Word Detectives

The story from our reader this week is a mystery. It's actually a really lame story that I sort of hate, but for whatever reason the kids are stoked about it. Perhaps I hide my disdain for it well.

Anyway, I also made a supplementary lesson on using context clues which used the story vocabulary. I used it as a pre-reading activity.

What I didn't anticipate was how perfectly the activity lent itself to mystery week. I didn't think about it when I was prepping, but during the lesson somehow the kids all became "word detectives." They used clues found in the sentences to guess the meaning of the words I covered up. It was fun, and at the very least, had them thinking really hard about their vocabulary words.

There are some fun things about the younger guys. I like their really active imaginations.

Now, if I can just get them to put these imaginations to work in Writing...

Time: The Variable Element in Good Teaching

Like Einstein's universe, the fabric of the teaching universe is made up of two variables: space and time. For Einstein, the constant was the speed of light. For teaching, the constant is the speed of learning. Einstein discovered that space and time are variables in the universe; these days, I am discovering the same thing in the classroom. The minutes between 7:45 and 2:35 haven't changed and the space between the walls is the same, but as my perspective has changed, I've gained more space and I've gotten less time.

I was thinking about my perception of time in the classroom today because I was eating lunch with my cousin who is a first year teacher this year. She was talking about having too much time after getting through her lessons and curriculum. I've had that same problem in the past, but recently I have the opposite problem! I have to be aware of the clock and be choosy about what will be included in lessons. Lessons seem to fly by for me now and for my students, but I have certainly had times when every lesson seemed to drag on or I felt like I had too much time in the previous two years.

Space is the same way. Arrangement and organization of students and supplies makes my room feel so much bigger. The walls haven't moved. It's my perspective.

My students' rate of learning is a constant, though. I have to make the time and space given accomodate that.

My Friend Is Learning to Read

My little ELL student is learning to read more rapidly than I could have imagined. I've never taught basic phonics and primary reading, but I know it doesn't go this fast unless the student is really really bright. I think she is gifted, but we don't even have a test that would assess that in her case.

The Notoreity Continues

I was checking the local news website to see what the hold up on the freeway was this afternoon, and I came upon another story about a local principal resigning due to moral indiscretion. "Finally," I thought to myself, "a different district in the news. Maybe these things happen everywhere." Guess what: It wasn't a different district! The news has uncovered a third principal from my district who has been forced to resign due to moral indiscretion. That's right, this happened three times in my rather small district last year. I already knew about this--gossip spreads fast--but it is seriously embarassing to work here right now.

All of these things that go on do bother me. Honestly, it bothers me more that the district refuses to own up. They keep talking about how they took action in a timely manner. Hmmmm, does that nullify the fact that they hired three separate administrators who are facing criminal charges?

Damaged

This year I feel completely competent. My kids are almost always extremely well behaved. I've improved my Reading instruction so much that it is helping in every subject. I've done a much better job with organization.

This year I like my team--in some ways--even better than my team last year. We all have similar styles and philosophies. We laugh together a lot. We help each other.

This year I feel pretty good towards administration. They seem helpful and have left me alone--which I appreciate because I can only imagine what the former principal told them about me.

Yet, I have some serious self-confidence issues when it comes to teaching which is pretty strange for me because I am generally a confident (some might even say overly confident) person. I don't know what to do about it either. I have this label somewhere in my head that I am a bad teacher and as much as I try not to go there I am always looking for evidence to support that belief. Whenever I can't think of something from my present situation, I tend to try to draw on things from last year. I know this is not a healthy way to think and that it has no benefit for myself or my students but I can't seem to stop thinking this way.

In my dark moments in teaching, every time a transition doesn't go the way I want it to and every time a lesson isn't exactly as I intended it to be I feel like it is because there is something wrong with me as a teacher. It doesn't even matter that things are going as well as they are because I have this feeling that won't go away.

I hate that I am so sensitive that I am bearing major wounds from all the events of last year, but I may as well acknowledge them because I know they are there.

One of my old fifth grade teammates asked me if I would come back next year. I told her that I didn't know and honestly I am not thinking seriously about plans for next year until after Christmas, but I feel like going to fifth grade or going to Middle School might be the only way to address some of my demons. I was told in no uncertain terms that I was incapable of doing the things I wanted to (teaching in fifth grade or Middle School). I could easily do two years in third grade because it would be nice to not have to move everything again or to readjust again, but if I don't move I think I will always wonder if it really is true that I can't.

Big Success with Guided Reading

So far, *knock on wood* I like doing guided but silent reading with the third graders. People told me not to expect little ones to read silently, but I am finding that as long as I teach it and break it apart, they do really well.

I am open to using the tape first if I find this doesn't work, but so far I like reading with the tape second for fluency and reading silently for comprehension first.

My Own Little Fan Club

One of the interesting things about moving to a younger grade is that the students act like I am some sort of movie star. Fifth graders want to talk to you and they would ask me about my clothes--or tell me I was hot (but that deserves a blog of its own). Third graders stare at you and write about you during Writing time and come back to tell you goodbye and miss you all weekend. It's cute and nicer than the attitudes I saw last year for sure. It can be too much though. They all want me to read every word as they write it and they all have a million things to tell me. I realize these are things I shouldn't say, but it kind of gets old. I am setting clear boundaries about what they should do independently and when they should approach me, but they just need attention. It really is kind of like dealing with a lot of adoring fans all day long. There's a certain element of it that is flattering and nice but it makes you really tired. I feel like the third graders are self-motivated, but generally (and I will admit that last year was the exception) I find it less draining to motivate than to constantly reassure.

In other news, I heard one of my "Angels" from last year is already famous at his new school. Apparently, one of his Middle School teachers came to find out who had him last year. It seems he is already up to his antics...