One of Those Days!

Spring is in the air. The kids are reaching that point where they try pushing the envelope. It's that time  of year when I need to reign them back in, and re-teach all the basic rules, such as how to line up and walk quietly in the hallway. It seems that every March, the kids disregard all prior rules. It is a bit frustrating to spend time on the basics again, but it's necessary in order to have a peaceful rest of the year. Despite my big "pow wow" with the kids last week about respect, we still seem to struggle with the golden rule. Today was just one of those days! I felt discouraged. As a teacher, I love having fun with my kids. It's what makes my job so enjoyable. Days like this aren't so glamorous, but it's reality. As I was about to blog this evening, I came across this quote from a fellow teacher. It couldn't have been better timing.

“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.”
― Haim G. Ginott


This is all the inspiration I need after a long Monday. Thanks, Mrs. Bainbridge! 


On a brighter note, we are starting our unit on the solar system this week. I set up my moon watching chart today!

Each night, the kids will draw the moon in their notebooks, and we will chart it with white crayon on our moon watching chart. It's a simple way to display the lunar cycle. The kids will learn that the moon goes through predictable phases.  

Tomorrow we will do this experiment. 

The kids will predict what will happen when the sand, water and soil are put directly in the sun's light. They will see how the soil and sand heat faster than the water. It is a little introduction to the importance of the sun. 

Here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day!