Back to School

Well I cannot post pictures of my students and I didn't take pictures of me headed to my first day of school.  I didn't even take one of me after school either because I was too worn out by then.  Hey too bad I didn't take a picture of me crashed on the couch.  

There were 27 first graders last year and they kept the class split for this year, so there are two 2nd grades.  :-)  I have a great class.  14 students in the morning.  In the afternoon I have 15 students because I have a boy that comes over from ConAmore.  I have a great working relationship with one of the teachers over there.  We take turns teaching PE.  My class will act as roll models for her students.  It worked great last year.   I hope it continues with this class this year.

On the second day of school I really had to laugh at one little boy that did not want to write.  He said, "I wrote yesterday so I'm not going to write today."  I told him.  "I am so sorry.  But my job is to teach and your job is to learn.  Not doing your work is not an option.  Now pick what time you would like to write today.  Now or during lunch recess."  Funny.  He picked now.  I wonder what he had against writing at recess?  (I almost felt a little mean.) 

I have another little boy that told me he is going to run for President of the United States when he gets older.  He is smart enough he could do the job.  Imagine being the teacher of the future President.  I told him if he ran for President I would vote for him.  I would campaign for him now but I would need parent permission to release his name to the public.

I think we are going to have a lot of fun.  I am starting my unit on rocks this week.  I love teaching about rocks.  Dean gave me a huge supply of rocks from the high school when he left there.  They don't teach rocks in high school anymore.  So I share the rocks with the 4th grade because it is in our core.  

I can hardly wait for my unit on mapping and continents.   I am making the kids passports.  As we travel from place to place they will get to put stamps into their passports.  I can hardly wait to show them Australia.  Now I want to go to Africa!

I have been using play money to pay my students for doing their work.  It teaches them to count money and there is something about taking a fake penny away from a student that is not paying attention in class that keeps the rest of the class working extra hard.  I told them when they had earned a dollar they could buy a treat--such as a movie or extra recess.  I even have some little toys I will put up for sale.  They love counting their coins to see if they have enough to make a nickel or a dime.  Every year I have one or two students that have no concept of the value of money.  They usually know what a penny is but they don't know which coin is a nickel, dime, or quarter.  They don't know what they are worth.  They are the children that never get to handle money at home.