Countdown to STRESS!

This time of year is the most stressful time for a teacher in a testing grade. The next few months are insane between actual state mandated tests and benchmarks to prepare our kids and see what else we need to teach. As many people have said, as long as there are tests, there will be prayer in school.

I have been very fortunate to have a student teacher this semester. The best part is that she is a math and science major!! Between the two of us, our students are getting the best of both worlds. :)  The school year has been pretty smooth lately. The kids are learning and making a lot of progress. I am very proud of them!

During the past week, we read the book "Crossing Jordan", which is set in the early 1990's in Tallahassee, Florida. The book is about two girls attempt to be friends even though their parents do not want them to be friends with those of another race. Each day, we have students make a chart to keep track of characters, setting, plot, and connections. Then, after reading the chapters for that day, the students write a reaction in their journal. The other day I had 3 boys sitting at the back table with me trying to decide what they wanted to write their reaction about. One boy said, "Mrs. Edugator, we used to have a lot of racism in our class. We had people who didn't like each other because of their skin color." Okay, first...what a great revelation and the fact that he said USED to!! Then, another boy at the table said, "yeah, but we are a school family now and we don't think about that anymore." OMG!!! I could not believe it!! I may have cried tears of joy.

I have to admit, at the beginning of the year I did not think that this group would become the school family that my past groups have. I have focused on school family so much and almost shoved it down their throats (not literally). :) It is so nice to see the kids learn things you want them to learn. Not only that, I have turned them into Mini- Edugators. I can hear them say things the way I do. It is so funny.
* "We don't talk to our friends like that"
* "Is that school appropriate?"
* "Guys, if we want to play guitar hero on Friday then we have to be quiet"

Of course, there are more things that they say to each other that sound like me, but I think it is so cute. I also enjoy watching them calm each other down when they get upset. I have a few students that walk and stand right outside of our door and when they do, another student usually goes out there to check on them before I can. Okay, so of course it hasn't been all peaches and cream but the good has definitely weighed out the bad during the past month. I am so proud of my fantastic fourth graders and how far they have come from the beginning of the year. I can't wait to see how far they get by the end!