it turns out that i have allergies. augh. i've been stuffed up with watery eyes and a runny nose for two days now. i thought that it was all the cleaning that we've been doing in my classroom and all the dust floating around. but today i had the windows wide open and after we were outside running around for 40 min this afternoon, i was really sneezy so maybe it's something outside making me feel crappy. how do allergy sufferers handle this all the time? it sucks.
and in other news, we had a major auction this week in my class. i think i've written about this before. the kids in my class have weekly jobs and then they get paid their salary at the end of every week? every job gets paid diferently plus you have to pay the tickets issued by the students who are police officers so all the kids have varying amounts of money. at the end of the term, i've gone out and got some stuff at the dollar store and we've had a big auction. bouncey balls selling for hundreds of dollars! i sold a 15 picture disposable camera for $377.00! some hot bidding wars. i've really loved the auction all three times we did it this year but it's always a little bittersweet when not one kid says thanks at the end.
when i was a kid at HCS, at the end of every year, every single kid walked across the stage and was given a certificate of some kind. for neat handwriting or for your gentle spirit or your enthusiasm for sports. something good about every child. as a teacher, coming up with 25 different positive statements must have been the most annoying thing to have to do on top of all the other work that comes at the end of a school year BUT...i decided to do the same thing for my own class today. yesterday i made a certificate and came up with 24 different qualities about each kid and hand wrote them onto the certificates. this afternoon, i announced each one and the students came up and shook my hand. it was pretty funny but the kids clapped for each student as they got their certificate and i think it was a nice way to end the year. props to HCS for doing this every year for every student. i think i'll carry on the tradition.
i'm definitely ready for summer and a new school year. they say your first year is your hardest so i'm looking forward to next year. so many things to do differently and new things to try. today after school, i moved my desk to a totally different spot in my classroom in preparation for next year. a new outlook on my classroom. i think 2006-2007, this classroom will feel a lot more like my own and i'm really excited about that.
next week, i'm not technically done work because we're still supposed to be at school to do planning for next year and finish off report cards and such for this year so i'll still be at work but hey -- it's a whole different work without students there.
one more day! imagine me yelling at the end of tomorrow like this picture below.
3 comments:
i was moved to hear you wrote an individual quality for each kid. i remember i always looked forward to hearing what i was good at. also, if you have allergies, make sure to take pills when you go to ontario, holy...its bad down there. see ya
Wow, it's amazing to think that your first year of teaching is done already... and now it's time for summer vacation! I am jealous, although teachers definitely deserve a long holiday, and maybe meteorologists don't:)
PS - I love your enthusiastic comments!
what does matt mean when it's bad down in ontario?!?!?!?!I resent that...
Anyway, that's so great that you found something encouraging for each of your students, and even though they might not all say thank-you, I'm sure in some way, they will always remember you. Kids just get wrangy at the end of the school year and forget their manners sometimes!
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