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Days of Change


The times are changing.


The school year is more than half over.  Routines are established, schedules are memorized, and relationships are established.  Yet despite this seemingly stable environment there is a change brewing underneath the surface.  Change is good.  It is beneficial in that it fuels the desire to excel and proceed forward.


The core of the classroom is the environment.  We all enter into this environment every day yet each day is different...not because the environment has changed but because those within it are changing.  My students are becoming more independent.  They are exercising their independence as they defend their answers, reason their way through a problem, and set goals for themselves.  My students are maturing in their relationships as they are seeking social acceptance among their peers; trying to find where they belong in the environment.  My students are experimenting with humor and sarcasm as they test the cause and effects of such things.


Times are changing.


It's a far cry from the first day of school.  They are getting taller, their faces are silently becoming more mature.  They are thinking a bit more deeply and making more connections.  They are gathering experiences that will serve them well in their lives.  


It always amazes me, this time of year does, at how incredible the transformation is that takes place in 4th grade.  It is bittersweet in that it calls me to realize that the school year is more than half over and I will be bidding farewell to my students and at the same time I know that I have some more time to spend with them learning, laughing, and living in the environment that we have set up for ourselves.


Mr. Casten
Feb. 24, 2012

Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

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