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The Turning...

The school year is well under way.  September closes its door and October brings in the rains and wind, the cooling temperatures, and the colors that dance before our sights and change before we can get a glimpse of them.  We begin, in the classroom, to settle into our routines, find our rhythms, and start relaxing.  We allow our true selves to be known, little by little.  The personalities of each shines through just like the colors of the changing autumn leaves... We know why the leaves change colors.  The temperatures begin to dip and the production of chlorophyll decreases. With the drop in chlorophyll production, the green color we have grown accustomed to over the past few months begins to disappear, and the other colors of the spectrum shine through.  These other colors, however, unveil themselves at slightly different times and in different tones for each individual leaf.  Each one is unique and beautiful when looked upon in your hand. ...
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On Paper to Me...

My students are asked to write in their journals every morning when they arrive at school. It’s an exercise that allows them to put down on paper what is happening in their lives. There are four different entries a student can make. Each day they are asked to make one of the four entries based on the group they are part of (there are four groups of six determined by their "location" on my class list: students 1-6, 7-12, 13-18, and 19-24). The entries include: Home, School, Dear Mr. C, and Free Write. The Home entry is an opportunity for them to write about what's going on at home; same with the school entry (what's happening at school). The Dear Mr. C entry is the time they write directly to me (they turn in their journal on their "Dear Mr. C" day); and the Free Write is just that--a time to write about anything. The journaling typically lasts 10 minutes. Not for this group though. This group takes the better part of 25 - 30 minutes. They write wonder...
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