MCC Friday Reflections

My students created a game on the playground.  They made their own rules and figured out ways to be the best at this game.  Then came the challenge.  The girls challenged the boys to a marathon of this game.  Every day when we went outside they would situate themselves around this game.   As some time passed I noticed that the teams had changed.  It was no longer girls vs. boys.  They mixed it up.  With this change there seemed to be more comradery.  The game flowed more smoothly than it had before and rules seemed to be adhered to more diligently.   There are times in the classroom where the kids would prefer to be with their own gender.  We respect that.  There are times when the kids like to be with their friends.  We respect that too.  There are times, as well, when they let go of these notions and allow themselves to expand their horizons; including themselves among everyone...mal...

Every morning I sit outside my classroom and greet each student.  We exchange "good mornings" and they tell me what they are doing for lunch.  It's a nice time of day because I get to see each one of my students and connect with them, if only for a moment.  The day quickly gets itself into motion and the whirlwind of learning commences.  That initial connection in the morning is the spark that sets the tone of our day.  It brings to light the humanness in us all; kids are people too and so are teachers. As we get to know one another we find out more and more about each other.  I have the privilege of learning about 21 individuals...each with their own dreams and fears, talents and skills, highs and lows.  Each one of them comes to me day after day with a host of experiences from their lives; as do I to them.  Each one of them comes to me with a sense of self that has been in the works for the past 9-10 years; mine spans 45....

Five weeks of Reading lessons.    Five selections were read and discussed.         Skills and strategies were explained and practiced.              Review took place over the course of one week. Five weeks of Writing lessons.      Six papers in all were completed.          Six papers were edited and revised.               Writing techniques were taught and practiced. The time for my students to demonstrate what they have learned finally came.  The reading test had two selections to be read and questions followed; testing their ability to identify main ideas and details, draw conclusions, work with vocabulary words, as well as identifying themes.  A writing prompt was given and students were expected to create a paper using the te...

The sounds of children playing rush through my open window.  The cool air softly slips past the screen as the fall seasons begins to take hold.  If I stare long enough at the tree across the street I can almost see the leaves changing their colors.  Every so often a shrill of playful delight rings above the children's crowd noise.  And for brief moments there is a seeming silence when the voices all together quiet themselves.  It's as if there is a wave of commotion amongst them.  I know they are all doing something different yet from simply listening to them their sound echoes in unison. My classroom is still.  It's quiet and lifeless.  The children quickly left for lunch today and their "things" are still exactly where they left them.  Books over turned to save the place of the reader, open journals, pens and pencils randomly placed all rest on the desks.  Jackets hang limp over the backs of chairs. Snack containers, s...