madi - handwritng was fun
Sarah - handwriting was fun
Terren - we write in it
Sebastian - we colored

August 21, 2009

Lunch

Dani - It was good
Terren - I like eating
Sarah - It was yummy
Jace - It was awesome
Jude - bananas

Ran out of time, more on Monday.

Agust 20, 2009 (Second Day of School)

What has been your favorite thing at school so far?

Dani - reading
Jace - reading
Kaden - lunch
Terren - playing
Abbi - learning
Gavin - being smart
Sarah - everything
Kelby - P.E.
Madison - computer
Kassie - being sweet to your teacher
Dylon - being good
Jude - music
Isaiah - being nice to everybody
Sebastian - coloring
Albert - play

August 9, 2009

The days before school begin are full of mixed emotions: excitement, hope, nervousness and stress.

I just got my class list 2 days ago and I have started putting students' names on things. I am sworn to secrecy not to share my list and I am keeping it to myself. I only recognized a few names and I am excited to meet all of these children and spend the school year building a relationship and learning together.

Every year begins full of hope. I hope this year I can be even better than last year. I hope that I can implement the new things I have read about. I hope my students enjoy my class. I hope we have a good schedule. I hope I don't have a lot of duty. I hope I can figure out how to use the SMART board. All of this hope leads to my next feeling of nervousness.

I know how to teach and this will be my third year to teach 2nd grade. I am finally staying at the same school for the following school year (well, same district, but we still moved schools). Even though many things are staying the same this year, it is still a new year full of the unknown. There is the possibility that some of the things I hope for will not work out for the best.

In addition to all of that, I have a lot to do to get ready for the year! My room started over from scratch (it actually has every year so far). We moved to the new school and were not able to get into the building to start unpacking until August 3rd. As if unpacking isn't hard enough, I have to decide how the room set up will work according to available wall space and my safe room door. Also, we do not have teacher desks, a small group table, or student desks to move around to find an ideal floor plan. I did not want to put anything on the bookshelves for fear that as soon the other furniture came in I would not want to keep them where they were. However, when the furniture arrival date kept getting pushed back and a teacher across the hall was making so much progress, I just had to commit to the placement. My desk should be here tomorrow so hopefully I can finish unpacking. Organizing student materials, putting up charts on the walls, and labeling everything has taken much time and is not finished either. This weekend I have began working on all of the paperwork that needs to be prepared for parents and students at the beginning of the year. AND, as soon as I find out our schedule, I can start preparing lessons.

So with all of those emotions going on, I am ready for school to start, just not before I am ready!