Thankful Students

Sometimes school needs to be more than just content. Students learn from the things that you point out to be important. I started our classroom tradition of sharing things for which we are thankful on a wall in my first year of teaching. Originally, they took at least three pieces of paper and wrote at least three things they were thankful for and posted them on the wall. 

This year, I've decided to have this reflection last all of November and add a little at a time. Today, the kids took a leaf (cut out with dye cuts/Ellis machine) and wrote their names on one side and one thing they were thankful for on the other. This allows me to go through and be sure that there aren't any inappropriate responses to be posted in the wall as well as appreciate the responses from the students. Many today were family, friends, and life.

Day 1:

I've decided to make a topic for the rest of the days. 

Day 2: a person that taught you a lesson

Day 3: how you got to school

Day 4: the best meal you've eaten recently

Day 5: a coach or teacher who helped you gain a skill

I'll have to come up with more. Maybe you can help. What are you thankful for? What are things that you sometimes forget to be thankful for?

Not as Bad as the Blizzard of '78

That's always the response when discussing the snow storm we received this past week.  I wasn't around for it--to be more accurate, I hadn't even been thought of at that point in time--but when the blizzard of '78 occurred, I've been told that my mom, my granddad, and my mom's childhood friend were in charge of getting the groceries to hold them off through the storm.  My grandmother was furious when they returned home with donuts, bags of chips, cookies, candy bars, and not a single healthy item to eat.  

As I mentioned in my previous post, we received a snow day following my return from the cruise.  Since that time, my school received the remainder of the week off as well. Actually, just the students received the rest of the week off.  We, teachers, had to report to school on Thursday and Friday since students would not be making up the first two snow days.  It was relaxing to make lessons without interruption and during school hours rather than before and after school for hours, as per usual (I'm now 5 weeks planned ahead! Go, me!). 

Dottie Grace, my dog (yes, animals should have middle names, too), has been stir crazy during this weather.  It was way too cold to go for a walk on Monday or Tuesday.  Here's a quick video of her trekking through the backyard trying to spend just a few extra minutes outside, but falling through the snow with every step.  She is a clever girl, which is how I know she was walking to her tree to spend time out rather than just not thinking it through. She kept looking at me and then continued her journey to the tree.

On Wednesday, we did manage to go for a walk.  I put her sweater on her--I do not dress her often, but it was still extremely cold out--and we took a lap around the neighborhood, and boy, was she happy to be out!

Week of Panic

As final examinations inch closer and closer, students get into a frenzy about getting their grades up at the last minute.  I offer "grade booster" opportunities (or what normal people call extra credit) throughout the semester, but the students see me as a Scrooge when it gets to these last few weeks and I explain that their current grades are accurate representations of how they've been performing and there is nothing "extra" to do at this point.  

As a course, all the students from one class to the next have been working on genetics research papers for two weeks, not including the week off for Thanksgiving.  It is insane, to me, that I had students that straight-up did not turn in a paper and then asked for extra credit-------- NO! Why would I give you extra credit when you don't do the actual credit? Had any of these conversations occurred a few weeks ago, yes, I would have offered extra credit. Oh, wait, I did. Hmmm... 

Now, to be less perturbed, it is the end of the last week before finals.  I know that students are reviewing in every class all day long.  To break up the monotony a bit, and also to do something to improve/update our classroom environment, we took 5 or less minutes one day to tell each other our Winter Break plans with snowflakes! It looks like many of my students will be busy bees over break!

2-Hour Delays are the Best... And the Worst

Everyone LOVES a 2-hour delay. You don't have to make it up at the end of the year, classes are shortened, and the kids are more alert in the morning. At school yesterday, everyone was getting in the mindset that school would be cancelled the following day due to a huge snow storm heading our way. During all the chatter (of which I could hear the hopefulness in student voices....and some teacher voices, too), all I thought was Are you kidding? This is Indiana. We probably won't end up with any snow at all. And if we do, DON'T hope for a snow day, just a delay! Besides, that's what we'll get.