Last Student Teacher of 2010

What a great end to 2010 - Z, you were a fantastic student teacher! We certainly shared a few laughs sitting next to each other.:) I can tell that you had a good time and I know the other students enjoyed having you in charge. Let's hope 2011 brings as much joy as 2010 did.

Holiday Memories

Check out the new slideshow!

Last Female Student Teacher of 2010

I had so much fun with you this week, N! You were an absolute pleasure to sit next to and work with these last few days. I think the other kids learned alot from the way you did things this week. Thank you for being such a wonderful example for the others.

Principal for the Day

Friday our own dear H was Principal for the Day and according to Dr.W, did a stellar job! It was fun when he stopped in to check on what was going on in our own classroom. Good thing the kids were on task and the teacher (that would be me) was actually teaching! Whew! :)

Holiday Pleasures

The kids certainly know how much I love cardinals – they are my favorite birds. (Too bad I don’t live in St. Louis – I could root for their baseball team!) It is only fitting that my latest holiday decoration would be a mailbox with a cardinal perched jauntily on top of it!:)

A Great Role Model

This week I had the pleasure of sharing my space with my dear friend M. One of the best things about this student teacher is the way she models how to be a kind, patient person. Thanks, M!

Thankful

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. Last year my dear friend Ellen used the word "savor" in her blog and it struck a chord with me then and continues to do so today. "Savor" remains the perfect word to describe how I feel about Thanksgiving. Not only is it famous for "savory" foods like succulent turkey, spicy pumpkin pie, and moist cornbread stuffing, it is a holiday that I physically savor, relishing each moment spent with my family and occasionally, my dearest friends. There are traditions that I look forward to each year (early morning movies with my husband before everyone else is awake) and I am filled with anticipation weeks and days before the actual holiday, envisioning the meal, the football games on TV and the desserts that are devoured despite feeling that there is not an inch available to accommodate them (well, maybe just a inch). I must admit that when the dishes are washed and put away, and hugs and kisses are given in a flurry of goodbyes I feel just a tiny bit of sadness, acknowledging that my favorite day is almost over.
But does it really have to be? Can't the spirit of Thanksgiving be present every day? I have the greatest family in the world (I love you with all my heart Jim, Cathie, Connie, Ryan, Cobber, Lilly and my feisty little grandpuppy, Milton), the best friends a person could ask for, and a job that fills me with purpose and joy every day (thank you, my 2C families). Despite the ups and downs of every day life I am going to do my best to embrace each and every day with the same enthusiasm and joy as Thanksgiving Day, savoring each moment because, if you think about it, isn't every day a reason to give thanks? I hope you'll join me.

Very Important People

November 18th was our school's annual VIP day - we had a lovely time! Check out the slide show below.:)

Student Teacher Extraordinaire

Out of all of my student teachers so far I think W took his job the most seriously and honestly, had the best time of all! I don't think I laughed so much with a student teacher as I did with you, my dear W. Thanks for a lovely week W, you were amazing!

A Student Teacher, and a New Big Brother

My Student Teacher E has had a big two weeks - not only was he my student teacher, he also became a big brother (notice his shirt).:) I thoroughly enjoyed our time together these past days E - you are awesome!!!

Freedom is not free...

To commemorate this very special day the kids created cards for our veterans. I asked Mr. Fuchs if he could suggest a place for us to send our cards and he suggested the Honor Flight Chicago, which honors the veterans of WWII. To fully appreciate this choice, please check out the Honor Flight Chicago website. (See above right link)
The kids and I watched the video that is on the website to help them understand the purpose of this organization. They are thrilled that these men and women will be receiving their beautiful cards.

Short But Busy Week!

We started our week off with a wonderful art appreciation lesson by Ian's mom, Mrs. R. She taught all of us about the artist Thomas Cole, whose claim to fame was a deep desire for a realistic portrayal of nature. His work includes beautiful pictures of the Niagra Falls (see painting in pic below). Later in the week the kids had a little taste of fall. We taste-tested 5 varieties of apples, chose our favorite and then graphed that information. Granny Smith was a huge favorite! Many of the kids had not tasted several of these apple varieties and decided that what they thought was their favorite apple changed as a result of the tasting.
I don't know if it was the natural sugar in the apples, the fact that Thursday was a half day or simply that they are second graders but the pics became progressively sillier - gotta love these kids! :)

Love That Enthusiasm!

I received an email from my dear friend M who was inspired by his math lesson on graphing this week and decided to create one of his own and share it with me. Awesome graph, M!

Happy Student Teacher of the Week

How lucky to be the Student Teacher the week of Halloween! K did a great job this week and it was so much fun getting to know her better.:) I hope you had a frightfully fun time, K! I did!

Happy Halloween!

Check out the new Halloween slideshow at the bottom of the blog!

Happy Birthday, Connie!

Today is my daughter Connie's birthday. To celebrate, I baked her a pb&j birthday cake (see the picture below). The cake is actually pound cake, not bread and it has peanut butter frosting with real jam for the filling. Doesn't it look just like a pb&j sandwich?
Happy birthday to you, my sweet girl!

Love My Student Teachers!

As usual, I had a wonderful time with my Student Teacher, M, this week. It is so much fun because each of the kids has his or her own unique approach to the job. Interestingly, M decided to use his lift-up desk top as a little privacy wall. It was fun to watch him do his work deep in the recesses of the desk. I hope you had a great time, M! I certainly did.:)

Check Out the New Slide Show Feature

Starting today be sure to take a look at the bottom of our blog for new slide shows; This feature allows me to put together a lot more pics!

First Art Appreciation Lesson

This week Mrs. L. (art appreciation teacher extraordinaire) taught the kids about Pablo Picasso and they made abstract jack-o-lanterns. What fun!

Love My Student Teachers!

I love when my Student Teacher brings in something out of the ordinary - take a look at what is in C's hands - a bowling pin of all things! See, you just never know what interesting bit of info you will discover as each of the kids get a chance to show who they really are - awesome! (By the way, C, I really enjoyed spending time with you this week.:)

Well Deserved Dessert

Today I had the privilege of eating lunch with the 2C group that has shown the most cooperation and the most respect for our classroom rules these past few weeks. We had a great time talking and enjoying the delicious dessert. It was fun to get the chance to talk about a wide variety of things, including their ideas about Halloween costumes. I hope we get the chance to do this again soon! Good job, guys!

Our First Student Teacher of 2010

J was our first student teacher of the year and I have to say, was an amazing role model for the rest of the class to follow. Thanks for doing such an excellent job, J - I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent together this week.:)

Ah, To Be a Kid Again...

Beautiful October day - need I say more? (Click on the pic to enlarge and then click the back button to return to the blog).