1 Semester until the Beginning: Smiles and Hugs

Today is day 3 of the school year. I feel like the students have already made great improvements on how they conduct themselves around the classroom. They make me so proud! The students are finally getting the 'wiggles' out of opening and closing their desks. It was such a new thing for them that were excited to open the lid and close it again! Oh the joys of getting pleasure out of the simple things in life. I think my students made me the proudest today when I set up a challenge for them. My mentor teacher had gone back to the classroom to get it setup for the next activity. The teacher aide and I were then left in charge of getting the students lined back up and back down to the classroom. I challenged my students to see if they could walk back down to the classroom with their hands at their sides, voices off, and walking quietly back to their seats. The students accepted it. We then proceeded to walk down the hallway (in the straightest line might I add!) and entered the classroom. I stood out in the hallway by the door and watched them enter giving thumbs up and smiling if they were demonstrating the right behavior. Needless to say everybody was! My mentor teacher was so impressed. She made the comment that she didn't even hear us coming down the hallway. :) The students busted out big smiles of their own when they realized how pleased of them I was. Now if they can keep that up for the rest of the school year. I also received my second hug today! It came from a little boy this time. I am definitely going to cherish these things. On a sad note, I made my first student cry today. She had gotten out of line to go talk to a friend while waiting for the bathroom, so I told her that she had to go to the end. Tough lesson learned for her and me (I don't want to make kids cry), but I don't think she will be getting out of line again.

As for what they were learning, the students practiced writing b's and h's today. They also had practice counting blocks and writing the numbers 4 and 5. I also got to do my very first read aloud today! I read 'Brown Bear Brown What do you see?' to the class. The class then made me proud again by being able to give me the animals in the book by being provided the color. For example, what animal was red in the book? (the bird). My mentor teacher also told me that next Tuesday I get to teach my first lesson. It will be in calendar math. It is something small and easy, but it will get my feet wet in teaching this class. :) She will then do it again on Wednesday and then on Thursday I take over calendar math for the rest of the semester! :)

Looking at everything now, I can't believe we have only been in school for 3 days. I can't imagine myself in the '3 days' blog I posted previously anxiously awaiting the beginning of the school year. Well I have now jumped into the beginning of my semester and I'm not crashing down. My wings are beginning to unfurl as I catch myself and push upward letting, my confidence grow and soar as well.

On an ending note, I want to leave you with a story that transpired today. As I was entering the school building this morning, a third grade teacher joined me and proceeded to talk to me about how lucky I was. I asked her why and she replied that my mentor teacher had had several student teachers previously. Apparently these student teachers were not ready for the task of student teaching and they made my mentor teacher think about having student teachers come in her classroom. The third grade teacher then told me that my mentor teacher said the only was she would take on a student teacher again is if his/her credentials look good and them seem to be an exceptional teacher. I am now a student teacher for my mentor teacher, so in a way I guess she thinks I am a great student to take under her wing. I feel honored to have such a caring and compassionate teacher as she. She not only has to teach her class, but she has to teach me in a way. A big thanks goes out to her!

I am sorry this entry is a little lengthy, I just had a lot to say I guess. I am posting pictures of my classroom too.

Keep smiling and enjoy the little things in life!
Miss Higgins