Edmodo

It is Spring Break. Every day I am getting messages on Edmodo from kids in book club. I love that they are reading and posting. It is a testament to book clubs. They work! They get kids excited in reading and interested in sharing.

Happy Birthday!

One of the students in my class took off a little early for Spring Break. He sent us an email today with pictures of him with tropical animals, of zip lining, and of beautiful sandy beaches.

We decided to play a trick on him. It is his birthday this weekend so the secretary delivered his Happy Birthday button to our classroom. I put it on and had one of the students take a pic and we sent this email:

         Mrs. Sharma delivered your birthday button today. Mrs. Ackroyd has been wearing it all day and 

        stealing your happy birthday wishes....and the presents everyone brought you!

          From,
          Neil and Bob (names have been changed) ....we busted her!!

           See:

I do look a tad guilty :)

Habits of Learners: A Little Experience With Metacognition

One of my students got sent to se the principal...but that was a good thing!

Every day we learn four new words. We talk about the sounds, we learn why words are spelled the way they are. And we do a spelling test. One of my students struggles with this. Every day he has more corrections than I hoped he would. All year I have watched him and tried to figure out why this is so challenging, I am slowly figuring a few things out and encouraging him to do a few things that seem to be helping. Recently he had tests where three days in a row he got 100%. I was so thrilled! I told him how proud I was of him. I told him how the things he had been doing are paying off. And, last of all, I said, "We have to tell the principal about this!"

We photocopied his tests and he wrote up a little blurb about his great news. He wrote that he was being recognized because ge got 100%. I clarified with him that this accomplishment was because he had done something special to make this happen. He went back to his desk and added that this was caused by being picked as the star student.

Apparently, he thought being picked as the star student that week was the difference! It brought him good luck. That wasn't what I wanted him to gather from this accomplishment. What happens when he isn't Star Student next week?

I dove into explaining that this wasn't luck. He accomplished this because he is becoming great at spelling!! 

...so he added another bit: ...and Mrs. Ackroyd knew I could do it.

*sigh* 

Next step: get this kid to really internalize that he is great!! It's not luck. It's not me. He is great!! He just doesn't quite know it yet. I guess until then I will keep letting him know I believe in him.

What Really Matters

In our school we spend a lot of time learning to use time well. We have speedy transitions. Kids have been taught to follow instructions quickly. When I visit other schools I am amazed at how speedy we get things moving in comparison.

And then, sometimes it all comes to a screeching halt. Today one of my students came to school late. Clearly, he hadn't had a good morning. He slammed his books down. He threw his backpack into his locker and he sat down with a thud. We had gym first thing, so we got lined up and off we went. At the gym doors he stopped me. 

With big tears in his eyes he said, "Mrs. Ackroyd, this is the worst day of my life."

"Why?!" I asked.

"My grandpa died last night."

He lives with his grandpa. He was in his 80s. He hadn't been really sick. He said he just stopped breathing.

It broke my heart! His parents probably sent him to school because there was a lot going on at home and maybe it was just easier to have him be at school. I believe it is really important for kids to be involved in the grieving process. Suddenly all our efficiencies went out the window. A couple girls in the class made him a card. We all sat at the carpet and talked about dying.

It was humbling.

I love these kids. My heart beaks when their heart breaks.

A Good Problem

We have a problem. Everyone wants to read. No one will go do "swish and squish"* with the milk person during DEAR. Today he had to ask six people before he found someone.

I can handle a problem like that.

*Swish and squish is the job the milk person gets after lunch recess, when we have quiet reading (aka DEAR). They pass out the milk at the start of lunch time. After, they rinse the container, squish it, and put it in the recycling.

Guest Blogger

Today I was a guest blogger on Kirby Larson's website. I fell in love with her book, Hattie Big Sky and also The Frindship Doll, and have followed her blog ever since. She asked, once, on her blog, for people to let her know if they would be interested in blogging, and on a whim I replied. This week my time came!! You can read the post here.

He did it!!

I love this look of surprise! It is a feeling of accomplishment!

This is a guy who finally conquered x3 and x4!!

He didn't really think he could do it...but I knew he could....and he did!!

I love sharing in these moments.

Visitors

Today, after school, a student who was in my class year stopped by my classroom. He came to me to ask if I had read the new book in The False Prince series yet. I haven't, but if have it I hold at the library! He said, "Oh rats! I wanted to out it on hold before you!" 

We chatted for a minute about when we read The False Prince last year, about the second book which we had both read in our own, and what we thought would be in the next book, and then off he went.

It wasn't really a long conversation, but it warmed my heart. He and I have a connection from a few things, not the least of which are the books we have read together.

I am so glad I get to spend my days making connections with kids like him!

....I was going to buy a paperback copy of the book later, but I a thinking I ought to go get one right now in hard cover and let it make it's rounds in grade four!