Day 61

Yesterday was a Friday and was day 61. We are officially one-third of the way done with this school year. Where has it gone? One of my students said she could not believe that the school year has gone by so fast. I think she likes it.

I finally lost my first student yesterday. It was a teary departure for my student and a little heart tug for me. I will miss this student. She has been a lot of work, but has worked hard to learn. She was my top math student in ILS. She would have been better if her reading skills were a little stronger.

I offered to trade my new student with the sixth grade teacher for her problem student. Only kidding, the principal would never let us trade. I think we both would be happier with the trade. This student has only been in class for two weeks and he is really getting on my nerves and on the nerve of many of my students. I am not sure if this is just the "new student" syndrome or if this student is deliberately trying to mess with our heads. I have moved him from his initially assigned study buddy for a couple of days until I decide where to put him for the next month. Yesterday I showed him a place on the floor and told him to set there until I told him he could move. He stayed there for about 15 minutes and then it was time to go home.

I let my students participate in an alternative educational activity. They started arguing and so I told them that in stead of heads up-seven they could play heads-down-on-their-desk and shut up. It was a poor choice of words. I should have said mouth shut. They called me on it and said they were going to tell the principal. I offered to walk them down. No one took me up on it because they know it would end future alternative educational activities.

I left last night around 5:30. I had a good afternoon for planning and completed my Language Art lessons until winter break; and more importantly I moved the other 5th grade class to one week behind me so what I used this week, they could use next week. This will make my planning for them go smother.