One of my Favorite Days

 

One week in officially with these kids and I can tell it's going to be a great year. As I mentioned last week, my ELA colleague and I like to do a slower start to the year and spend the first week getting to know our students and trying to build some community in each class period. I have to admit, this is something that was far easier in elementary school when you have the same crew with you all day long. As a result, we have to consciously pick activities that get them moving, talking to their classmates, and inadvertently sharing about themselves. We played games like this or that, choose three, and soup/ salad/ or sandwich. We did a lot of writing and sharing. 

On Thursday we did one of my favorite lessons. Jason Momoa shared a video years ago advertising for Carhartt called Canvas of My Life. In it, he talks about what he values and what’s important to him. We watch it, take notes about what we learn about Momoa, and then they write their first essay for me. In it they share what their values are and often compare themselves to Momoa. I look forward each year to reading their essays. 

And watching Momoa for several periods isn’t too bad either. 

First Day Exhaustion

 

Today was our first day of school and I am ready for bed. Well, I am, but it was also an amazing day. It's amazing how twenty-nine years in, it still exhausts me and I never feel like I'm quite ready before the kids come. I don't think it would matter if I was there four hours a day for four weeks leading up or just two, there is always more to do and that's okay. 

I left a message for a friend after school. I know we are in the honeymoon period, I know there will be all sorts of problems to fix in the next few weeks. And after one day with these kids, I see so much potential for our year ahead.

One thing my ELA colleague and I are doing differently this year is a much slower start to the school year. Next week we be filled with community builders, chances for me to get to know each student, and loads of time to find a perfect book to start the year with.

Today, my main goal beyond getting some routines established was to let my students get to know me. I put up a slide with pictures of me (see above) and asked my students to get up and move around the room. They could go behind my desk, look at displays, just study the classroom for five minutes. When they got back to their desks, I asked them what they could infer about me from what they'd observed. It was awesome. 

A school year lasts 180 days. We are only three in (two inservices, one day of student attendance), but I am very hopeful about the year ahead. I can't wait to see what we have in store.