first grade "stuffed" snowmen

toys?

A couple shared a poignant quotation from a time when they were at their store with their daughter E. E asked if there were toy lighters for sale, and the parents laughed, telling her no and thinking it was an absurd question. Then E responded with, "Well, they have toy guns, why not toy lighters?"

snippets of first grade dialogue

**it's the po-po (upon seeing a cop car outside the school)

**we don't live with my dad anymore because he slept with another lady and made my mom mad.

**I know another color name-- mulatto! (spoken by my one beautiful black/mulatto student while we brainstormed names of colors)


(We had a great conversation today about how we use problem-solving in real life, and many shared their own problem-solving experiences)

**my baby sister kept waking me up with her crying, and so I made her a more comfortable bed.

**I helped them get up on the (monkey) bars outside by getting down and having them stand on my back (followed by very detailed demonstration)...and if they need me to be upper, then I get upper like this (standing up).

**my fork and knife fell on the floor at a restaurant. I picked them up and set them off to the side, and I got new ones (spoken with pride).

first grader realities

I sometimes wonder... Can it get any worse? Each year I am astonished by the lives led by the little friends in my classroom; many of them deal with many more challenges than I've dealt with in my much longer lifetime. And yet, despite the harsh world surrounding them, there's still an incredible innocence that rises to the top.

Classroom prep-- which are you?!!

These photos were taken at my school (not my own classroom), yesterday, 4 days before open house & 9 days before the official first day of school with students... Which teacher's classroom looks the most like *your* organizational style??

Is it choice A?















Or choice B?

getting ready

I am very proud of myself for being on top of things... actually, I think it's just that I know what I'm doing now! Finally, about to start my 7th year of teaching, and I actually feel settled. Here are some photos of my new classroom arrangement. I always take everything off the walls, etc. and put it all away in the closets (and on top of the closets!) at the end of the school year so that I can begin with a clean slate. And I've only been in on 2 afternoons, so I'm glad that it's going quickly this time around. I'm also excited about my new book nook area by the windows!

to do or not to do

The teacher me says that I should be finishing up my science map for next year, or at least starting to put together my portfolio for the Writing Project. But the lazy me keeps thinking about household necessities-- changing litter, dyeing my hair, cleaning our bedroom, putting dishes away... It's a never-ending battle of the mind; I think the teaching profession is probably one of the most difficult to separate from regular life.

Summer often puts me in a pickle. I view the freedom as an invitation to get active in all arenas of life (educational, political, environmental, etc.), and yet here I sit blogging away. Lack of routine seems to lead to a lack of productivity. Ah well, at least my mind is working! :)