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Moving on...

The end of school is getting closer and the kids are hyped up!!  It's hard coming up with things for them to do!! I tell ya...talking, complaining, playing, and tattling are at an all time high!  But, I love this group of quarters!  They aren't perfect and I've been disappointed in how little I've seemed to help them...but they are good kids who really want to do well.  I'm lucky to have been their teacher!

I find myself looking back on the year and wondering what I could've done differently that may have changed their results on TELPAS.  It's sad that I feel that way because I feel this is the hardest I have ever worked...I've tried every idea I can think of, looked for new ones, and repeated and retaught more than I ever have before.  Still, I feel that I have let them down.  I am not looking forward to their STAAR scores.  It is a day I truly dread.  It makes me sad to think of how hard some of them have worked and that they may not get the scores they so aptly deserve.  I actually feel a little down about it all.  I have never, in my entire career, been as ready for the summer as I am at this moment.  My husband was shocked when I told him that and asked me if I still wanted to teach!!! Of course, I do!! But I can't shake this feeling...

Let the pity party continue...without me...Haha!!

Today, we read from The Hunger Games.  As most of you know, I chose this novel because it's the "in" thing and my kids are obsessed with the movie.  But they are actually really into the book; so much so that I use it as leverage..."If we don't calm down and get back to work, we will NOT read a chapter today!!"  And it works!!!  I had an "on the fly" moment, too!!

We are creating our idea of the characters from the story!  Today, quarters worked in groups to draw and color their idea of what a character looks like.  (I drew names to assign quarters a character...otherwise EVERYONE would want Katniss!)   Each group worked together to create their drawing on large butcher paper! It was fabulous watching them work together!!! They were so serious!!

Tomorrow, they will continue their work.  I hope by Thursday that we will be able to move on and use a character traits word list to assign them to each character...I have an idea in mind...I'll post pics once we figure it out!

I'm so happy to have a teaching partner that is willing to share the burden...

"Teams share the burden and divide the grief."--Doug Smith

Thank you, V!

Always,