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This week I celebrate school.
Tuesday was the first day of school for our students. I loved meeting this group of fourth graders. I love working with kids of this age. They all want to help. They are riveted to read alouds. I shared some favorite books and read my favorite Shel Silverstein poem. There were so many giggles.
One of my students had an apple for me on the first day.
I made a word search with all of the students’ names for the first day. They LOVED it. They thought it was magic or something that their names showed up in the puzzle. I watched as the students moved around the classroom helping each other find names. I am excited about the way this group gets along.
We worked on stamina for independent reading this week. I love seeing kids start along this path. I love the silence of seeing kids absorbed in good books. I love that they beg for more time to read.
We did paper blogs this week and all of my students commented in respectful ways. They listened to directions and wrote about the topic rather than about the writing. They begged for more post-its so they could write more comments.
We started the number of the day routine. I love doing this because I love to see how creative students can get with getting to the number. So much number sense is developed through this open-ended activity.
My student council students all were asking about when we would be starting this year. They are chomping at the bit to get started. I love that group of students and I am looking forward to working with them again this year.
When we were in the hallway and the 8th grade class passed us, I heard one of my former ELA students telling his friend, “There goes my favorite teacher.” The whole class was happy to see me and I loved being able to say hello to those kids. It is always nice to hear that kids enjoyed your class and appreciate your relationship with them.
The biggest celebration for me is the feeling that I am doing what I was meant to do. I am so much more comfortable with this grade level.
What do you have to celebrate this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!
Isn't the beginning of the year great?!?! Sounds like it's going to be a wonderful year!!
Such a busy and joyful week. It sure feels great when the students ask for more time to read and write. Wishing you lots of energy for the next week.
You seem to make learning fun! Keep it up. You're already doing so much great stuff!
So glad to hear that 4th-grade feels like the right place for you. I loved the peek into your classroom. I really like the paper blogging activity. I've been so surprised by how much the quality of my students' blog comments improves when I take a little more time to focus on how to write good comments!
Oh my goodness look at those floors! Gorgeous space. Your year is beginning beautifully. So happy for you. And, I will admit, a tiny bit jealous. We are still on strike with no end in sight. But, I take vicarious joy from the celebrations others share from their classrooms!
"There goes my favorite teacher." Oh my – doesn't that make you feel like a million bucks?! 🙂 Fourth graders are awesome, and they're in for a fabulous year with you! Beautiful classroom – I love the way those floors gleam.