I’m joining
up with Ruth Ayres for her weekly link-up, Celebrate This Week. Check out all
of the posts linked up at her blog HERE. Thanks for starting this, Ruth!
This week
my celebration is a bit different that my usual photos - more of a realization.
Yesterday, teachers returned to school in my district for a workday, students
come back Monday. I was working on report cards in my room and another teacher
came in. We were talking about what we had accomplished in the first semester
of the school year and I made an offhand comment that I felt like I hadn’t taught enough.
What I
meant was that so many of my lessons had a character focus. I have been working
so hard to help these kiddos become who they are meant to be, learn to be kind
to others, and learn to be kind to themselves. It is exhausting, but rewarding
work. And while character has been a huge focus for me, I do know I have taught, but I had to think about it.
We’ve learned about genre preferences, authors we celebrate, and how we can write about our reading.
We’ve
learned comprehension strategies, annotating texts, and comparing across paired
texts (or text and videos).
We’ve
talked about Being Brave, Choosing Kind, and the Power of Books.
We’ve
blogged, tweeted, created QR codes, used Audioboo for book reviews, and Skyped
with teachers, classrooms, and authors.
We’ve
finished our Mock Caldecott unit, read books in our Mock Newbery unit, met for
breakfast, read state book award winners, and more.
And even
all of that isn’t the way I am measuring our year. I look at comments, emails,
texts like the one from Nino’s mom telling me she found him in the storeroom of
their restaurant reading.
The email
from Caroline’s mom where she relayed a conversation she had with Caroline. She
had asked to go to the bookstore. Caroline’s mom commented with surprise. Caroline
said, “I don’t know how she does it, Mrs. S just messes with your brain.” J
The message I had late last
night. One of my reading students was in a car accident this past week. Sofie
will be having surgery today to set her jaw. (If you are a person inclined to pray, please say one for her.) I
woke up this morning to a Google doc from Delaney, Sofie’s good friend and a
kiddo in my homeroom. She had written about Sofie and wanted to share it with
me. I love that she did that. We’ve talked in writing class about how writing
can heal. When we’re sad, mad, scared, or whatever – we write. It can make us feel
better. Delaney did that, and I am so proud of her for it.
So today I am reminded that
we’ve actually done a lot in our first half of the school year. Even better
than thinking through what we’ve accomplished is the realization that the kids
have actually internalized the lessons from class. Today, they are what I am
celebrating.
