Summer Academy 2011!

Summer school was phenomenal. Signing up for summer school back in the spring seemed like such a good idea at the time...I mean, hellooooo, extra money! But then the week before it starts, it doesn't seem like the best idea...I mean, my summer break was really only 6 weeks long. 6 weeks with not one vacation. 6 weeks with 12 undergrad credits and 6 grad credits. 6 weeks of being miserably busy! And then...summer school came with a BANG! But, at least I got 6 weeks to do all that, and I am thankful for that. I learned SO much this summer. Speaking of learning, I just read this awesome book for work called the "Five Dysfunctions of a Team." I'd highly recommend it! It only took about 1.5 hours to read, it was really well written, and it really got me to actively think about how important it is to be a team player. Read it!

But it really was such a great and fun experience. I really enjoyed it! I loved spending time with the kids outside of the regular school year and I think that it really built a bond between them and I. I have a substitute for tomorrow and Friday since I have new teacher orientation, and a couple of my kids were crying. It was sad- but sweet. Teaching summer school truly blessed me, and I am so thankful for a wonderful job with awesome teachers and wonderful students. On a plus, my body is now back in the routine of waking up at 5:30 or earlier...and I've been waking up naturally, without an alarm clock! :)

Here's some pictures of the week!

I got these flowers from a 2nd and 3rd grader. :)

On Monday,  I was teaching about Africa. So, during recess, without prompting, my kiddos found this! Such a proud teacher of her students!

I edited names and addresses out, but this is the work of a rising 2nd who had a LOT of difficulty with spelling last year. She wrote this by herself- I didn't help her spell anything. I am more proud of her than I think I have ever been of a student.

My theme was "Around the World in 10 Days." LOVED IT! I had the students create a passport on the first day, and they added stamps each day as we learned about new continents and countries. So fun! :)

I also edited the name off of this one. During writing for the past week and a half, we worked on an animal research book. The students all picked an animal, and we talked about the animals, and wrote about them. This was one of my favorite activities that I have ever done, and it was a HUGE hit with the kiddos.

Teaching English to Refugees

I really enjoyed this blog post. Here's a preview of it...

"They straggle into the classroom, some early, some right on time, some a few minutes late. I don’t hold it against them. This is not the willful laziness of college. My students haven’t opted to sleep late or chosen to stand outside the door talking with a friend. If they are late it is because of their work or because one of the three buses they take to make it to the school was delayed.

My students have not come to the United States as travelers, but as refugees, as people without a home. They are far, far braver than me. They astound me with their courage. I am amazed that they still laugh, that they bother to ask me how my day was, that they mourn for each other’s losses when their own are at least as great. It is because of this courage, this joy, and this compassion that I spend every Tuesday night in the windowless basement room of a church. It is because I have been given so much in a world where so many are given so little that I do my very best to teach my students the difficult language of a country that perhaps one day they will refer to as home."