Reading Rocks

I am constantly amazed by the support of my family and friends. I get mail frequently and am becoming more and more aware of people who read my blog. Everyone, thank you and keep it coming. This past week, I got a letter from my 11 year old cousin. It was the cutest letter and set of computer drawings. It definitely warmed my soul.

Two weeks ago was Homecoming at Smithson Craighead Academy. Students were excited to participate in different spirit days and to cheer on our undefeated football team to another victory. Our team won the city championships last year (the school’s first year of operation) and it seems as though they are making another run for the top this year. Twin day was hilarious because so many of the students just wore their uniforms and then declared someone in the same color polo to be their twin. I had a group of boys argue about which red shirt classmate was their twin. They can argue about ANYTHING!

I’ve had teaching positions in which time seemed to drag on forever. My days here are the exact opposite. I realized that time flies because we spend SO MUCH time breaking up fights, solving problems, and getting the boys to listen before we even begin to teach. I wouldn’t say that the class is out of control (all though sometimes it is close), but our boys definitely struggle to follow what seems like the simplest instructions. If we let the boys have an ounce of freedom or fun (working in groups, using whiteboards, centers, etc.), they eventually abuse what we’ve have given them. A few of the smartest and well-behaved boys have become disrespectful and barely do any work. Their behavior makes me the most upset because they have digressed so much. Not only is their behavior hurting their learning, but also affecting other students. I’m hoping that after some serious conversations with them and a day of In-school suspension for the entire class that this week will be positive.

Miss Kline, one of the 5th grade teachers, used donorschoose.com to get over $600 worth of books donated to our classroom. We are going to have a grade leveled library filled with new, high-interest books. We started independent reading on Friday and it went pretty well. Today, the boys will be able to choose books from the new library! Their reading will only improve if they read chapter books and do so every day. We can’t rely on them to do it at home, so we are going to take time in reading class. We are SO excited. I also used money donated my grandma and a friend’s parents to buy folders for math and science. I’ve put paper in each folder and labeled them with the subject and students’ names. Like with Language Arts and Social Studies, the folders will be kept in the class. Finally, the boys will have a way to keep track of their notes and homework in all of their classes. Their learning will sky rocket! I’m excited for this week before a week-long fall break!

Paz y amor!