My Little Soapbox

I know the title seems like I'm going to go on some annoying rant, but really I just want the world to know that the field of education is filled with lots of "heavy on your heart" things.  We can't change kids' home lives, but we have to find some way to change their outlook on life and education.  As the holidays are being ushered in, I realize how blessed I am with friends, family, and a job (and a great class of kids!).  I can also see who really needs help, who can't focus because of their worries, and who needs me to steer them in the right direction.  I just wish I had more right answers!  I truly believe each child is talented in some way, but that doesn't mean everyone will make it through college...some even through high school.  I just wish I had several pathways I could help lead them down based on their abilities whether its higher education, a career, or just something that makes them happy.  I was lucky enough to have parents and a community to do that for me, and I'm hoping that my students have some of those resources too.

I don't want to be a teacher complaining about all of the changes coming down the pipe, because with a mom as a teacher I know that the field of education is in constant evolution.  I'm actually excited for the new Common Core standards, because of how much it will benefit our college-bound kids.  It is definitely intimidating to teach, but it will mean that they will be wonderful writers and problem solving gurus...I just worry about the kids who will be left behind.  With the new assessments, less and less modifications are going to be allowed for struggling students.  That worries me a lot. On the other hand, I've been listening to NPR lately about amazing turn around schools in Tennessee who don't let high poverty rates become an excuse.  I feel that my county is doing a good job at pushing the kids, but still rewarding them.  I just hope I can make some headway in my classroom, because every kid deserves a chance!

Alright, I'm off my soapbox.  I've just had lots of conflicting emotions lately, but the important thing is that I still enjoy what I do very much ;)  The proof is in the turkeys...see below!

Hamburgers, Lysol, & Cute Faces

I have to say that this post is long overdue...I am constantly coming across things to blog about then I forget them before I can get to the computer!  Anyway, with the holiday season just around the corner, things in my classroom are in full swing.  I can't seem to keep up with the kids or their demand for treats and rewards!

That is one thing that has been bothering me lately.  Part of it is my fault for rewarding them so much, but I often turn my lessons into games for prizes (tickets or snacks) to motivate them and get them involved.  But, I don't like when they start asking for rewards for everything!  I don't remember getting many rewards when I was that age...I remember crying when I made a B due to my own internal motivation!  I am off my soapbox no, because I do have several students who care and those who don't care don't have a good example.  I guess I should be that example ;)

Getting to the hamburgers...we used hamburger writing to start creating paragraphs.  The new Common Core writing assessment demands that students be able to create 3 different kinds of writing (narrative, informative, and persuasive) in a 5-paragraph essay format!  What?  I know it will help them so much in the long run, but it is overwhelming to teach when they can't even write sentences yet.  That's why we decided to have a little fun with it and start small with paragraphs.  I cannot take credit for this idea!  I stole the recipe from my teacher pal, Marissa Summitt, and I stole the template from someone on TeachersPayTeachers.com.  

The Hamburger Method is a visual for the parts of a paragraph.  The top bun is the topic sentence.  The lettuce, tomatoes, and burger are all details.  The bottom bun is the conclusion.  To reinforce this idea, after writing, we made hamburger cookies using oreo halves, nilla wafers, and colored icing!  Yummy!

So, the Lysol reference is because both of my classes entered the Lysol story contest!  We had a great time creating stories about germs...ewww but fun! See pics below.  

Finally, for the cute faces...I am turning into a sucker!  My kiddos do one of two things to me...melt me or light me on fire...haha...it's not as bad as it sounds.  What I mean is that third graders are mischievous but still sweet and innocent.  I get irritated when they yell out or do silly things that make messes or hurt other kid's feelings but when they apologize or look down at the ground while I'm lecturing them, they are just so darn cute!  Grrr...oh well...I guess empathy is pretty important to teaching ;)