November Blah Blah Blah

This came through my Facebook feed at the right time this year.

Lots of good learning can happen in post-Camp Seymour October and during the start of November. Lots of good learning does happen in post-OEE October and in the beginning of November. But somehow, every year, I have to try harder when Camp Seymour is in the rear-view mirror and daylight savings is upon us. I feel bogged down by all the day to day aspects of being a teacher (lesson planning, parent communication, materials preparation, meetings...the list goes on and on, but I digress) and I feel like my family must think I am MIA.

The Friday before Halloween

But the truth is, it's probably all attributable to the change of the weather and the end of the "honeymoon phase" of the school year. I need to start taking vitamin D again and remind myself that it's a good thing the kids are feeling comfortable around me and in my classroom.  And remember to take time for myself and my family somewhere in the mix after the run up to Camp Seymour.

This year the family stuff was impossible to ignore, starting the very week I returned from Camp Seymour. Last year about this time my husband I started a journey to become licensed foster parents with the end goal of adopting kids in need. The Friday after I returned from Camp Seymour we took our first placement. Six days went by in a blur, and then as fast as the new kids came, they went. I mention this piece of my life mostly to explain the lack of a post last weekend, but also to remind anyone who may have forgotten that teaching is just a slice of my overall life.

Writing Pen Pal Letters

At school, the past two weeks shifted from post-OEE reflections toward moving forward with completing units in progress before our big trip. Students "fossilized" plastic dinosaurs in sand, pebbles, and plaster of paris before excavating them again. They researched survival and worked to synthesize ideas from their research with ideas from in-class reading with transitional statements. And we finally found time to begin drafting responses to our pen pals in Virginia. (Sorry it took so long, Mr. Jackson!) With Halloween thrown in the mix, complete with my class' annual viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, I am happy to report we are on track to end the first trimester right where we should be. Is it Thanksgiving yet?

Excavation Time!