2nd Annual Carrot Day!

So... that 3 day streak has extended itself into a few good weeks. This is a rare occurance, but things are going well... so well indeed that I allowed my students to celebrate their 2nd Annual Carrot Day.

This is an event that we have been looking forward to all year, so excitement has been buzzing all week. We started the day with plotting carrots onto ccordinate grids and figuring out the plot of each point of the carrot, from there we found the comparative and subjugative forms of adverbs in sentences relating to Ms. G winning the Carrot Competition, and once finished, we began the big eat-off.

We are on a break from eating carrots right now, so that the kids can attend their music class and go to lunch, but before they left, Ricky was in the lead at 8 full carrots in just over 1 hour. I on the other hand, have only eaten 4 and feel a little sick to my stomach, but I'm closer to the norm, tied with Jerry and just behind Tyler who has eaten 5 carrots. Nadia and Tay have both forfitted already, but all seem to still be enjoying this orange-themed day.

3 day streak...

Amidst the sweltering heat of our 4th floor classroom, and the stinky pits of mostly adolescent boys, the Bad Wolves are currently into the third day of a streak of learning, curiosity, and fun. It seems that we have collectively gotten a "second wind" and the motivation and positive attitudes are overwhelming me.

This is a much needed break, as many of you probably know.... so cross your fingers for me. I am worried that I am cursing myself by even mentioning the classroom atmosphere.... but I just find it so amazing that the entire demeanor of a classroom can so drastically change in a short time. Even more amazing is the way that my student soak up knowledge when they let themselves. For the past 3 days, the "cool" thing to do is learn, and the only students who haven't enjoyed the past few days of school are the ones that refuse to think for themselves. With any luck, this positive class outlook will begin to rub off on those few before it diminishes.

Yesterday I had 4 parent logs go home that started like this "___________ had a phenominal morning, a positive attitude and was motivated to learn!" I love parent logs like that...

De Colores

Jerry said "you teachers are always trying to make things colorful and make us draw pictures because you think that us special ed kids are stupid or something." in September of this school year. I had Jerry all last year for 5th grade, and he returned to me this year as a 6th grader. This is a direct quote too, because I was so intrigued that I wrote it down immediately.

I tried to explain to Jerry, and the rest of the class that I do use bright colors intentionally, but that it is actually because I think that they are VERY smart, and I think that the bright colors help them to recall information, and they can use the colors as parts of strategies for remembering and learning new things. I also explained that pictures are a really good tool to use, especially in math.

Jerry, at the time, didn't buy into it. He insisted that I thought he and his classmates were stupid.

Today I heard Jerry, (who has taken it upon himself to show our new student, a 4th grader, how things work in Bad Wolf Territory) explained that the colors around the room are coordinated to subject area, and that can help to remember what folder to look in if you get stuck on a problem on the exit ticket. Jerry explained that every day I put up 2 math problems (we have notes on that in the Red folders), then 2 literacy questions (in the blue section of the room), and then one question that will be either social studies (yellow) or science (green). Jerry described it so matter-of-factly. I could tell that he was using some of the strategies that I have been trying to teach all year.

I realize that this seems like a very simple thing to understand, but really the idea that we use color-coded binders and folders is something that has taken a long time to embed in my students. Occasionally I will still find a blue literacy notebook thrown in the red bin with the math work. The color-systems create structures for my students that they can begin to understand, and then hopefully use for categorizing their lives and their thinking.

Sometimes I hear them referring to things by the colors I use, for example, Rick was trying to remember the definition of "physics" and when Jay suggested the wrong answer, Rick said, "no, that's not right, it's the one that she wrote up in green." Brilliant, I thought.

Stickers = life saver

Today I had a great morning. Weird, I know, but wonderful. My kids were excellent-- no major, or even minor behavior problems, and the only nuisance to me was that I went through 7 packs of stickers bribing them to keep up the good work-- and all I can say about that is that it was worth every sticker....

Ryan was just washing the dishes (the conditions under which I allowed him to move in for the summer) and my dog shit under his foot. He kept yelling "EIW!! Jill, you're dog reeks, what did you feed him, Gawd!" When I went to the potty pad... nothing. Then I looked under Ryans toes, and there it was, a PILE OF SHIT. Way to be, Ryan.

Carrot Day

Today was "Carrot Day" in room 401.

I don't know why, but my students became obsessed with the idea of having a carrot-eating competition with me... so I decided that it would be a great incentive for good behavior.

Today was finally the big day-- so I bought 4 bags of carrots, and for the entire afternoon we ate carrots while playing "states bingo" and learning the properties of magnets. I lost the competition, but it's probably better that way. My stomach still hurts though, so I can only immagine what my students are feeling right now.

Here's to Carrot Queen Amber and the two Carrot Kings George and Ricardo-- the winners of the Carrot Day Competition in room 401.