Tag Archives: Monday

Monday Musings: SOL23 Day 13

I have a colleague who shouts out an alliterative greeting to everyone she passes for each day of the week. There is no day when she utters a negative term or skips her greeting. Positivity is her way of being in the world.

Me, not so much. Some days are hard and I do think we have to face both the positive and the negative. But honestly, I weirdly like Mondays. Somehow they symbolize a new beginning each week–and who can turn down a “Magical Monday” greeting?

So today I’ll use my slice to consider some things I appreciate about Mondays.

I love our “3 words about your weekend” beginning to Mondays. It’s short enough that there’s time for each of my students (and me too) to say something about our weekend–and also creates conversation starters to lean on as the day goes on.
My students get to spend time in the garden on Monday mornings with our garden teacher. Today they combed the clover in search of 3 and 4 leaf clovers. One student found a 5 leaf clover! (Is that even a thing?) She came back convinced of her luck–even after she promptly lost it. I love first graders’ belief in the magic of things!
I read The Lion’s Share today–a book about fractions (and some selfish, not very thoughtful animals). I love when a book provokes interesting math to be done on the spot. This one goes from “halving,” back to doubling–something we had worked on last week. There’s nothing like watching the wheels turn as students strive to solve harder doubles (64+64) and (128+128)!
It’s Ability Awareness Week in our district, so we learned about a student with Cerebral Palsy who wanted to raise money to build a playground where she could play with her friends. My students immediately recognized that our playground equipment would also not be inclusive, leaving children with physical limitations out. They loved designing a playground that would be inclusive and enjoyed learning about this student who they appreciated for, in their words, “standing up for herself and for other kids.”
And after a gloomy, foggy weekend I came home to sunshine this afternoon (thank you Daylight Saving Time) for my walk around the neighborhood. And to top it off, dandelion puffs were in their full glory in the couple of grassy patches we pass along the way. They always make me smile.

Mondays really are magical when I take the time to consider all that they have to offer. What will Triumphant Tuesday have to offer?

Rainy Days and Mondays: SOL22 Day 28

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Some days are the perfect convergence of conditions–that can either make or break your day.

Mondays can be challenging. Coming off the weekend students are unsettled–some tired, some amped, some seemingly have forgotten what this whole school thing is all about. And somehow, I always start parent conference week with an early morning conference. Today was no different.

I like morning parent conferences. They feel almost leisurely in the quiet of the morning before the stresses of the day emerge. But…today I had to rearrange my lesson plans since someone would come in to teach my class while I attended an IEP meeting. And…I didn’t know who it would be until I was already teaching this morning.

Then there’s the forecast. Last week we had summer mid-week, with coastal temperatures in the 80s. Today’s weather called for wind and rain…maybe even thunder and lightening. Any weather in these parts is an event–and my rain boot, umbrella toting students came to school ready for it! (What is it about wind and the prospect of rain that causes students to lose their minds? They were definitely stirred up today!)

No breaks later, it hadn’t rained. I wrangled the students back into learning mode as we explored some poetry (reading and writing) and did some drawing (tulips) that we will paint tomorrow. A minimum day dismissal arrived before the rain–so all those boots and umbrellas were not needed at school today.

But the rain did come, wafting in sheets during one of my conferences. We could hear the wind and see the sheets of water through the windows as we chatted about progress and appreciated the child’s unique qualities. And I was thankful for a rain-free teaching day since cooped-up kids are not my favorite start to the week.

You can see the rain pouring out the drains after the downpour.

Once my conferences were done for the day, the sun came out and I couldn’t resist a bit of photography outside the classroom, trying to catch the sunlight on the damp flowers that were clearly enjoying some rainfall in this usually dry climate.

While there is still some more rain in the forecast for the evening, it held off long enough for a neighborhood walk once I got home this afternoon. The snails were out everywhere creating their own kind of obstacle course (how I hate that crunch when I accidentally step on one!) as I made my way up and down the sidewalks.

End result? This rainy day and Monday converged in a way I can claim as a good day. It was busy and hectic as all parent conference week days are, but the rain made its appearances at times when I could appreciate it rather than curse it. All in all, a pretty darn good rainy day and Monday!

Monday Musings: SOL22 Day 21

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I don’t cook, but I love watching cooking shows. Competition shows are my favorite. I love figuring out who will be eliminated, where the flaws are in their technique, identifying just what crisis will put the contestant in some kind of dire possibility of failure. But somehow, they do not motivate me to head to the kitchen. (Luckily, my husband, who does cook, also enjoys these shows and does get motivation from watching!)

Why is it that now that it is officially spring, the forecast for tomorrow is summer? The irony is that summer in southern CA generally arrives late…like July. But we are expecting temps near 80 tomorrow and Wednesday. Summer-like weather does NOT bring out the best in students.

Shoes make the outfit. At least that used to be my thinking. Lately I seem to base my clothes choices on which will allow me to get away with wearing tennis shoes. And somehow, I also seem to have more tennis shoes to wear! Granted, teaching means being on your feet all day long, so comfy shoes have always been a must, but looking fashionable (or even professional) has taken a back seat these days.

Just some random thoughts on a Monday afternoon in March (when I should be finishing up report cards)! What are you thinking about today?

Poetry Is: Day 23

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Mondays are odd for me…I barely have time with my students as they rush off to their “specials,” leaving me with some precious planning time but also feeling like I have to cram all that I want and need to do into the remaining and minuscule time segments.

Today I read my students Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer as a way to inspire their poetry as we approach our last 8 days of the 30 day challenge. In the book, Daniel asks all the animals in the park what poetry is…and they each share an idea which he then combines to create his own poem. This beautiful book is deceptively simple, yet the language is both approachable and inspiring. I’ve invited my students to create their own “poetry is” poems–reminding them to use the poetic techniques we brainstormed in class. Hopefully I’ll have a few to share with you later this week!

We also spent some time in the garden — looking for the letters of the alphabet to photograph. I randomly assigned each student a letter and then we headed off with our iPads to capture those letters in photos to create a “bank” of letters for some upcoming projects. My students didn’t disappoint. They not only found all 26 letters, they helped out when someone was having a hard time with their assigned letter. “S” was hard, “V” was easy. Now to figure out how to manipulate our letters digitally to spell some words and create some wordy images! (Any ideas are welcome here!)

My students also inspired my “Poetry Is” poem for today.

Poetry Is…

Children’s laughter

bubbling up

and popping in the sun-warmed garden air

Skies as blue

as a lizard’s back

as a jay’s feather

as the blueberries on my morning yogurt

a garden

tilled by the smallest hands

with the largest hearts

growing knowledge

and awareness of nature’s abundance

paying attention

and noticing

all the world has to offer

Douillard 2018

GArden V

And a poem about a favorite topic in the classroom–especially for this student!

People Play Baseball

For a long time people played baseball.
Making contact with the baseball. Single doubles triples and there’s even HOME RUNS!
They are the best!
The ball sails throughout the air over the fence.
Night day people play.

Stone

Are you ready to try a “Poetry Is” poem? Be sure to share yours in the comments!