MCC Friday Reflections

The sound of the air conditioner has ceased; replaced by the whirl of the heating vent. When the vent first kicked on the dust flew up along with bits of string, glitter, and other remnants of classes past . The story for this week was titled, "The Stranger". It is a fantasy tale of a Jack Frost (or the season of Fall) In short, a farmer, with his truck, hits "Jack Frost" while driving down the road. The farmer takes him home to care for him. Jack Frost has amnesia due to the bump he received from the accident. Throughout the story there are clues to his identity. As a class we had a great time finding the clues, identifying causes & effects, and unconsciously bringing the Fall season into Room 202. The kids' clothes are aligning more with cool weather than they were last week. The colors being worn are darker, more conservative. The daylight is not as bright as it streams through the blinds. From the windows here in Room 202 (on the second ...

"We are to prepare children for the future". While preparaing to become a teacher I heard this often. It can be tricky at times only because the future is uncertain. We're not absolutely sure what kinds of jobs will be around when kids grow up. We're not quite sure what kinds of societal problems will unveil themselves. So we move along the best we know how, anticipating the future, keeping up on the latest technology, and having discussions amongst our peers. All in the name of preparing our students for the future. I have had the pleasure of being a co-leader for Student Council for the past 10 years. It's is fulfilling on many levels. One of those levels is the opportunity I have to teach children about the political process. Our local, state and national government has been set up very carefully by those who founded them. A system of checks and balances, of a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people", of electi...

Six weeks has passed since the beginning of school. In those six weeks one of my "Friday Reflections" was about establishing a classroom within the first six weeks. Well, here we are. So how has it turned out? I would say quite well.  They are still pushing in their chairs when we leave...that's encouraging! And they are slowly but surely become a "well oiled machine". One area that proves to be challenging for any class I've had is our rotating stations for Reading & Math. Three times a week, faithfully, we have Math Stations in the morning and Reading Stations in the afternoon. The kids are split into four groups and there are four activities. One activity is always with the teacher, the next activity usually involves a practice book of some sort (Math Journal or Daily Practice Book), a third station will be a game, grading, or extension activity, and the fourth station is always the computer station. The groups of students sp...

Today is Thursday. I'm writing my Friday Reflection one day early. It is late afternoon slipping quickly into evening. I sit in Room 202, the sound of the air-conditioner humming in the background, silence around me otherwise. I will not be in school on Friday. There will be a substitute teacher taking care of my students for the day. It will be the first time this year that my students will tackle the day without me. It's a day of many activities on the agenda. They will be taking their Selection Test for the story, "Marven of the Great North Woods" along with their spelling test on the laptops. Of course, the Basic Math Fact Test will also be taken with paper & pencil. They will learn about fire safety in our 2nd week of the "Learn Not to Burn" lessons given by the Elmhurst Fire Department. They will have Spanish and Gym. They will complete Reading work and grade math homework. To end their day they will be practicing a "Secure in Plac...

Fourth Grade is considered a "turning point grade" in the field of education.  It transitions a child from the primary level learning to the intermediate level.  With this transitions comes a host of changes; academically, socially, emotionally, & physically. A social-emotional aspect that always presents itself revolves around responsibility and accountability.  The two "-abilities" that present the highest level of frustration, confusion, and stress for 9-10 year-olds in a school setting. On Fridays the kids are given their "work from the week".  They have completed many assignments through the course of a week; grammar, spelling, morning work, science, social studies, test, quizzes, etc..  They like getting their packets of work.  Each Friday I can hear the flipping of pages at the end of the day as kids look at the work they produced.  Minor squeals of delight and moans of distress often accompany the mad rush through the pa...

When I began teaching some 13 years ago my principal at the time gave me a book.  It was called, "The First Six Weeks of School" This book outlines strategies for setting up a classroom and getting the school year off to a good start.  It emphasizes the importance of establishing routines and expectations.  It details ways to model and teach how the classroom should run on a day-to-day basis.  It provides practical advice on how to communicate in a way that elicits respect and an appreciation for both the student and teacher.   As you might be able to ascertain from the title, the book proports that the first six weeks of school are really the most critical in this "establishing of the environment".  I can recall thinking to myself that six weeks is way too long to spend on establishing a classroom.  There was teaching to be done, curriculum to get through, chapters and quizzes, tests and papers, grades and report cards.  Maybe...

There are 25 students and two adults in Room 202.  That's a lot of people in a room for 6 hours a day.  Needless to say, there is a shortage of space.  It's hot.  It's stuffy. On the first day of school I told the kids, as I always tell my new students, to push in their chairs when they leave their desk.  I told them this is especially true this year since we have so many people. They listened.  Not only did they listen the first day of school, they kept pushing in their chairs day in and day out.  It may seem like a small thing, maybe even insignificant.  But it's more than a simple act of pushing in a chair...it speaks to the character of the class; and ultimately the character of the individual. A fourth grader has many things on their mind...least of which is to push in their chair when they get up.  They have to think about their school work, their friends, their family; who they are going to sit next to ...