Let's try to not get behind again!

Here are the posts for March up until this past Friday:

March 19 Spelling Quiz, 16 minutes of Heat, recommended they use their vocabulary and outline sheets while listening, last day for poetry books less 10 points; I’m really concerned I will be unable to obtain a teaching job. Not because I promised my daughter we would not leave the area for 2 years, but that I have no references who can say, “yes, she knows how to teach”. Kyle said to substitute teach or volunteer to coach or volunteer somewhere else. I can handle the substituting, but, considering my financial situation, volunteering just isn’t possible right now. Does this mean I’ll never teach “for real”?

March 18 Baseball key terms, correct spelling, very little Heat, how to write full sentences – amazing that students think it is enough to just give one or two words for an answer to a question – “You have the questions right there!” “And what if I don’t?” “Then it won’t make any sense, duh?!” Concept is lost on them!

March 17 CPR of Shamrocks, no Heat listening due to time, handout heat outline and vocabulary, remind of spelling WS and quiz

March 16 DARE

March 15 Spelling WS, History of Baseball, Author Mike Lupica, Write up 2 students & call parent; I did not like “writing up” students, but I understand the need for it – it is difficult to manage a classroom and impart knowledge if all you are doing is giving warnings to disruptive students. (copy of write up attached)

March 12 Poetry books due, spelling quiz, poetry theatre, work on books; Because I am a softy, just like Amy, I gave the students 30 minutes of class time to finish up their poetry books. This time was put to good use by ½ of the students who had not finished before class. The balance of the students are ones who just don’t seem to care. The students who did finish were given time to orally present their poetry “poetry theatre” which I found students would stay quiet for – maybe some of that idea of respect is seeping in!

March 11 Spelling WS, work on poetry books

March 10 CPR Paper bag greeting, didn’t go over as well as I would have liked

March 9 Computer lab, make up of poetry vocab quizzes, students present poems orally

March 8 Spelling WS, work on Poetry books

March 5 Computer lab, writing time; This was another opportunity for me to give individual instruction to students who were still having difficulties in writing their poetry. I have to ask myself why are they still lagging behind – is it me or is it them? Amy tells me that, first off, there is no way to be sure which it may be; second, if most of the kids are getting it and are progressing, then it is the students who are not catching on or applying themselves. The reasons for this could be varied – however the prime suspect at this stage (age and time of year) would be the kids don’t think it is important, so they aren’t giving it as much attention as their other studies or their lives. Does this mean that in order to have the students really learn about poetry that I’d have to give them direct instruction, many quizzes, and a cumulative test – like I got when I was in school? I hope not as I didn’t learn as much that way and it was boring!

March 4 Writing Time, poetry vocabulary using Lit book

March 3 CPR – name tent greeting; poetry vocabulary, discuss late work

March 2 Vocabulary quiz, poetry book rubric; although I do not wish to assign a failing grade to any student, why is it that if a student earns a failing grade that they cannot be forced into summer school or to repeating the year – or at least the subject they failed?

March 1 Computer lab, discuss syllabic & rhyme rules, rhyming dictionaries

Oh, my

Here are my late posts to finish up the month of February:

February 26 off

February 25 Full day of conferences – Parents haven’t changed, and neither have students; unfortunate, though, that parents of students who are having the most difficulties did not show up

February 24 Computer lab, CPR – compassion poem; poetry vocabulary Evening conferences

February 23 computer lab – short lesson on using Word to create cover page and to add page breaks, as this was impromptu, I don’t have a lesson plan, but plan to use it in my checklist; powerpoint on poetry books handout, read a poem

February 22 The viceprincipal interrupted class to handle registration paperwork; poetry, vocabulary handout

February 19 Career Day Data – although this 8 hours of line reading and paper pushing counts toward a “standard”, I don’t see that I learned anything; also brings the question to mind, why not give Student teachers a list of activities to choose from to help with – dances, after school, things like this – and require that, say out of 6, they must attend 3 of their choosing; or, does democracy not exist when it comes to student teaching?

Being Observed

Today was Day 2 of poetry. It went much better than yesterday! Asking the students to completely clear their desks, and telling them I would be asking them to discuss the poem I read really seemed to help with their participation. So much so that, after discussing the WM Carlos WMs poem, M.B. shared his poem - and the kids had fun and then were amazed that they learned something!

During 5th hour Mr. Coe observed. He was impressed with everything and said I was proficient in quite a few areas. He did say that I didn't seem to have a good boundary between myself and students. I've got to think about that and work on it.

Caught Up!

Wednesday, February 17

Today I began the Poetry unit. It is going to be a longer unit than I originally planned. I am hoping that the students get more out of this unit than they have with other lessons over the last several weeks.

I read a poem from the book "How to eat a poem" in the hopes it would start them thinking. It worked for all but one class. There is always tomorrow!

Missing Days

Friday, February 12 I was not in school. My husband had emergency spine surgery.

Monday, February 15 there was no school, to observe President's Day.

How to handle a bad day

Today was not such a good day. I know it happens to everyone in every profession. I feel like I cheated the students, though, not being at my best. Having "personal" problems is difficult when I'm trying to be personable. Most of the kids, though, understood and cut me some slack. But, of course, there are those who are so caught up in their own lives that a teacher having a bad day doesn't matter.

I have to say that not feeling 100% when I am teaching is heartbreaking. I want to give students 110% of myself all the time! They will forgive me and I'll make up for it!

Envelopes and Question Marks

Today was Postive Peer Relations day. I taught students how to address an envelope. I am still surprised that, at the age of 11, most kids did not know how to do this! I was writing letters when I was 8 - but, that was way before email, Internet, and cable TV.

Books!

February 9

Today we took each hour to the book fair in the library. Actually, I didn't go until 5th hour, as I was busy getting the ActivBoard to work properly - and my knee was bothering me.

The only thing of interest was something that happened to me. I mentioned before that there are a lot of students who are from very low income homes. Some of these kids are bright, interested, and just plain good. Some of these kids also wanted books to read. Each hour I wanted to pull out my wallet and say, "Here. Buy a book for yourself." But, I couldn't. And that broke my heart.

Many Posts

I am behind 5 Journal Entries. I've decided to make them individual entries, for ease of reading.

February 8

Today was a mixed bag - some from Mrs. Skala, some from me. We started with Unit 13 Spelling worksheets. The students knew the "drill" and helped me along. First, I read the words; second I explain the worksheet; third, I give them time to work on it. Simple enough.

Then, I had the students work on goals. Amy gave me the goal sheets the students created in their first weeks of school. I pushed the students - I asked them to create or re-write 2 goals, one personal and 1 academic. It was a disaster! I don't know if I was asking too much of their developing brains (and I'm not being mean) or if they just didn't care. Perhaps my instructions were not clear or I explained too fast. I'm not sure.

As much as I like this group of students, I don't know if I can get to the level of explanation they need. I'll have to get out my Ed Psych book and review brain development.

I got to do some teachin'

We split each class into 2 today, as we have been doing since last Friday. This works well because everyone gets a chance to work on their papers and receive lessons.
And, as the same as yesterday, I stayed in the main classroom with the students working on spelling and ALWFC worksheets. While Amy was in the mini-classroom with students and laptops. I did offer to take the "afternoon shift" for her, but, as frustrated as she was (with students waaaaaaaaaaaay off task) she wanted to continue to work with them on laptops because, as she said, it was her baby. Amy loves those kids and loves her job - otherwise, she wouldn't continue to work through her frustrations.
My plan is to be like Amy - realize there are going to be bad days and kids who don't care. But, there are also those who have great potential and light your day.

Wed, Feb 3

I never realized how lazy people are in 6th grade.

The students are working on a research paper to go along with their science fair projects. Although this is their first research paper, there are still some requirements to follow. One is that their cover page include the name of their topic, their name, their class hour, their pod, and the date. No matter how many instructions or how much guidance the students were given, more than 1/2 of the students (a) did not follow formatting directions (b) used a "readable" font, such as TNR, Times, or Arial; and most frustrating and interesting (c) did not bother to spell out the month in the date of their paper. I asked one student why she did not type out 'January' and instead just used 'Jan'; she asked why she couldn't; I explained that it was against the instructions; to which she replied, "Well, that is a dumb instruction" and did not change her typing. If I were grading her cover sheet, she would lose points for 'Jan', using some twirly font that is difficult to read, and not following the format (by placing her name before the title of the paper). But, that's just me...

February 2, 2010

Today, I was "in charge". Amy gave me the ruler and the ActivBoard pen and said, "Go for it!"
I am exhausted but feel very happy!
I'm going to write a lesson plan that has me use the ActivBoard - it is a very cool device!
My classroom management skills are improving - much to students' dismay. I can be nice, but I do expect respect - toward me and other students.
Tonight I expect to have dreams about teaching!

A Fresh Week

It's Monday, Week 4. There are times I feel like it is my first day, times I feel I've been doing it forever, and times that I just can't keep up! All of it is exhilarating!

Today, the usual - Daily News, Announcements, reminder about responsibility and respect.
Today, the not so usual - I gave the students a brief idea of what I would be "teaching" on Tuesday. Sure, it is a Learning Styles 'Quiz', but Amy wanted them to be prepared. That was easy.

Again, Amy split the classes into 2 groups - one for laptops and the other for ALWFC. I had the first 2 hours of laptops. I figured out one problem: lack of attention and listening on the part of the students. I'll have to look for a lesson that "grades" them on their attention/listening skills...maybe. When the students were using the laptops, they could not focus nor stay on task. I started to think it was me who was the problem - which would end my teaching career immediately! Then, I remembered all the other people I "taught" through the years, and figured it wasn't me. So, I tried something that worked, but I didn't like using - I gave them specific direction and time to accomplish the directions or they would lose laptop use for the 1/2 hour. Ugh...I hate punishments! I also hate when they work - which they did!

I have to say that during H2, the first 1/2 with all boys went much more smoothly and with out all the drama of the second half of the hour, with the girls. Now, boys have their drama too, but they are easier to put back on task. I think I'll have to get my Ed Psych book out and re-read the chapter on how to herd cats!

I did get to use elmo-cam the second half of the day, when Amy supervised the laptop users. It is a very easy piece of equipment, and doesn't make me have to think backwards (as in, my right is my right and not my left) when I use it. I reviewed analogies, using words from ALWFC; then I gave them instruction on answering 9 questions from the last chapter of the book. It looked like a lot, but, once students realized they only needed to write one sentence and that all the answers were in the book, the tension in the room released.

We moved on to spelling - I gave them their spelling list (showing it through elmo) and their worksheet (again, elmo). I asked if anyone knew the definition of an adverb and, although the 'answer' is on a poster in the room, no one could answer my question. *sigh* So, I reviewed the definition and use of the adverb, explained that was the Unit 11 Spelling concept, and let them go.

Now that I've mastered elmo, we just need to get the ActiveBoard calibrated so I can master it!

Friday

Another day of not much to tell. Perhaps I should be giving more information about what I do with my days? I'll start that Monday, fresh.

Amy has her routine down pat; each hour has the same "schedule"

1. Daily News (for H1, this also includes Daily Announcements)
2. Bad jokes/puns
3. On with the show

This week, we had the added feature of splitting the students into 2 groups each hour - one worked on the book "A Long Way From Chicago" while the other worked on their papers on the reserved laptops. Then, 1/2 way through the hour, the groups switched. This way, students had an (near) equal time to work on their papers. Problem is, their motivation to work on these papers just isn't there. There are only a handful of students out of the ~120 that (a) want to work on their papers (b) take this assignment seriously and (c) are interested. Amy can't figure out what the disconnect is, and I certainly am still clueless.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Having Prep-time 3rd hour is odd - it seems I have less time to do what I need to do; I feel pressured. Perhaps it is because lunch comes after 3rd hour; whereas prep at 6th hour just rolled into after school time. I need to work on making my goals for prep time a bit tighter.

Volunteering

This afternoon, after classes, the Student Teachers met with Paula M., who is in charge of the Career Day Fair the Middle School holds in May. The STs were volunteered by the Principal to help coordinate the pre-fair doings. This will give us a great opportunity to (a) fulfill some of our Student Teaching requirements and (b) get a taste of the "real" teaching life - being on a committee and such.

The only concern we (STs) had was that we were not given a choice as to what activities to volunteer for. In a way, the act of "making" us part of a project gives us the feeling of being "free labor" and not respected as soon-to-be-professionals. Perhaps if we were told, "There are X number of activities happening during your student teaching and you must volunteer for Y number of them."

Anyway, next week I have my first observation. That is, the University advisor will be in class to observe me. YIKES! I have my lesson plan ready and I'm sure I'll do fine. I just hope I don't get a case of the shakes!

That's all for today!

Baseball

Today, some Minnesota Twins baseball players came to the school. The 6th and 7th Graders got to "visit" with them in the gym. Kids were excited for one of two reasons (1) they were going to see Minnesota Twin players; or (2) they would get out of 3rd hour class. The visit lasted 25 minutes. I think the adults were more excited than the kids about the visit. I did not go to the rally. There were 3 reasons for that (1) I don't care for or about baseball {I lost all interest around 1990} (2) I had much to get done during my new prep time and I did use it wisely and (3) I still don't do well with crowds.

Otherwise, today went quick and smooth. For the first 2 hours, I worked with students on creating or finishing their bibliographies. For the 4th & 5th hours, I instructed students how to organize their ideas for their research paper using the form Amy found. I'm not sure what was easier or more frustrating - kids on computers or kids with pencils. I don't have any quippy remarks or cool insights. This is something I'll have to think about.

Of Students and Blogs - 26 Jan 2010

Today was not a very eventful day. Here was the breakdown:

• I told the students that "Beta R.O.C.K.S." won as the blog name. Many were disappointed that "The Jackson" didn't win. But, as I explained (again) I could not use a name that didn't mean anything to me or the blog itself. By tomorrow, they will be over it.
• We listened to the first half of the last chapter of "A Long Way From Chicago." It is a funny book and a quick read. I will admit I had trepidations when I first entered Amy's class, as I had heard from the student who had her practicum with Amy that the readings were "boring" and the kids "got nothing out of it." Well, I'm not bored, and the kids always have questions.
• I found more resources for my poetry unit - which now looks like a 3 week stint! I'm going to throw some Mad Libs and other "fun" things into the 3 weeks, just to keep it interesting.
• Prep hour is now 3rd, and Academic Enrichment (AE) is now 6th. Eh, I don't like the change, but, it is what it is.

Off to finish 2 lesson plans then get to that poetry unit!

January 25 - In Service

Today was an in-service day. I'll just type it all out and hope that my paragraphs come at the right time.

Cheryl Nash gave the teachers, grades 3 to 7, three activities:

1. Cut up sample MCA test questions and divide them into categories. For LA groups, the categories were Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Literary.
2. As a grade-area group, write out the Top 5 "Outs" for students.
3. And then do so for the Top 5 "Ins".

I could go into minute detail about each of these activities, but, that would be too tedious and not fulfill my purposes for this blog/journal. Instead, I'll reflect on some of the highlights, as they were.

First, although I am only a ST, I found that these tests were not at all thought provoking, nor were they geared toward Northern MN students. I understand we must learn about species from other countries, but what 6th grader is going to find interest in a specifically named kangaroo or burrowing owl enough to comprehend why the author decided to write about them? I was not alone in this thought. Unfortunately, it seems some teachers have just decided to "go with it" because their "head banging" was only giving them headaches.

Second, most outs for each grade and area were different and aligned with the content area. For example, 5th Grade Math had an out of students understanding how to add and subtract fractions. Oh, I should say that an "out" is what we (teachers) have as a goal for students to know when they leave our classroom. One LA out had to do with understanding all the parts that make up a fictional short story. Seems reasonable to me. Listening to the thought processes of other LA teachers was wonderful because I finally found people who think like I do!

Third, all ins for all 6th and 7th grade content areas included the ability to write complete understandable sentences. This made my heart drop! I thought students were not to leave the 3rd grade unless they had mastered this - apparently not. Another odd thing was that each group thought they were being original with this request. There is a disconnect somewhere, but I'm just not sure where that is.

Working with other 6th Grade LA teachers gave me insight to the workings of their classes and some good ideas on presenting materials. One teacher uses a lot of animated Power Points to get the information to the students. I want to try that, instead of overheads. Amy does have an electronic board that may be useful, too.

During breaks, teachers from different grades and different areas talked about our activities. I did a lot of ease dropping to learn what other teachers thought middle school students did well, and what they could improve on. Some of these discussions helped the teams get a better handle on their outs.

So, aside from the frozen temperatures and the near blizzard, it turned out to be an interesting and productive day.

Day 9

I've got to find a more clever way to name these posts.

First, there was cafeteria duty. There seemed to be fewer students, and some of the "regulars" were missing. I talked with another ST (got to get his name) and he thought maybe they were on extended vacations, as they don't have school Monday. I'm not sure and didn't worry much about it. I was concerned, however, about a conversation this ST had with the Principal. According to our packets of information we each received on our first day, we each have hall duty from 8:10 to 8:25. This is 3 minutes before the "1/2 hour before first class" buzzer to 3 minutes before the "class starts" buzzer (I miss school bells). Apparently the Principal did not believe the ST on this point. He (ST) was quite put-out about the Principal's attitude, and I don't blame him. So, ST now stays until the class starts buzzer, which presents a problem for him. If he is there to that buzzer, he will be late to start his class! So, what to do? ST has decided to stay and not talk with the Principal about the matter. I have not been asked by ST to give an opinion, and I have not been approached by anyone on when I enter and leave. I've decided to let it be - if I am asked for my opinion, I will give it. If I am "talked to" I will present the facts. I'm hoping there are no confrontations, as I don't like such.

As for classes today, the students voted on a blog name, the winner being "Beta R.O.C.K.S." You can see the blog here. 2 students suggested the name, so they will win a prize. Though, I haven't figured out what the prize is!

There was a sub for the 2nd half of the day. I let him know that I was there to help and would follow his lead. His attitude was that I was the ST and knew more about the class doings than he. So, he deferred to me! I found myself "taking over" at one point, and apologized. He said not to apologize and it was just fine. At the end of the day, sub told me that, as far as he was concerned, I was doing a great job - the kids gave me respect, and I had a good rapport with them. He assured me I would make a fine teacher. I accepted the compliment and did not question it or myself! Progress!!!

Day 8 - On time

There is no planning for the unexpected - that is what makes it so.

I'm sure there is a "real" and much better quote somewhere, but that is what happened today.

We were going to give students laptops to work on their bibliographies and finish gathering Internet sources. However, no one gave Amy the combination to the lock on the laptop cabinet. Once that was received, it was already lunch. Later, we found that a password is required to print. Oh, my.

Amy filled the classes with CPR - Circle of Power and Respect - and listening/reading a book, "A long way to Chicago" which is a very good book (I plan to read it tonight).

I still have 3 lesson plans to get together, along with reading the book "Heat" and create a lesson plan for that. I must learn how the computer in the back of the room works - apparently students use the computer to take AE/AR tests (?what are these?). So much to learn still - I hope Amy has the time without taking into what she needs to do!

Tomorrow is Friday. The squirrels will want more nuts!

Day 7

Yes, Day 7 was 1/20/10 - I'm a little late.

Today the school said the Pledge of Allegiance. Apparently, this is only done on Wednesdays. I wonder why? I'm not brave enough to ask yet. The 1 minute pledge seemed to throw the kids into a 10 minute talk-fest. I'm not sure what it is that keeps them constantly talking. Is there some management trick I need to learn?

We spent each class working on transferring bibliographic information from their white sheets to different colored index cards. I get the reasoning - when students do their bibs, they will refer to the cards only, and not the white sheet to format to typing. However, the students were missing it completely. Just as they didn't write down all the pertinent information from books or websites, they didn't transfer the information correctly either. What is the disconnect?

I attended a 6th Grade Staff Meeting. It was all 6th grade teacher and the Allied Arts instructors. There were no introductions so us Student Teachers felt a bit awkward. This soon passed as Principal Hildendbrand started into his speech. He requested that teachers send out postcards to parents of students who are doing well, need some encouragement, or who have not received a card so far this year. I remember reading about this in one of my class books. I think it is a good idea; it just takes time.

I found out that 51% of all BMS students receive free or reduced breakfast! To me, that is an awful lot. In college, we are told that inner city schools are the most needy and we should consider teaching there, not here in the "suburbs". Seems someone is missing the point that we live in a rural area where there are quite a few needy families.

On January 25th, I'll have my first In-Service. I haven't decided how I feel about this.

On to tomorrow!

Day 6 - Beginning of Week 2

Who said, "Prepare for the worst, expect the best" or something like that? Well, today was an interesting day.

Amy was home with a sick child. A sub was assigned to her class. Now, I know I'm "just" the student teacher and I've "only" been there for a week. I also know that I'm working FOR FREE and don't have a license. However, you'd think that maybe the sub would consider my input on the class just a bit? Nope. I was just the (un)paid help.

The sub ran the show. OK, he was getting paid and had a certificate and had subbed more than once. So, I deferred. That is what I'm suppose to do, right?

I did get to disclose the new seating charts and move the kids to their new seats. There was whining and complaining, which was not unexpected. I'll have to make some changes, as I was unaware of who was who's best friend or buddy, etc. There are apparently other issues of who doesn't like whom, etc. Amy and I will deal with that tomorrow.

Last week, I felt like a "part" of the class. Today, I felt like a second class citizen. I didn't much like that.

Day 5, End of Week One

Today I finished seating charts - which Amy will have to approve before we put them in place. I am surprised that after less than 1 week, I have an idea of who needs to sit closer to the front, who could use more intellectual attention, and who are the over-achievers.

I forgot my BSU ID and must make an appropriate thank you for Ms. Whiting. She made me a paper tag - professional and everything.

I asked those students who had not participated yesterday to share their name tents today. In 4th hour, I had 4 students who did not want to share. This will be problematic when sharing will be part of their grade. Hmmmmm

Students meant more time in the computer lab working on their research papers. I am so looking forward to the laptops in the classroom next week - less running about for me.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This week started with me afraid of getting out of bed - I end this week so thrilled and bucking at the gate to get the next one started.

Day 4 - Student Teaching

Today was a brief day. In that I mean that not much happened, nothing interesting to report, and very normal.

Class announcements, Word of the Day, asking students to share name tents, and computer lab.

Perhaps, then, I should mention that I have "hall duty" from 8:10 to 8:25 every morning. Right now, that isn't so bad. But, when I start teaching alone, my students will be in my classroom before I will. That doesn't seem to make sense to me. I'll have to figure out something.

Well, my hall duty is covering the cafeteria. I'm only suppose to cover 1/2, but I walk all over. It is easy exercise, gets me brownie points, and lets the kids know there are adults who will hold them accountable. Today, more than the last 3 days, there seem to be more kids. Not only that, but they seemed to be more rowdy - or, better stated, like squirrels on caffeine. Exhausting.

Oops - Student Teaching - Day 3

I was so exhausted after Day 3, I fell asleep by 8! So, I'm playing catch-up.

We made name tents today! The kids had a great time with the markers, crayons, stickers and sharing. I had a great time helping and watching them, too. I gave prizes for the least decorated - which really bothered them :) I finally saw what Amy had been talking about for 2 days - the self-centeredness of these children was jaw-dropping. "That's MY sticker!" "You can't have a fish, cuz I am!"

My plan is to use my first week of teaching alone for some character/empathy building. I'll get some poetry in there, too.

Student Teaching: Day 2

Today was rather uneventful. The D.A.R.E. officer visited the 4 classes to talk about cigarette and tobacco use. I sat through his 3rd presentation and didn't learn anything new. I did find it amusing that the students thought the 1980's video he showed was "so old" :)

During the balance of the day I tallied scores from the Spelltacular Spelling "tests" of Monday, wrote scores into Ms. Skala's grade chart, and gathered more information for my Poetry Unit. I'll get to teach that sometime in February, after the students finish their Science research papers.

I also attended the Literacy Meeting, which invited all the LA teachers and, for some reason, 2 Social Studies teachers. I sat and listened and was not surprised to hear the teachers dismay at the Principal's request for a breakdown or timeline of how and when each LA standard is taught. It reminded me of the time I worked for a company that expected me to keep track of what I was typing, while working on 3 projects and having to consult with (I think) 10 different people!
There was also some concern that, no matter what the standards or requirements or mandates, if a child doesn't want to learn, they just won't learn - which administration seems to not understand.

Well, Wednesday will be different - I get to teach a lesson for 20 minutes. The lesson is broken into 3 segments - 20, 15, and 15 minutes each - to cover Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I'm no longer nervous!

Student Teaching: Day 1

I have to keep a Journal/Log for my Student Teaching Assignment. I thought, what's a better place than a blog? So, each day, I will write a post. Here is today's:

I had to develop an impromptu lesson (which I can't submit as part of my assignment) on how to introduce myself to the students and put them at ease. I decided to ask about pets. Seems animals and children (usually) work well together. First, I told a brief story about one of my 8 animals. Then, without prompting, the students wanted to share unusual or cute stories about their pets. It went very well - and we all had fun. This helped me begin to learn students' names by associating them with their pets. Second, I asked them what they thought my favorite color, food, movie, sport, etc. might be. There were a lot of interesting - and colorful - answers. This also gave me clues on learning the students' names, and also how they think. To finish off the "Introduction Time" I asked them what they thought what my profession was before teaching. The funniest/most unusual response was cosmetologist - apparently the girls liked my hair! After several guesses, I finally told them I was a Technical Writer for nearly 15 years. I explained the possible job functions of a T.W. which got them to thinking more about who I am, and was a lead in for Ms. Skala to ask them to write in their journals what profession they want to aspire to.

That was just one highlight of my day. I had fun; I learned some new things about children, and about myself.

Now, how do I get through tomorrow!