The morning broadcast is getting smoother, but now it's time to make a schedule and start getting other 5th graders in there. I'm new to this kind of logistics.
Teaching classes around the book fair was a challenge. Did I forget to mention that I started teaching two hour-long classes daily on Monday? Oh, that's probably because no one told me what day I was going to start doing that until....Monday! So that was a splash of cold water in the face. But hey, third grade starts off the year in social studies learning about maps and globes. That's always fun. We talked about what social studies is and read Weslandia. We talked about how maps are made and read part of The Librarian Who Measured the Earth and Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt and we just played around with a pile of laminated maps and some unclaimed classroom globes. I had them look at the size of Africa on a map versus a globe and the shape of Greenland on a map versus a globe--that kind of thing. And we talked about explorers and pirates. Of course! Oh, and I even found globes of the Moon and Mars to show them. Not bad for flying by the seat of my pants.
The staff seemed happy when I bought two Boxes O'Joe and a bunch of Munchkins from Dunkin' Donuts for the Monday morning teacher preview. I love making teachers happy. I keep telling them they are not an interruption, but they don't always seem to believe me. I've printed out Doug's sign and put it on my office door. We'll see if that helps. I think this is one of the biggest obstacles to collaboration: the fear that you're bothering someone. Trust me, I'd much rather help you solve your problem than put stickers on books. I need to put the stickers on the books, but that will get done and I want to help you when you need me. The art teacher was definitely happy with the Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes! book and CD I loaned her from my daughter's personal collection. Maybe the music teacher would like it as well...
I enjoyed meeting lots of parents this week. Tuesday was Back to School night, so it was an extended Book Fair evening. We also had a number of folks volunteers an hour or two throughout the week to help out with the Fair, which was cool. But trust me, next year the book fair will not be this early.
And I cannot say enough about the clerk, who I've nicknamed Miss Information and our Super Volunteer. Those ladies rock! Hard! The clerk even dressed up in a Clifford suit for the last day and crashed the morning broadcast. That was a hoot! Then she went over and waved and hugged the Kindergartners. Everyone really does love Clifford.
I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwan and James Dean
