Report Card Day January 30, 2009

Third grade is the first time students in our school get grades on their report cards. This was the end of our second marking period so grades are starting to mean something to student now. The first marking period we were allowed to give a plus and minus after a letter. For example, if a child got a 90, I could put an A-. Now, unfortunately,there are no more minuses or pluses so parents won't know how close their child was to another grade. I feel this is just to please parents. So, this marking period I had to give a child a C rather than a B-.

January 29, 2009

It seems that every vacation (or two minutes of free time) I start a new project. This needlepoint was done about ten years ago, by me, and the most amazing thing about it is..I finished it! I also do counted cross stitch but like needlepoint because I don't have to "think" that much about it. Right now I am working on a huge Princeton one. Jeff's birthday isn't until June and I might finish it...for one of his reunions...in five years, but the point is that I am working on it, and that's a good thing.

January 28, 2009

The Federal Government has announced that they are looking to reduce the days of delivery of mail from six days to five, either eliminating Tuesday or Saturday. I can see the wisdom of this as the amount of mail has decreased with the onset of the Internet and on line billing. I, myself, only pick up my mail on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It will be strange, though, to know that a tradition that has been going on for so long in the United States will be changed.

January 27, 2009

I'm posting this as I'm about to take down our Eagles/Phillies history border in the classroom. It's time. As the SuperBowl starts without us, and as spring training starts again,last year's teams are a thing of the past.

Throughout the year they inspired, caused anger, taught the meaning of the word persistence, defeat, and victory. Each year I start on the right and each Monday post a page from the Philadelphia Inquirer. If the teams make it to the playoffs, the pages reach the flag, if they fall short, well...

This year the Phillies added to the length, a World Series pennant adding more in the middle. The Eagles made the playoffs, but fell short of the "big" prize. Now, it's time to move on. The room will seem empty, but will soon be filled with third grade victories as we move into the final two marking periods.

January 26, 2009

A MOBILE LAB... finally the third graders can use the ten lap tops that are part of the mobile lab. I have waited for two years to be able to use the lap tops that fifth grade always gets to use.

Each day I sign out the ten laptops. No one else in the building seems to want to use them,but not me. My students use them for math reinforcement, writing, research...it's amazing. And the fact that there are ten mean that I can do a lesson while the other ten are on the computers. Oh, of course there is the usual calling out, "My screen is upside down," or
"I can't find my document."
"Did you save?"
"Yes"
"To your H drive?"
"You mean I have to do that here,too?"
but still the pros so outweigh the cons. I know some day someone is going to discover the laptops are here, but for now, they are mine...all mine.

January 25, 2009

My summer in Australia was the best. I was an exchange teacher for the three weeks in Alstonsville, the furthest most point in Australia and lived with Ross and Julie Woolfe and their wonderful four children. When I first arrived in Sydney, before going to my teaching destination, I, of course, went shopping. There I found this wonderful stuffed kangaroo. I named her Sydney and the little one in her pouch, Joey. It was a great find, but..
.
Little did I know I would be taking Sydney not only to Alstonsville but to Alice Springs, Port Douglass, Cairns,Darwin, Melbourne, and back to my favorite city. And she didn't pack that well. After a while people in the airport starting recognizing her. I remember once in Darwin one little boy called out, "There's Sydney!" The stuffed animal was one of the few things I bought in Australia, and she is still with me to this day.

January 24, 2009

I am the drama director at my elementary school. This year we are putting on Beauty and the Beast with the fourth and fifth graders. They are amazing. But what is more amazing to me is my use of my IPOD. I remember long ago,in the dark ages, when I first directed Free to Be You and Me, and Annie Get Your Gun that I had to hire a pianist to play along with all our rehearsals. When we did Sound of Music I had the person make tapes of the songs and thought that was just fabulous. My last play at the middle school was Annie and Linda, my musical director was thrilled to move to CDs. One CD for each song.
But now I've moved on. All I need is a pair of speakers and my IPOD and I can practice songs, teach dances, and fit it all into my pocketbook. Isn't technology great?