Thursday
Sometimes, I forget to post much about my day to day life here in the UK and of course the real reason I'm here: teaching. It is so weird for me to be teaching in July, but I'm making the most of it and I had a really great day today.
My class has been studying the sun, moon and earth in science this term. I decided to do one final activity with them today that I knew they would enjoy. First, we talked about the phases of the moon, about how it takes 28 days for the moon to go from a new moon to a full moon and back again. It is hard for the kids to grasp that half of the moon is always lit up, it is just that we don't always see that half. After they got a pretty good grasp on this concept, I gave the pupils some oreos and they created the phases of the moon. They were so much fun to watch, carefully shaping the cream using a popsicle stick and working well with their partners. It was an activity that kids on all levels thrived on, and oh yes, of course they got to eat them in the end!
I had two free lessons today and was madly working on my reports. I have been writing reports since early May and today, I finally finished them, well apart from the mistakes that I'm sure will be found and need to be corrected. Each pupil receives a one page document for each highlighting what is covered in the curriculum for that year group, a checklist of basic classroom behavior and then a paragraph about the child. While I truly think they are informational and useful to parents, they have been very difficult to write, in large part just because of the sheer numbers.
I continued reading The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 with my Year 6 pupils and they are truly loving it. The characters are clever and witty, keeping the kids attention as they peak into the day of a "normal" family from the Civil Rights Era. Their homework this week was to research a Civil Rights leader. Most of them chose Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks, but one girl chose Ralph Abernathy and taught me a great deal! The children have been presenting their research to the class at the start of the lesson to start our discussions about what life would have been like for the blacks in the southern United States during that time. Today, I also found this great video about Rosa Parks that the kids loved:
During lunch today, the yarn club met. The club had started off with a few girls doing some knitting. Those girls were really pretty good knitters, but the group grew slowly but surely with pupils interested in learning how to knit. Sadly, it got to the size that I really could not teach everyone how to knit. So, I've allowed the kids to just use the time to be creative with yarn, and they truly have been. Some days there have been nearly 30 pupils in there braiding, knitting, crocheting, knotting, twisting and making God's eyes. I've even successfully taught a few boys how to braid. They all seem to be enjoying themselves, and so have I!
After our assembly, the power was out, so I had to teach a whole lesson without technology! I know, absolutely crazy! :) My Year 5 English class is reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and loving it! Yesterday, the pupils made lists of questions that they would like to ask the characters if they could. Then, pupils volunteered to act as some of the characters and answer the questions. They all did a great job, but the children playing the White Queen and Mrs. Beaver were especially clever. Mrs. Beaver was in fact played by a boy who really wanted this role. He is a wonderful actor, and if he does not end up on the stage someday, he has certainly missed his calling. The question and answer session went something like this:
Pupil: Why are you so evil?
White Queen: Have you taken a visit to my stone garden? I think you should.
Pupil: Why are you so grumpy?
White Queen: What time do you go to bed?
Pupil: 9
White Queen: Well what time do you think a queen gets to go to bed? Never! I have to stay up all night. That's why I'm so grumpy.
Pupil: Why did you want to pack the sewing machine?
Mrs. Beaver: What was that deary, I'm going deaf?
Pupil: Why did you want to pack the sewing machine?
Mrs. Beaver: Oh, one can never be too prepared!
At the beginning of my last lesson of the day, maths, the power came back on. But, I was all set up to use cubes to help the children understand finding fractions of a number, so I just continued with the lesson. A year 8 boy who was in my American Studies class first term came to see me near the start of the lesson. He has been in and out of the hospital lately and was coming to spend a few classes with his friends as he won't be back before the end of the year and he'll be moving up to an upper school next year. I asked him if he wanted to stay for the maths lesson and he eagerly said yes. He participated in the lesson, and enjoyed himself as the other pupils all felt honored to be sitting next to one of the "big kids." It was a treat to see him and I was honored he would come by to see me!
I stayed at school this evening for Awards Evening where pupils were honored for their exemplary work in all subject areas. A boy and a girl were chosen as exemplary pupils from each year group for each subject area (everything from PE to art to maths). I loved seeing the pupils nervously and proudly accept their well-deserved awards. I was also incredibly honored that while the head teacher was speaking about the highlights of the year, he recognized me and spoke kindly of my participation at Fulbrook this year.
Days don't have to be especially out of the ordinary to be extraordinary days! :)
My class has been studying the sun, moon and earth in science this term. I decided to do one final activity with them today that I knew they would enjoy. First, we talked about the phases of the moon, about how it takes 28 days for the moon to go from a new moon to a full moon and back again. It is hard for the kids to grasp that half of the moon is always lit up, it is just that we don't always see that half. After they got a pretty good grasp on this concept, I gave the pupils some oreos and they created the phases of the moon. They were so much fun to watch, carefully shaping the cream using a popsicle stick and working well with their partners. It was an activity that kids on all levels thrived on, and oh yes, of course they got to eat them in the end!
I continued reading The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 with my Year 6 pupils and they are truly loving it. The characters are clever and witty, keeping the kids attention as they peak into the day of a "normal" family from the Civil Rights Era. Their homework this week was to research a Civil Rights leader. Most of them chose Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks, but one girl chose Ralph Abernathy and taught me a great deal! The children have been presenting their research to the class at the start of the lesson to start our discussions about what life would have been like for the blacks in the southern United States during that time. Today, I also found this great video about Rosa Parks that the kids loved:
During lunch today, the yarn club met. The club had started off with a few girls doing some knitting. Those girls were really pretty good knitters, but the group grew slowly but surely with pupils interested in learning how to knit. Sadly, it got to the size that I really could not teach everyone how to knit. So, I've allowed the kids to just use the time to be creative with yarn, and they truly have been. Some days there have been nearly 30 pupils in there braiding, knitting, crocheting, knotting, twisting and making God's eyes. I've even successfully taught a few boys how to braid. They all seem to be enjoying themselves, and so have I!
After our assembly, the power was out, so I had to teach a whole lesson without technology! I know, absolutely crazy! :) My Year 5 English class is reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and loving it! Yesterday, the pupils made lists of questions that they would like to ask the characters if they could. Then, pupils volunteered to act as some of the characters and answer the questions. They all did a great job, but the children playing the White Queen and Mrs. Beaver were especially clever. Mrs. Beaver was in fact played by a boy who really wanted this role. He is a wonderful actor, and if he does not end up on the stage someday, he has certainly missed his calling. The question and answer session went something like this:
Pupil: Why are you so evil?
White Queen: Have you taken a visit to my stone garden? I think you should.
Pupil: Why are you so grumpy?
White Queen: What time do you go to bed?
Pupil: 9
White Queen: Well what time do you think a queen gets to go to bed? Never! I have to stay up all night. That's why I'm so grumpy.
Pupil: Why did you want to pack the sewing machine?
Mrs. Beaver: What was that deary, I'm going deaf?
Pupil: Why did you want to pack the sewing machine?
Mrs. Beaver: Oh, one can never be too prepared!
At the beginning of my last lesson of the day, maths, the power came back on. But, I was all set up to use cubes to help the children understand finding fractions of a number, so I just continued with the lesson. A year 8 boy who was in my American Studies class first term came to see me near the start of the lesson. He has been in and out of the hospital lately and was coming to spend a few classes with his friends as he won't be back before the end of the year and he'll be moving up to an upper school next year. I asked him if he wanted to stay for the maths lesson and he eagerly said yes. He participated in the lesson, and enjoyed himself as the other pupils all felt honored to be sitting next to one of the "big kids." It was a treat to see him and I was honored he would come by to see me!
I stayed at school this evening for Awards Evening where pupils were honored for their exemplary work in all subject areas. A boy and a girl were chosen as exemplary pupils from each year group for each subject area (everything from PE to art to maths). I loved seeing the pupils nervously and proudly accept their well-deserved awards. I was also incredibly honored that while the head teacher was speaking about the highlights of the year, he recognized me and spoke kindly of my participation at Fulbrook this year.
I feel the need to add a comment here because you, Rebecca, are being rather bashful! At the Awards Evening Mr Cardwell said you were an outstanding teacher; your contribution has been brilliant, particularly your leadership of the Super Learning Day on July 4th and that he was sorry you couldn't stay for another year! Well deserved comments indeed.
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