Wordless Wednesday

Hope you had a great Wednesday. I know I did.

Homeroom

Social skills? Do I have any? Some times.

I've learned a lot by watching other people and how they interact. But I've also learned by direct instruction.

My school has homeroom every day.

Homeroom is a multi-grade grouping of students (about 17-20) assigned to one teacher. If a student has a sibling at the school the sibling is in the same homeroom.

It is very handy to have homeroom. That is how chores are done. Last year's chores were a bit different than this year's chores. My chore week starts tomorrow. Nothing like having chore duty the week of your birthday, right? Also included in chores are watering in the greenhouse and collecting the recycling from the classrooms.

We have occasionally had family-syle meals in our classroom. This is done with homerooms as well.

But with 10 homerooms this year, all taking turns, what to do with those 20 minutes if you don't have chores? Years ago the teachers that created our charter school thought it would be great to exercise as a school.

It is great. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays you can catch about 150 students, teachers and staff outside walking the path from 8:05 to 8:25. The path is 1/3 mile around. If I hurry I usually get in 2 laps. I even speed walk.

Why can't I get in more laps? Mostly because my homeroom is the last to get outside every day. We are in my class greeting each other.

We learned early on about proper (for the USA anyway) etiquette for greeting, and hand shaking. And since we are a farm school, we need to know how to shake hands like farmers do.

These are the guidelines that we follow:
     1. Use the right hand to shake
     2. Look the other person in the eye
     3. Use the other person's name in your greeting
     4. Smile

This took a lot of time teaching and practicing, but now we are sooooo good at it. It is sort of like a receiving line. As the students come into the class they greet me, greet everyone else in line, and then get in line at the end and continue to greet those behind them. It is really pretty slick to watch.

One day soon after we started this a third grade girl found me outside while walking and said "Mrs. Bartel, the kindergartner (and she used her name) knew my name!" She was so excited. Now we can talk about how we feel when someone knows our name and uses it.

Wednesday homerooms are a lesson day. I started the year reading about Shubert. But this past week I decided to try something different.

I brought in some toys from my home, and taught the kids how to play. What it looks likes, sounds like, feels like. I had a couple of kids model the correct way to play, and incorrect way to play.

One of the best parts of multi-aged homeroom is the kindergartner and first grade students can see how to behave like a third and fourth grade student. What great modeling and leadership.

I had Lincoln Logs, a play kitchen, some motorcycles and tracks, and (of course) books.

I spent my time helping students use their words. How to ask to play. How to respond when someone asks them to play. It takes guts to be vulnerable and ask, please be kind in your response.

We didn't get to play on Wednesday last week. We were parading downtown to get candy. But we did play on Friday and I brought in my Little People farm. Big hit.

Hopefully I will get pictures of us choring this week. My boots are dirty and ready to go.

November Currently

Thanks to Farley at


for having another currently linky party. This is one of my favorite linky parties. I love reading everyone else's, they give me ideas and I love great teacher ideas (even when they are not about teaching).

So, here is my November Currently.

Probably the only one that warrants explaining is music. As part of the birthday party that we have in our class, I always play (and we sing along to) the song "On the Day You Were Born" by Red Grammar. It is on the album Hello World! It is on iTunes, but I can't figure out how to link it here. I love this song, and it can create tears of joy in adults, be warned.

There you have it. November. A great month. Be sure to hop on over to Oh ' Boy Fourth Grade to read more currently.

A Day at the Patch

The pumpkin patch that is.

Our PTO funds this field trip and the entire school goes. Thanks PTO!

There was a great playground with slides, swings, teeter totters, and a corn table with toys. That is where we started.

We also had a hayride (but there was no hay, can it still be a hayride), we better call it a wagon ride out to the pumpkin field. Steve gave a short presentation about the varieties of their pumpkins and pumpkin health.

Then Steve sent the kids to the field with instructions on finding the perfect pumpkin. The pumpkin must be orange and small enough to fit into a huge hole.

So many smiles from the children as they held their "perfect" pumpkin.

It was a beautiful day. Cool in the morning, and warm in the afternoon, which was spent being outdoor kids. Playing and learning with only found toys.

I started the day with a headache and it never went away. But I tried very hard not to complain or whine. So I was glad to be on the bus for the 45 minute ride back to school and a time to close my eyes.

That worked for most of the trip. And I always sit in the front, because I could get motion sick. So, I was almost asleep and I heard my teacher friend next to me asking if I was awake. Groggy, I said yes.

She had brought a student up to the front. To sit with me. He had a bloody nose. Here is the red bag. OK, now I am awake!

I really like this kid. He is in my homeroom. He always says hi to me. Even last year he would say "Hi Mrs. Bartel" and I would say hi back, but I did not know his name. I am so happy to get to know him this year.

So, we are sitting together, my arm is around him and then the student on my other side says... "Mrs. Bartel, (girl) is crying." She is sitting across the aisle from us.

I turned and looked, so awake now. She has HUGE tears running down her face.

I'm trying to decide what to say. Girl next to the crying girl explained..."She told me to punch her in the nose really hard, so I did."

I was full of disbelief then. Now I am laughing myself silly.

Never thought I could ever love a class like I did last year's class. But I certainly do.

Don't Try This At Home

"Don't try this at home," said Principal Vogt, from the top of the school.

As a reward for completing their required reading for the month of September, my class went outside and listened to their principal read Room on the Broom.

It was a bit difficult to hear her. Because of the wind. And we were cold (nobody can listen when they are cold). And she was on the roof.

But they giggled, and smiled, and had a blast.

Wordless Wednesday

Dreaming, Drawing, Creating Small, Creating Large a school on Mars.

Sheep

What a big day at school today. So much for easing back into the school zone. Nope, not us. We tore right into it today!

This sight made me sooo happy. Know what it is? It is our sheep coming back!

About 9:30 this morning.

They went right to their pen. It was like they remembered. I wonder if sheep can really remember.

Currently Lily and Wooly are sharing a pen with the little goats. But I heard that our sheep were head-butting the goats. We don't encourage bullying at our school, so, soon the goats will move to their new pen, right next door.

Lily (wool faced) is the one marked blue, and Wooly (plain faced) has been marked red. And... We are expecting babies in February!

They have not taken a pregnancy test, or had a sonogram. So, nothing is certain. But Mr. Harris (the nice man whose place they were at), knows what he's doing when it comes to breeding sheep. It's his job, and the paper was written by him. So, I'm saying, yep, they are pregnant. 

I feel like such a pro. Having the sheep last year, but I think I am just kidding myself. 

Hopefully they will lamb like last year...in the middle of the night, needing no assistance. Let the waiting begin.