Look who joined us for recess this week! Our theme for this week is Insects a.k.a. Bugs! The students participate in a variety of activities about insects such as reading informational texts, shared fictional readings, crafts, and the list goes on. No one would have expected to find a Praying Mantis on the playground. I would love to take credit for being the brave soul to pick it up but, not likely. I have some wonderful colleagues, I must say. One colleague (the discoverer) picked it up and let it walk on her hand and lower arm, we all took part in sharing information about the specimen, and then my hero (second colleague) actually took the picture for me because I was too afraid to get close enough. Yes, I love nature but, am a really big chicken! Moments like this just cannot be planned but, are greatly appreciated. This is only the third Praying Mantis I have seen in my adult like. These lovely beings were introduced to our continent and are not natives. So glad that teachable moments can happen any place and at any time.
Summer vacation is supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation. By traditional definition a vacation is an extended period of recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling; a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday. Well for teachers this is not quite the case. As much as we need the rest, many do not get paid during the summer months. This means, off to work we still go! Teachers find work in a variety of places to make sure bills are paid and there is still food on the table. Then there is the other type of work - school related STUFF!! There is professional development workshops (which I have to admit I love!), informational literature (such as; Closing the Attitude Gap by Baruti Kafele, Push Has Come to Shove by Dr. Steve Perry, or What Great Principals Do Differently by Todd Whitaker), searching websites like Pinterest and Education World for new ideas/strategies, and planning for the upcoming school year. Yes, all this is going on during the summer vacation. Personally, I am generating a new Welcome Back to School letter for my new students. I do not know who they will be but, I am preparing how to introduce myself to them. As a parent, I always appreciated those letters my daughters received in the early grades. It helped ease our anxieties and my daughters felt so special. A big goal of mine is to reduce as much anxiety and tension for my students and parents. The first days of school can be traumatic for some. Teachers are not exempt from this tension. Thus, the easier I make this transition for them the better it will be for me in the long run. ToAnother goal, is to find ways to increase parental involvement. Studies have shown that student success and achievement is directly related to parental involvement. This does not mean I throw in the towel if I reach a road block. It means that I try new methods to involve parents and continue to move forward with those that respond. I will still find time to get away to the beach but, if you see me you are guaranteed to find me with a good book or possibly planning some new detail for the 2014-2015 school year. In any event, working is cathartic for me thus I am vacationing after all.
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