Blockbuster Buddies

Scene: Blockbuster Video Store, Friday, October 26, 6:30pm

Chris and I were waiting in a serpentine line wiggling around the perimeter of Blockbuster last night. We must have had the same idea as everyone else wanting to snuggle in front of the television on a chilly, wet Friday night.

The line was inching along when I spotted a talkative little guy a few people ahead of us. This young man, probably about 4 years old or so, was very interested in all of the goodies on the "snack shelf"...water bottles (aka bowling pins), gummy bears, and other sugary goodness. He proceeded to mimic his father by plucking a bag of gummy bears off the shelf and studying the back label. Although I couldn't hear his exact words, he clearly was hoping his daddy would buy the candy for him. The boy's pleading eyes followed his dad's face as it descended to his eye level. As dad squatted in front of his son, he seemed to be having a calm heart-to-heart with his tiny tot about the fact that they wouldn't be buying any candy this evening. All of a sudden I saw the little boy squat down and continue the conversation with his dad. The image was priceless. Kudos to dad for not getting upset and having the patience to talk to his son in this way.

Enjoying the View

I've started something new this year called Independent Reading Time. Not really that novel (pardon the pun). Basically, it's just fifteen minutes of silent reading at the beginning of our reading block each day. Everyone in the room is absolutely silent and reading--wherever they wish. I have kids scattered all over the room: in my director's chair, under my desk, lounging on a beanbag chair, and hunkered in a little nook.

Well, yesterday, I had one little fella march right over to my desk to claim my chair as his reading spot. Oh, I forgot to mention that we have construction going on...right outside of our classroom windows...our long-awaited playground. Now, let's just say this small man has a bit of trouble focusing throughout most of the day. Well, he proceeds to turn around my chair 180 degrees so that he is now facing out the windows. He even props his feet up! I'm surprised he didn't lock his hands together behind his head! I observed him for a bit and realized that he didn't even have a book in his hands! He was just thoroughly enjoying the spectacle outside! His eyes met mine and I winked at him. He quickly scrambled to grab his book and open it. Whether or not my little friend read a word from his book doesn't really matter, I guess, I know he enjoyed his front row seat. Maybe I should take a lesson from him...sometimes, you've just got to stop and enjoy the view...it might be a once in a lifetime chance.

From the Mouths of Babe

This is just about the cutest thing I've seen in a long time!

Tabula Rasa

In T-minus seven days, I will be welcoming twenty-two cleanly scrubbed, curious, nervous, white tennis-shoed third graders into their new classroom. The smell of new crayons, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and what I like to call the "recess scent" will quickly be absorbed into our classroom walls and the cobwebs and stale summer air will be replaced.

This summer has provided me with the time to reflect upon last year and decide what I'd like to change for the upcoming year. One of the true joys and advantages of being in education, compared to many other professions, is that each August provides us with a clean slate, a "tabula rasa," not only for teachers, but for kids as well. I hope that the lessons I learned last year and the observations I've made throughout the past six years will help me to become a more effective teacher in this setting. So that, come spring when my slate isn't so clean anymore and the crayons are worn down, and maybe even broken, I can be proud of where we've come as a class and celebrate the accomplishments we've made.

New 7 Wonders of the World

Profound Thoughts...

So, I've mentioned previously about some profound thoughts of my third graders. This week we've been taking a look at the book, Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose and his daughter, Hannah. This captivating picture book is written as a dialogue between a little boy and an ant. In an early illustration the youngster is poised with his sneaker hovering above a little ant with suitcases in tow. They debate about the value of the ant's life and whether or not it should be spared. Really, it's a philosophical book about the value of life if you dig deep enough.

We attempted to answer the question today, "Should the ant's life be spared?" by creating a yes/no list. My students came up with 8 different rationales on both sides.

My favorites under "yes":

1. Ants are a gift from Mother Nature.
   
2. Ants help clean up our property by eating crumbs.
   
3. Ants deserve life, liberty, and happiness, too (we studied the Declaration of Independence this year!)

My favorites under "no":

1. Anthills mess up our yards.
2. When ants infest our houses, they bring their predators inside, too!
3. Ants can spread germs and bacteria!

I highly recommend this book. It is well written, has darling illustrations, and generates some pretty interesting conversations!

P.S. We finally decided that the boy should definitely not smoosh the ant.

23.0

No, this isn't the distance of a marathon.

In 23.0 days, the school year will officially be over. I guess it has been sort of like a marathon for me...pacing, perseverance, focus. There were days that I didn't think I'd ever see the end. Tough days, frustrating days, tiring days. It's been a tough year for me.

As a child, I counted down the days until summer vacation. I didn't think teachers would do the same thing. As a matter of fact, I was appalled that teachers would do such a thing. I mean, weren't you supposed to love what you do? Standing on the other side, now, I see that the job of being a teacher can be draining. Maybe even more so than being a student.

So, as I wind down and eagerly anticipate sleeping in on June 18th, I wish for each of you, whether you're a teacher or not, a time to refill, a time to renew, and a time to refresh.

Tiptoes

We were getting ready to line up for lunch today when Hannah's tears started flowing. I saw it coming...eyes squinched up, cheeks turning red, and drops forming. Then they came rolling. If you weren't looking, you would have no idea that a child was crying in my classroom, for they were silent, but terrified tears. I squatted in front of her desk and probed.

"What's going on, Hannah?" I quietly asked.

"Ummm...my head feels reeeeaaally itchy and I think I have LICE! Ireallydon'twantlice!!!" darling little Hannah blurted out. These were authentic concerns and genuinely terrified tears.

I checked her out and reassured her that I could spot nothing in her hair that didn't belong there. I told her it must be an itchy scalp or a bug bite. Sometimes the best thing to do is to try really hard and ignore it, I mentioned.

Time passed, and so did the itchy scalp.

The same Hannah ran up to me at recess later in the afternoon, and excitedly announced while bounching on her tiptoes: "Guess what??? There's an alpaca farm nearby and it's so cool!! And guess what...theyaregoingtohaveanopenhouseon
myBIRTHDAYbecausethat'swhentheirbabiesaregoingtobeborn!!!! Can you believe it???"

From head lice to alpaca farms, tears to tiptoes...don't you just love the resiliency of children?

If you're in the area in a few weeks, I hear that there's going to be quite some Open House at our local alpaca farm (who knew?!)

Holding Back

By mile four I knew there was no way I could compensate for lost time. Nonetheless, I picked up my pace a bit. Mile five...I just won't be able to make it by my goal. I had hoped to finish the Monument Avenue 10K in one hour (hey, I'm a novice according to my training schedule!); I raced across the finish line in 1:02. Bummer. I really think I could have had it. It was a gorgeous day, couldn't ask for better. I felt great the entire race. No fatigue, no pain. What was it, then? Was I holding back? I think I could have increased my pace earlier, but there was a voice, "If you push it too hard now, you might run out of juice later." Well, the last thing I wanted was to run out of JUICE!

It reminds me of other times in my life that I've held something back for fear of running out. There was the time I had a package of grape Bubblicious gum (almost nothing could top this when I was eight) stashed in my top drawer. I was down to one piece left. For some reason I couldn't bring myself to enjoy that one last piece. I really believed it could have been my last opportunity to savor the sweet deliciousness of that grape goodness. (I wonder if it's still up there!) What was the big deal? Certainly I could have bought another package of $0.50 bubble gum.

On the other hand, there was the time I decided to study abroad during college. In order to fund this experience, I basically had to liquidate nearly every last penny in my savings account. My SAVINGS account! This had funds in it from my sixth birthday and from the tooth fairy!! This was a BIG deal! But I did it. And that was probably the best way I could have spent it. I didn't hold back this time.

I'd like to think I could be the person that didn't think twice about pushing forward and didn't worry about running out. Maybe that's not a bad thing all the time. Nevertheless, the next 10K I do, I will finish it in an hour or less and I'll be chewing grape Bubblicious gum the entire way.

"Ah Ha" Moments

I am taking a graduate course right now called "Models of Instruction." One of our assignments has been to design, teach, and evaluate four lessons using different models from our textbook and class discussions.

I'll be the first to admit that I was skeptical. Many of these models require the kids to be analytical thinkers and reflectors. I have a hard enough time getting my kids to grasp basic concepts!, I thought to myself.

I was very pleased with the results. I designed a geometry review activity for yesterday's math lesson in preparation for our unit test. This "graffiti model" had kids working in small groups, moving all around the classroom, and responding to questions on posters with markers. By the end of the lesson, each group had to make a generalization about a mathematical question posed to them. Finally, I asked my students to jot down on a Post-It Note something they learned through today's math lesson.

Here are a couple of their responses:

• “I learnd that an obtus angle can go almost totely flat.” - Hannah

• “I lerned that you don’t have to just cut something to show a line of simetre.” - Caleb

Here are a couple of my own recent "ah ha" moments:

• I learned that you need to put a comma between a two adjectives. (Thank you to my talented, witty friend, Jim. I probably should have known that already!)

• I learned that there is something very cool going on in Pakistan right now.

• I learned that sometimes I don't give eight-year olds enough credit.

Touched by Kindness

Did you know that there are people in this world that still bake cakes from scratch?! They do! I received a personal delivery today of a homemade personalized caramel layer cake straight from the oven that filled our house with sweet scents all day long (Fortunately, I was home to receive it, thanks to a SNOW DAY!).

This is only one gesture of kindness that I experienced today on the anniversary of my 28th year of life. Thank you, loved ones, for taking a minute or two out of your day to express your birthday wishes. May you, too, have a year filled with the love of friends and family and maybe even a warm homemade caramel cake.

Looking Back

Maybe everyone does it.

Lately, I have found myself peeking into my past (that sounds like I've done something wrong, doesn't it?) Every once in a while I check out the website of the school I'd taught at for the past five years; nothing drastic seems to have changed. I've googled friends from childhood--without much success. I recently bought a favorite Christmas picture book I treasured when I was young. I've even been known to glance at the website of my own elementary school! Does anyone else do that?!

So, I'm thinking that either I am a sensitive sentimental person who values her past OR I am in a place right now where it's tough to look at the present and more comforting to look at the past. OR maybe both. And maybe that's okay.

Butterflies and Lumps

Certainly you can think of a time you have been so excited that you've had butterflies tickling your insides, can't you? Maybe you were embarking on a new adventure, preparing for a special occassion, or seeing friends or family that you don't see often enough. For me, my butterflies seem to flutter in my stomach when I have the opportunity to reconnect with loved ones. This past Christmas is a perfect example of the last time that has happened to me. There is so much excitement around the Christmas season, but my excitement arises as I anticipate a visit with or the arrival of people I love. This is a good feeling.

Now, there are other times that I seem to develop a rather large lump in my throat. It's my way of holding back the waterworks. The lump is rather uncomfortable, but not quite as uncomfortable as having tears streaming down my cheeks in front of others. Oooh...if I can only hold it together until we pull away or they turn the corner. I develop these temporary throatal lumps (this is not a phrase recongnized by Merriam-Webster, but you get the picture) when I'm struck with emotion. Saying good-bye is often when these obstructions form. This is not such a good feeling.

As I think about these two physiological adaptations to handle normal human emotions, I have to think that I am very blessed to have the opportunities to feel these things. There are many, many, many people in this world that do not know love like I do and have not been given opportunities to feel or share love. As Christians, we are called to share our love and God's love. So, as we begin a new year, I challenge you (a phrase I take from my husband...thank you, Chris) to share your love, butterflies, and lumps with people you meet on your journeys.