Hope you all had a restful vacation and a happy holiday! See you next year!
PS - check out "Kid's Corner"! There's a little note in there!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Love
Friday,
a horrific shooting happened in Connecticut at an elementary school
killing multiple students and teachers. The gunman, a 20 year-old with
no clear affiliation to the school, was “troubled” and “not well” as the
media reported. Why he elected to promote his rage and power in the
elementary school is still unclear; we only know what has been revealed
at this point, creating more questions than answers.
In any situation like this we ask ourselves about the sanctity of life, about precious moments, about safety, and we tailspin into the “what ifs” and “whys” and the “hows”, most of which never get answered in the now no matter how hard we search. But amongst our questions, our pain, and our tears, we find heros that emerge through the rough.
The teacher who hid her students, and jumped in front of the gunman so that she could protect them from harm’s way. The teacher who took her students into a bathroom and tried to keep them calm, telling them she loved them so that they knew someone loved them, even if it was the last thing they heard. The principal who ran toward the gunman to protect the students. And of course all of the beautiful souls that lost their lives in the process.
These are the acts that make us remember humanity, not forget it.
Upon hearing the news of this tragedy on Friday, one of my students asked me who I would “hide behind” if this happened to us. I looked at her, knowing that this is just how sixth graders think, and said, “No one. I would take the bullet for you...” She said I was a “nice teacher”, but the truth is that I never said it to be “nice”, nor did I say it because it’s my “job”. Nowhere does it say in my job description, “Willing to take bullet for students”, but it is in my beliefs, it is in my DNA as a human being, and it is part of my duty to serve and love.
Most teachers don’t get into education thinking of it as a dangerous profession. We do it to better our children, to help those in our future, and because we love what we do. And if any of that means putting our students’ needs and safety first, then we do it. It’s not because we are “nice”, but because we know that you are the most important people we see during the day, and most importantly, because we love you.
In any situation like this we ask ourselves about the sanctity of life, about precious moments, about safety, and we tailspin into the “what ifs” and “whys” and the “hows”, most of which never get answered in the now no matter how hard we search. But amongst our questions, our pain, and our tears, we find heros that emerge through the rough.
The teacher who hid her students, and jumped in front of the gunman so that she could protect them from harm’s way. The teacher who took her students into a bathroom and tried to keep them calm, telling them she loved them so that they knew someone loved them, even if it was the last thing they heard. The principal who ran toward the gunman to protect the students. And of course all of the beautiful souls that lost their lives in the process.
These are the acts that make us remember humanity, not forget it.
Upon hearing the news of this tragedy on Friday, one of my students asked me who I would “hide behind” if this happened to us. I looked at her, knowing that this is just how sixth graders think, and said, “No one. I would take the bullet for you...” She said I was a “nice teacher”, but the truth is that I never said it to be “nice”, nor did I say it because it’s my “job”. Nowhere does it say in my job description, “Willing to take bullet for students”, but it is in my beliefs, it is in my DNA as a human being, and it is part of my duty to serve and love.
Most teachers don’t get into education thinking of it as a dangerous profession. We do it to better our children, to help those in our future, and because we love what we do. And if any of that means putting our students’ needs and safety first, then we do it. It’s not because we are “nice”, but because we know that you are the most important people we see during the day, and most importantly, because we love you.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Holiday 6-Word Essays
"Christmas is about giving, not getting."
-Mr. Snuggles Cat
-Mr. Snuggles Cat
"So sad. Five days till vacation."
-Love2Sing
"Christmas when the lights come on."
-Mr. Mystery
Monday, December 10, 2012
Homework
Homework for this week and next week will be a little different than normal. We will be doing summaries based on Social Studies readings. Students will get all of the materials they need to complete this work in school and will be taking them home throughout the week.
Please check the "Homework" tab to see details for what is expected each day.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Pssst... Check Out Kids Corner
I think you all will want to check out the newest comment in "Kid's Corner". Just a little treat for you all!!! :)
Friday, December 7, 2012
Writing Machines
Four months into school and already our students are more confident and engaged writers. In fact, they are producing thoughtful and thorough response pieces each week when we do our "Writing About Reading", or "WAR" responses, where they write about an article or a section of a book they read. The structure is similar to that of a MCAS open response, so I am fully confident that all of the 6th grade will be ready to rock when it's time to take that lofty test!
You could say that our students are becoming quite the "experts" in writing these days, especially since they have been working diligently on our latest writing piece, expert books. We have experts on everything from the necessities of playing soccer to how to throw a great baby shower, and from being a "gamer" to making accessories with duct tape!
Who knew that our kids were not only super talented but have so much knowledge about the world around them?
We will be finished with our books just before vacation, and we are hoping to have a literature celebration, so stay tuned for more details on that!
You could say that our students are becoming quite the "experts" in writing these days, especially since they have been working diligently on our latest writing piece, expert books. We have experts on everything from the necessities of playing soccer to how to throw a great baby shower, and from being a "gamer" to making accessories with duct tape!
Who knew that our kids were not only super talented but have so much knowledge about the world around them?
We will be finished with our books just before vacation, and we are hoping to have a literature celebration, so stay tuned for more details on that!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
A Sad Goodbye
One of our students is moving to another country, and we will sadly miss him. But before he left, each one of our students said something nice to him, either a memory they shared with him, or something they loved about him.
Most of the friends in our class said they are going to miss his sense of humor and his great friendship. We are all going to miss his gentle nature, his goofy dancing and his positive attitude for learning. Tears were shed, laughs were had and hugs were abundant.
We hope that he visits us frequently on this blog and we wish him all of the luck in his new home!
Most of the friends in our class said they are going to miss his sense of humor and his great friendship. We are all going to miss his gentle nature, his goofy dancing and his positive attitude for learning. Tears were shed, laughs were had and hugs were abundant.
We hope that he visits us frequently on this blog and we wish him all of the luck in his new home!
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