MCC Friday Reflections

It's happened every snow-filled morning. The darkness is slowly being lifted by the creeping in of light. Shovel in hand I methodically push snow to the edges of the driveway one row at a time. Being a creature of habit I am usually out there at the same time the task needs to be completed. Over the first part of this winter I have witnessed a scene that repeats itself each and every time I'm out there. Of course, right before the scene unfolds I am not even thinking about it...but then it occurs. The still of the cold air early in the morning is broken by a low rumbling in the near distance. The sound move quickly toward me and into my sight from around a bend appears a school bus. Dirty with gray-black snow on the wheel wells, smeared with the distinctive shade of road salt along its body, the large yellow-orange vehicle barrels forward. As it catches my attention I stop to look at the bus, maybe just to give my arms and back a rest, and there he is. Walkin...

Fourth Grade proved to be a bit of a challenge for me due to the fact that I attended three different schools that year. Our family had moved to Steven's Point, WI the year prior...third grade was spent there. Right after the new school year started I went to McKinley School in Steven's Point for about 1 month of 4th Grade then we moved back to the Chicagoland Area. I found myself at Washington School in River Forest, IL. We were renting a house as we looked for a permanent residence. Three months later we moved across town and I once again found myself in a new school...Roosevelt School this time. As I look back I can remember a small bit from McKinley, a little bit more from Washington, and a great deal more from Roosevelt. Each one, though, had its memories and each one had something to offer me as a student. I can recall learning cursive writing in McKinley. We had worked on it the year prior but when I started 4th Grade they seemed to be more serious about it. ...

W e find ourselves right in the middle of winter and right in the middle of the school year. The frigid cold is upon us, the snowy banks make for exhilarating snow slides and obstructed driving conditions. The closets here in Room 202 are overflowing with winter gear and the floor is sopping wet with the melted snow trudged in by all who spend their day here. While winter is fast upon us it will change...soon. We often tell our children that life is about "change". We reiterate by telling them that the only thing that really stays constant is the fact that things change. They must journey through the changes in life and it's ours to help them along. As a teacher working through my 13th year in a 4th grade classroom I can say with confidence that fundamental changes occur during this particular grade level unlike any other grade level. Yes, each grade level presents opportunities for change and they most certainly do occur; but in 4th grade the change comes threef...