On a Positive Note....

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted in over a month. I have started to post several times, but I felt like it was such a negative post that I didn't continue. Things in general are looking better so maybe this one won't be too much of a downer.

I read Teeny Tiny Teacher's blog talking about how much she loved her class and that she didn't want to see them go. I wish I could say the same, well I do have a couple of sweeties that I would love to keep another year, but I have a few stinkers who are really upsetting the apple cart in my room.

On a positive note, these students are much farther along with their sight words than my class last year. I am embarrassed to even say this, but I retained 5 students last year (one went on to 2nd because they are testing her for special ed). One was a parent request and 2 of them were the youngest in my class and weren't ready. I thought the other student had a learning disability and then after a lot of tutoring I realized that he had missed out on all of his phonemic awareness skills.

When school first began, I felt like I was in the practice session for some kind of new percussion band. All day, it tapping fingers, crayons and pencils in their desks, on their desks. on their crayon boxes and on their chairs. I have never had a class so enthralled with having a desk.  Without thinking it through, I turned all of the desks around so they would be more like tables. I regretted it the moment I walked out of the school because I didn't have any sort of  system to store their "stuff". So the next evening I turned it all back around.

I was in need of an attitude adjustment, I was totally focusing on the negative. I got out some chart paper and told the kids I was going to make a different kind of  anchor chart and then I wrote...

Great Things About My Class
1. They don't eat the erasers off  the pencils. (only teachers can appreciate that as being great )
2. They like going over their phonics chart.
3. They are helpful.
4. They say I'm sorry.
5. They keep our room clean.
6. They like to read.
7. They put their name on their papers.
8. They help their friends.
9. They are quiet during tests.
10. They know a lot of sight words.

There were actually more, but I won't bore you. I told the kids that once I started doing it, I kept coming up with more things. It really did help me to have a better outlook. It is hanging in the class and if I start to get negative again, I'll add more to the list.

BTW Any Everyday Math users out there? Please tell me it gets better, I have trouble getting through a whole lesson.

Kelly