Give Yourselves a Hand!



Group 4 working on their Literary Devices art project

Hard at work in class

Our wonderful student teacher, Mrs. Brashier, has helped us so much.

Today I decided to take just a moment to video the class working on day 1 of a hands on activity. We will finish this activity tomorrow and a second video will be added to show off their finished products. The students have been spending this first 9 weeks really diving into various literary elements and devices. We have been enjoying a read aloud of my favorite book, The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I read this book over a decade ago for my children's literature class at Mississippi College and it immediately became my favorite novel. It teaches such wonderful lessons. It allows my students to see that a world without pain and grief would also mean a world with no emotion. We talk in class about the positives of having the low moments in life. For without them, we would not cherish the high moments. Through this novel, we have drawn from it the literary lessons needed to grow academically. The first 9 weeks have been fantastic. The students have grown so much in such a short time, and I look forward with anticipation to see just how much we can accomplish this year. Thanks for sharing in this journey with us.

It's a Marathon, Not a Race!

Every year I have to remind myself that this thing we call learning is a marathon, not a race. My enthusiasm for teaching often gets in the way of the overwhelming feeling that I need to give all of my knowledge (though it is definitely limited) to my new students ASAP so that they can apply it through the rest of the school year. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, though. So for today, I am reminding myself that this marathon of teaching and learning, will have a finish line, although distant. Ironically, I read some of Aesop's fables this week to foster discussion on theme. When I came to The Tortoise and the Hare, I felt confident that the story was more for my "lesson of the day" rather than for my students. Slow and steady wins the race, right? We are going steady right now and will not slow down. We will keep pushing ourselves and challenging our minds until we reach that finish line....with you cheering us on as we cross over towards victory. This year will be filled with many exciting times. New projects, special assignments, unique activities are just begging to be let out of my bag. They will come...a little at a time, day by day. The rewards for this life learning will be exponential. I can't wait to see what this year brings. Welcome to it....and please grab your running shoes!

http://www.marathonguide.com/features/firstmarathons.cfm