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This is the purse my students gave me on my last day block teacher ... <3

Last Day in the Third Grade

Time certainly flies, and I can't say that enough. I remember my first day entering the third grade and it was on February 1st, so I haven't been in this classroom for too long or anything, but I did spend a lot of time with these children. I was there Monday-Friday from 915:11:45 and then 12-2:30 for the last four weeks. I taught lessons, worked one on one with them, hung out with them during recess, went to the cafeteria with them, observed, etc.. My last day was great. They made me cards, got me the cutest purse ever- that I will definitely post a picture of, and we had a little goodbye party. I got to watch their awesome animoto videos, we had an extra recess at the end of the day, I brought in some snacks, and it was just a great last day. It was also one of those last days where you wish it wasn't ending and you could just finish the rest of the year with them. But, that won't happen, and as a future teacher saying goodbye is something I will have to get used to.

On another note, I found out where I am placed to student teach in Fall 2010 and am SO excited! I will be working with first graders which I have never done before!! Then I will be done and can have my own classroom... it feels so good to be so close.

Oh, How Time Flies

I've been really awful about posting in this blog and I know down the line I will definitely regret this.

I hope when I student teach I am a lot better about the experience, because I've been learning so much from this block teaching experience and hope that I don't forget it.

I only have seven more days left with my third graders!!! I'm going to miss them more than you know. I've seen a lot of changes in them and have learned so much about them. I think when I am an actual teacher the end of the year will be hard for me, because you see the same children day after day for at least seven hours, five days a week. Then the end of the year rolls around and they leave. How do you do it teachers?? Is it as hard as I think it will be? Do they visit as often as they promise?

My last day in this third grade classroom is a week from Thursday. One part of me is excited (because it means the end of the school year for me) and another part is pretty upset. I am going to miss this. I'm also happy though because it means I can move on and I will be one step closer to my own classroom... what a thought.

Jager Bomb

The 3rd graders are working on reports about anything they want
and this one kid is doing Jaguars
so he googled jaguar and u know how google has the drop down menu with options like jaguar pictures, jaguar eating habits, or anything related to jaguars pretty much. Well i was walking around and he goes "oh wow
jaguar bombs!" Then excitedly tells his friends and the kids at his table and I walk over
and hes still all excited because he thinks he can write a paragraph about jaguar bombs. But really he spelled jaguar wrong and typed in jager....so it was jager bombs

Assassinate

The students are writing about Martin Luther King Jr. and two boys called me over to help them spell the word assassinate. I spelled it for them and then they typed it out and then I walked away...

Ten minutes later I walk back over there and still see the same sentence minus the work assassinate and asked them why they only had two words down and deleted the assassinate. Then one boy points a finger at a kid from another group and said "he deleted the word assassinate!" and I asked why, and that other boy goes they were deleting the -inate part so it would just be ass ass (but he spelled it out of course :). So then he was like I had to delete it because the people are watching! There are people inside our computers or people monitoring them and I saved you from getting into a lot trouble! Then the boy just looked at him in a simple, oh thanks... I understand. 

Love is in the air... In the third grade

I have been really bad about posting on here, I tried once, but felt that my post was unfair because I was judging my first few days in a new classroom too quickly.

Now, two weeks have gone by and I'm adjusting and liking it more. I work in a third grade classroom in a great elementary school. I've never worked with third graders before and had a hard time adjusting at first, but now am slowly beginning to enjoy it.

Any who, today the third graders had their Valentine's Day party since they have tomorrow off, and boy was it chaotic!

The cutest statement I heard was, during recess I was playing with wedgits with this girl and then this boy comes running over, I just gave _______ my phone number!!!!!!!!!! And he's really excited and it was pretty cute. Then two minutes later.... you hear ________ "why did you give me your phone number?" Ugh... awkward pause, so you can call me sometime if you want. Then the girl just goes away. It was pretty adorable.

Then that boy was talking about his snow days and what he did with me and the other girl playing with the wedgits and he's like yeah my friend came over but not my girlfriend. Then the girl was like wait, you have a girlfriend?? Then he said yeah.. and she asked who, and then she was like oh is ____ (girl he just gave number to) your girlfriend?? and he said yes. That is very un-true, but a cute story none the less.

Block Teaching

Sorry, I've been MIA. I was on winter break and was getting no experience working with students, taking any courses, or creating any lesson plans, so I didn't have many "classroom moments" to blog about.

However, the semester has begun! I'm into week two, and on February 1st, I will begin student teaching in a third grade classroom!

I'm pretty excited, more excited than nervous, although I do have to teach 30 lesson plans, two will be observed by my university professor, and one will be videotaped! How nerve wrecking!!! Luckily, I love my university professor and feel very comfortable around her which makes it that much easier.

For the rest of the week I probably won't be posting anything, but be prepared because starting February 1st i'm hoping to have lots to share and talk about. 

If you have any great lesson plans for third grade or block teaching advice I would love to hear it, thanks!

(also I just wanted to say thank you to the great ladies at SITS, the comments have really pushed me to keep this blog going and motivate me to write again).